Why You Are So Lucky to Have a Transgender Grandchild
by Scotty King
This is the call I received last week—“One of my grandchildren came to me last night and said ‘I want to transgender,’ can you please help me find more information about this?” I told this person, “Yes, I will find help for you.”
One of my roles here at the Senior Center is the LGBTQ liaison, and I have received calls from Seniors about children and grandchildren being in the LGBTQ community. Seniors call and ask me for help in understanding.
The Numbers
A lot of folks have relatives who are LGBTQ, but they don’t talk about it in public. They think they are the only ones. Let’s look at that. There is scientific proof that 1 in 10 folks are LGBTQ. With our Sonoma county population at 500,000, That is 50,000 LGBTQ people in our county. That means there are 100,000 parents, and 200,000 grandparents of folks who are LGBTQ. That’s 40% of our population have LGBTQ family members That’s almost half our population having LGBTQ family members, (not even counting sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles)!
Local Expert
I also received a call last week from a person who needed legal advice for his daughter, a transwoman. I could not answer these questions, but luckily, I knew who could. I introduce Nick Lawrence lives locally and is A transgender man. He is the founder of the “Family Resiliency Camp,” he’s written 2 books on being a transman, he transitioned 13 years ago, and he is aware of most all trans resources in our area, from legal to emotional support.
He loves to help people with trans issues, offering a free 30 minute telephone consultation, it’s like a free mini coaching session. He has time to offer 4 of these per month to members of our Senior Center. Nick’s email is toolsforlife1@gmail.com, (or you can call me, Scotty, if you don’t have a computer).
I got permission for these two families that needed help to speak with Nick. For families dealing with trans discrimination, Nick offered support and advice, and he referred them to the Oakland Transgender Law Center, 510.587.9696
For the grandmother who wanted to know how better to support her grandson, who was now transitioning to becoming the woman (a transwoman), Nick offered this support. He found a Transwomen Support Group that was actually meeting that night, and the grandchild was able to attend. Nick points out that the whole family (everyone) needs support when a family member is transitioning. The grandmother reported that it “was very soothing to talk with Nick”
The Good News
Nick wants everyone to know the good news about having a trans family member. “You are so lucky! You are very fortunate if you have a transgender person in your family, because you get to really look at what it means to be a man or a woman, and how important that is for one’s identity.” Nick goes on to say, “Look at how you are going to grow to become a compassionate person on this planet and more importantly in your community.”
Nick looks forward to the day when he hears: “My grandson has the most wonderful partner, his name is Bill, and I can’t wait for you to meet him.” Or “My grandchild is transgender, I am so excited for him to find out what his real path is in life!” “He is becoming the women he always felt he was, I am so proud of her becoming the authentic person she always was.”
Side Bar:
When Your Grandchild Wants to Transgender:
Transgendering is not a word, but it does sound cute. The correct way to say this is, “my grandchild is transitioning, becoming a transgender woman.”
I am a transgender person, where transgender is an adjective, not a verb
That night there was a transwomen support group that she was able to attend
Never Forget We Were All “Cured” in 1973 Until 1973 all homosexuals were considered sexual deviants.
Now there is a movie documentary explaining this story, something we should be aware of and never forget!
Just watching the trailer is so powerful! when the medical folks were pressured by gays to stop classifying being gay as an illness wow! Hero’s for sure!
go here for trailer https://www.cureddocumentary.com/#single/0
