Hi, I’m Charlotte, a 13 year-old trans student. I was born a male (AMAB, or Assigned Male at Birth) but I never felt like one. I discovered a while ago what being trans was, and found that I myself am trans.
A few months ago, I had to come out to my family. Of course, I was very frightened. Because of this, I came out over a family group chat. The response I got from my mother was not one I was hoping for. The rest of my family seemed supportive, but because of my mother’s response, I felt scared that I wouldn’t be able to get the care I need.
Fortunately, I talked it out with my mother over a period of many months. She expressed her concerns, I expressed mine. I educated her on trans issues, what dysphoria was, why it wasn’t too early to know, why it wasn’t a phase, and a lot of other things. Eventually, she changed her perspective a bit and now I have an appointment to talk about puberty blockers with my doctor.
I call on parents to educate themselves on trans issues, and talk with their children about gender.