I am the proud father of a brilliant six-year-old boy who happens to be transgender.
This child has been advocating for his gender identity since he was old enough to talk. He would “play” as a boy for hours at a time, and then for days, refusing to respond to his previous given name. He also developed a heartbreaking sense of anxiety around anything that would categorize him as “feminine.”
To be clear, he loves art, ballet, music, and knows a girl can do anything a boy can — our floor-to-ceiling collection of feminist children’s books were pretty clear about that — but it’s not a matter of stereotyping. He simply wasn’t a girl.
When he adopted a new name, the weight fell off his shoulders, and my heart broke again to know that a four-year-old could have felt so burdened.
I didn’t think that was possible, but he taught me differently.
The change in his demeanour was completely unmistakable, and seeing that, every single friend, neighbour, and family member has embraced his transition. It has been the joy of my life to see him smile and thrive as the person he always knew himself to be.
Nevertheless, over the past few years, there have been loud denunciations against inclusive language and inclusive categorizations of gender.
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Media has a responsibility to reframe this dialogue. It seems that we are giving a lot of attention to hand-wringing think-pieces about language’s role in constructing identity.
If you really want to see what language can do, meet my son and see for yourself how the right words changed his life.
How can anyone’s nitpicking about semantics stand up against the positive proof that is my child?
His life and his identity are not subjects for their academic debate.
I urge you to centre trans voices in matters that most prominently affect trans lives.
