Sunny, Age 8, Texas
SUNNY: I think that everyone who is on the LGBTQ team should get to live their life, and I think they should be free to do what they want.
MOM: As soon as the bills started popping up in Texas that would actually get us prosecuted as parents - they could jail us, they could take us from our home, just for having a transgender child –that’s when I said, “I have to get involved.” Because this is dangerous. We are in danger. Everybody knows we have a trans kid, we’re pretty public about it. The idea of Sunny not being able to get the correct health care at the correct age was terrifying. Then you start thinking about moving out of state or buying black market hormones because as parents we’re going to keep our kids safe and happy, no matter what. We’ve gotten this far, but there have been many sleepless nights. I feel like we’re the first generation of parents who have four-year-old trans kids, because the previous generation would have just said no. We know statistically, based on the adult trans community, that her life is just more in danger than other people’s.
DAD: People say that I’m not raising my kid right behind my back. I’ve been sat down and talked to by bosses and other men in my life who tell me I need to put my foot down. When Sunny first started feeling this way, I was hesitant. I thought it was a phase, to be honest. I was this young bull and I thought I had a boy. But at the same time, I wanted my kid to be happy, and now she’s happy. I just had to open my mind a little bit. If you’ve got somebody that’s very religious and doesn’t believe in evolution, they’re never going to accept trans people and unfortunately they’re the politicians that are creating these bills.
MOM: After this last legislative session, we decided to become public not just for her sake but for others trans kids who maybe don’t have affirming parents. Hopefully they’ll see that there is life beyond the pain that they’re experiencing. I feel that Sunny can provide a good example of that.
SUNNY: Well, I do know one other trans girl that’s my age. It kind of makes me feel better about the laws that they’re trying to make because it lets me know that there are other people in the world that are like me.
DAD: I think it’s important to learn, and to listen. My recommendation is to sit down and talk to your kid about what’s going on and keep an open mind. Trust me, the pronouns are hard to change, but at the end of the day it’s just words.
SUNNY: I just want to say that I think that we should be free to live our life, and I think that we should be able to be who we are, and I think that we should be free to do what we want.
BROTHER: My sister’s really kind.
SUNNY: … And funny!