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When I was first approached last November to write this feature, I told the editors at @GuardianUS that I wanted to write about trans kids in a way that hasn’t been done before.
I think we succeeded. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
I think we succeeded. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
So often the focus of media coverage on trans kids centers on the parents’ journey towards acceptance. Or whether or not kids will persist into adulthood. I wasn’t interested in telling that story. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
Instead I wanted to explore how these kids have immediate needs in the here and now, needs that cannot wait while adults fret over their gendered futures. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
I’m so thankful that the folks at @genderandfamily opened their doors for us, showing us how we can set up trans and gender non-conforming children and adolescents to thrive in the here and now, today and into the future. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
Along the way, my reporting was set back by scheduling difficulties and of course, Covid-19. But I also met three amazing kids who I will never ever forget. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
Seph Leo is a remarkably perseptive kid. After chatting about his transition with his parents for about an hour, he asked me if we were going to the playground to see how he interacts with other kids, as if he was used to being under examination. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
Zion’s story about getting bullied at school, thrown off the top of the jungle gym by her classmates, and her teachers’ blasé response to it, will haunt me for a long time. Her mother’s love for her though will also stick with me. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
Bryce’s deep voice still rings in my ears, and his typical teenaged short answers were a frustration I think a lot of reporters can relate to. We had to move his interview to Zoom after the pandemic hit but I hope I can meet them in person someday. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=edit_2221&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1592201063
