Blocks, Age 17, Massachusetts
BLOCKS: I have family in quite a few parts of the country, and while they’re all great I’m nervous about going to visit. Especially my cousins in Florida who I’d love to see more, but I worry about going down there because of the anti-trans laws. I heard a while ago that kids can get removed from their homes if it’s suspected they’ve had any contact with a trans person, and I don’t want that to happen to my aunts, uncles, or cousins. It’s pretty freaking scary.
I don’t know why people think these bills need to be passed. Maybe they just want everyone to fit into a box, that this what the youth of our society are supposed to look like, which is unrealistic because we’re all people, and people are different. No one is the same as everyone else.
MOM: There’s a dissonance between generations right now. The generation in charge wants to keep everything the same, the status quo. And the generation coming up wants change, and it scares the old people. They want to stomp it out, and this is a way of doing that.
BLOCKS: I don’t think the laws are affecting my choices because I want to be close to the coast and close to home for college, but I do know it will affect a lot of other kids’ choices. If a college wasn’t a safe place for them to go, it means they can’t study there even if it has courses they like or things they want to learn about. I’m not happy that the older people in power are trying to control every aspect of my generation’s lives.
I want to make a difference where I can. I can’t vote yet, I can’t do anything to speak out really, I don’t have a platform where I can have my voice heard – so if this is something I can participate in that will make a difference, I’m going to do that. It feels good, it feels like there’s a chance at change. There’s been so much bad, we need a little good.
It’s ok to be yourself. There’s nothing wrong with who you are or how you want to express yourself. It’s OK to be different, you don’t have to be scared. Even if it seems like you’re alone, you’re not. There’s always gonna be people who understand and support you when you need it. And it’s hard, but it gets easier. It gets better, even if it doesn’t seem like it will. It does.
MOM: Let your kids put themselves out there, if they have a safe place to do so, and back them up in any way that you can. Quiet support, loud support, in your face support. Parents can go to the city council meetings; parents can stand up and do the things that our children can’t yet. And that means we get to model this behavior for the next generation which is really the most important thing. We need to be the parents who are like “Guess what? It’s scary, but here’s how you change it. You use your words, you use your actions and you get loud about protecting trans kids.”
DAD: In addition to supporting your kid, support the other kids. Be the safe place where kids can go and have fun. Don’t make them hide, let them be who they are. It’s a scary ride to adulthood, and it doesn’t get any easier. We’re all in this together.
BLOCKS: I’m glad I can do this.
MOM: Thank you for making visibility a priority, because so many kids don’t feel comfortable being visible.