Parents With Inconvenient Truths about Trans #transphobia pittparents.com
Last Christmas some of the family were grievously absent. The differences took center stage and obscured the love that had always held us together. Silence dominated where laughter had always resounded. Rejection replaced open arms and acceptance. In my pain, I wonder what happened.
Oh, I know what instigated the avalanche. It wasn’t my grandson’s announcement that he was transgender, though some might think so. He didn’t cause this division. It was the choice of his parents to require affirmation of his revelation. It wasn’t enough to love him and nurture his growth in self-discovery. It wasn’t enough for his mother or her sisters. It wasn’t enough to give him time and encouragement to grow out of his awkward feelings that confuse him and make him so uncomfortable. No, it wasn’t his choice. It was his mother’s, together with his aunts. It was their grown-up, mature decisions to intercept and discard every communication, even every expression of love and acceptance, that didn’t conform to their perception of what it should be.
I can’t wrap my head around it. Since when is a gift given to say, “I love you! You’re important to me! I miss you!” an offensive? How can that be labeled hateful?
Here we are with another lonely Christmas looming ahead. My heart is breaking for the absence of them all! I’m extremely thankful for the compassionate understanding that my sons and their families give me. It’s not that their support isn’t greatly appreciated. Oh, it’s appreciated more than words can express. But it doesn’t remove the sting of their sisters’ rejection. Only my daughters can remove this pain. Only God can heal it.