A local couple opens up and talks about raising a transgender child in our valley

BY RUFUS WOODS on Art of Community

Last week was Transgender Awareness week. This annual, global event helps raise and center the voices and visibility of transgender people; it brings to light the myriad of issues and discrimination trans and non-binary people face. It is also a time of hope and celebration for this incredibly diverse population.

On the last day of the week, November 20th, the community holds Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence during that year. I find myself thinking about how our binary and gendered system of male or female excludes and punishes those that don’t prescribe or fit within this social construct. Being excluded, different, or othered can be dangerous.

I’ve been trying to educate myself on this issue over the past few years by considering what life is like for individuals born one gender but then realize they don’t fit that gender assignment. I’m grateful to one local couple for sharing their journey as their child explores their gender identity and expression. This friendship has helped reframe and shape how I see and experience the many nuances of gender.

They asked me to keep their real names confidential because they are adamant about protecting their child’s privacy, so I’ll call them Bob and Lindsay for the sake of this article. “We’ve always believed that gender is a spectrum (rather than binary),” Lindsay told me. But that didn’t prepare them for the day when their child started crying and said, “I have always felt more like a boy.”

That event started a challenging family journey they could have never imagined — one that began with a lot of fears and private tears by the parents. Immediately they began to methodically reach out to mental health providers and connected with other parents of transgender children.

‘Celebrate Love’ at 3rd Annual Wenatchee Pride Festival Saturday at Lincoln Park

KOHO 101

In 2017, Wenatchee held its first ever Pride event, with roughly 150 people in attendance. With many hundreds, if not thousands, of people attending this year, they’ve moved the festival to Lincoln Park in south Wenatchee.

Event organizer Skylar Hansford told KOHO the event is about connecting as a community of LGBTQ+ families and straight allies, and coming together to celebrate as one.

2nd Annual Wenatchee Pride Fest Comes To Pybus, Downtown Tomorrow

KOHO 101

In 2017, Wenatchee held its first ever Pride event, with roughly 150 people in attendance. This year’s festival has grown to multiple venues, including a big family-friendly bash at Pybus Public Market.
Katharine Grove, Communications Specialist with Columbia Valley Community Health, a primary sponsor, told KOHO the event is about connecting as a community of LGBTQ+ families and straight allies and come together as one to show that love trumps all.