For Trans Day of Visibility, come learn about 10 notable transgender parents—authors, journalists, musicians, athletes, advocates, and an actual rocket scientist, among other things. They’ve made positive marks on both the world and their families.
This list is hardly comprehensive, but I hope it reminds folks that trans parents exist (and have existed for some time). Let’s make sure they and their families get the same respect, support, and equal rights as anyone else.
- Billy Tipton (1914-1989), a jazz bandleader during the mid-20th century, father of three sons, and a trans man. I wrote more about him last year.
- Gloria Allen (1945-2022), who founded and ran a charm school for homeless trans youth. Although she did not raise children in the traditional sense, she deserves note here because of her incalculable impact upon the young people she mentored. They called her “Mama Gloria,” which speaks to her parental role. She was the subject of the award-winning documentary Mama Gloria and the critically acclaimed play Charm. I wrote more about her when she passed in 2022.
- Jennifer Finney Boylan (1958-), an author, professor, and activist who is currently the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. She and her wife of 38 years have two children. Her 2014 memoir Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders is a great read, not only about her experience as a trans parent, but also about the whole venture of parenting in general. Learn more about her at her website or on Insta.
- Michael Kantaras (1959-), a baker who was involved in a landmark case to retain custody of his two children after his estranged wife (who had known Kantaras was trans when they married) in 2002 tried to void their 10-year marriage and take away Michael’s parental rights over their two children. In 2005, a Florida Circuit Court ruled that he was legally a man, his marriage was therefore valid, and he should be granted primary custody of the children. An appeals court overturned this and sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider his rights—but before they could, talk show host Dr. Phil stepped in and asked to mediate. The couple let him, and ultimately agreed that Kantaras would retain his parental rights and share custody. The National Center for LGBTQ Rights handled the case, and has more details. GLAD Law also has an interview with Kantaras from 2017, in which he said, “I’m not a transgender dad. I just happen to be a parent who is also transgender. I consider myself a dad first—and I’m a pretty good dad.”
- Thomas Beatie (1974-), an author, public speaker, and advocate, whose pregnancy in 2008 was the first to capture headlines (although he wasn’t the first trans man to be pregnant). The 2008 documentary The Pregnant Man tells his story. Visit his website or follow him on Insta.
- Bree Fram, a former Space Force colonel who was forced into retirement simply for being transgender, and is now running for Congress in Northern Virginia. An actual rocket scientist and decorated officer with more than 20 years of service, she had been the highest-ranking out transgender officer in the Department of Defense. Fram and her wife, who have been married for 20 years and together for 25, have two children. Visit her website or follow her on Insta.
- Trystan Reese (1982-), an author, consultant, and executive coach, whose How We Do Family: From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood tells a story that is both specific to his experience as a gay, trans dad while also offering universal advice on parenting, relationships, and more. He and husband Biff Chaplow have three children. Learn more about him at his website or on Insta.
- Chase Strangio (1982-), co-director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights. He was the first out trans person to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court when he did so in a case fighting a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care for trans youth. He and partner Kimberly Drew have one child. Read more about his work and family in my post from 2024.
- Freddy McConnell (1986-), an English journalist whose first experience with pregnancy and birth was documented in the 2019 film Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth. He unfortunately lost a court battle to be named his child’s father, rather than mother, on the child’s birth certificate. He now has two children. Follow him on Insta, and check out his picture book, Little Seahorse and the Big Question.
- Layshia Clarendon (1991-), who in 2020 became the first out trans and nonbinary player in WNBA history. Now retired from play, they are also a speaker, writer, and advocate, whose Layshia Clarendon Foundation “grants access to life affirming healthcare and wellness services for the trans community through education, advocacy, and direct financial assistance.” They have one child with spouse Jessica Dolan. Follow Clarendon on Insta.
I’ll also take the opportunity to remind folks of a great resource for youth with trans parents, COLAGE’s “People with Trans Parents” guide, which can be found on their website along with other useful publications.
I wish a meaningful Transgender Day of Visibility to all who are marking the event, no matter what visibility means to you or where you are along that path. May we all continue to work towards a world where everyone can be as visible as they desire, without fear of harm.