Here is the sixth in my series of quotes from Who’s Your Daddy? And Other Writings on Queer Parenting. I’ll be running them for a couple of weeks courtesy of the book’s editor, Rachel Epstein. I’m choosing the quotes I feel are most intriguing and thought provoking; I don’t always agree with the sentiments, but I hope they will spur some discussion in the comments and encourage you to seek out the book for yourselves.
For more on how to get this Canadian-published volume (and you should!), see my original post about it.
I chose today’s quote in honor of the start of Transgender Awareness Week. It is from Jonathan Feakins’ essay, “I Am My Father’s Son”:
My father remains, to this day, the best father a boy could ask for. But being transgender is part of who she is—on top of being a race-car driver, a sci-fi fan, a bookworm, a tinkerer, and a calm and fundamentally gentle human being on all fronts. I was raised by every portion of her, whether it took centre stage or not.
(I call her “father,” by the way, because “mother” is already taken. I introduce her as such, and neither of us particularly minds. If it means that I have to give a Transgenderism 101 primer to an occasional stranger, so be it. You have to start somewhere.)