1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: Welcome one and all to the Professional Homegirl Podcast. Before 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: we begin today's episode, we want to remind you that 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: the views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: of the host and guests and are intended for educational 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: and entertaining purposes. In this safe space, no question is 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: off limits because you never know how someone's storyline can 7 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: be your lifeline. The Professional Homegirl Podcast is here to 8 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: celebrate the diverse voices, stories and experiences of women of color, 9 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: providing a platform for authentic and empowering conversations. There will 10 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: be some key king, some tears, but most importantly a 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 1: reminder that tough times don't last, but professional Homegirls do 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: enjoy the show. 13 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 2: Happy New Year, Professional Homegirls. I hope all is cute now. 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: A lot of y'all been hitting me up asking me 15 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 2: about my holiday season, especially New Year's if I had 16 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 2: any New Year's resolutions, So thank you, and I will 17 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 2: be honest with y'all. I never thought that I would 18 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 2: bring in the New Year the way that I did. 19 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 2: Definitely didn't see it on my bingo car, not one bit. 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 2: So many of you know that I never met my 21 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 2: father before, and you know in the past we definitely 22 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 2: tried to connect several times via phone, but the timing 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: was definitely not right. And I think that we in 24 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:28,199 Speaker 2: order for us to get to the space that we're 25 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 2: in now, I think that we both had to just 26 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 2: let go of a lot of things and meet each 27 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 2: other where we're at. And one of those things that 28 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 2: we had to let go of, especially for me, was 29 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 2: just expectations. And you know, we reconnected again on Christmas, 30 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 2: and I have to say this time feels different. It 31 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 2: really does, so regardless of what the outcome may be, 32 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: I am looking forward to building a relationship with him. 33 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 2: And plus I'm starting to see where I get my 34 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 2: personality from, because this nigga is mad for y'all, no filter, 35 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 2: no whatsoever. But like, we definitely be keen on the 36 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 2: phone and be cracking up, and I'd been like, all right, 37 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 2: I got fucks with this nigga. But on top of that, 38 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 2: you know his sister, which is my aunt, she came 39 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: to my house and we already had a good relationship 40 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: so far, but we never spent a lot of time 41 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 2: with each other. So she came over and she spent 42 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 2: a few days with me child, and you know, she 43 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 2: bought her the New Year's with me, and like I said, 44 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 2: definitely wasn't on my bigo car. But I feel so 45 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 2: close to that side of the family now just by 46 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 2: spending time with her and also just by you know, 47 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 2: speaking to my father every day since Christmas. So yeah, 48 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: I've really been enjoying this time, just really to get 49 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 2: to know that side of the family. So AnyWho, so 50 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,839 Speaker 2: send me an email at Hello at thepog podcast dot 51 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,399 Speaker 2: com and let me know how y'all's New Year's went. 52 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: I would love to hear about it. Now, we are 53 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 2: kicking off twenty twenty five with some amazing stories. And 54 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 2: I don't know if y'all notice this, but we are 55 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 2: almost at the end of season two. You know we're 56 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 2: going to go out with a bang. 57 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 3: Okay. 58 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 2: Now, today's guest shares their journey as a parent navigating 59 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 2: their child's transition, opening up about the challenges, triumphs, and 60 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 2: profound lessons learned along the way. Beyond their personal story, 61 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 2: we explore their groundbreaking role in politics, discussing LGBTQYA plus representation, 62 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 2: the state of the political landscape, and the ongoing fight 63 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,959 Speaker 2: for equality for all y'all. This conversation was just a 64 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 2: pure testament to resilience, advocacy, and the beauty of living 65 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 2: in your truth regardless of how old you are. So 66 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 2: get ready because my child is transgender. Stars now all right, 67 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: First of all, Happy New Year. You're my first guest 68 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: of twenty twenty five. So how was your New Year? 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 4: Oh? It was beautiful that some weird stuff came home. 70 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: What weird? 71 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 4: Well, wasn't we It was actually a lot of fun. 72 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 4: Some really big supporters of mine asked me to earlier 73 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 4: this year, asked for last year, asked me to come 74 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 4: to what is known as the New Year's Eve furry Ball, 75 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 4: and I was kind of like, I mean, you know what, 76 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 4: I loved trying new things and it was actually a 77 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 4: lot of fun and everyone was really cool and I 78 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 4: couldn't stay for the whole thing because I wanted to 79 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 4: spend like bring in the New Year with my children. 80 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 4: So I was like, thank you providing me, and I 81 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 4: dressed up as a mouse. I had mouse of years 82 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 4: and a tail, and so it was a lot of fun. 83 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 4: You know. 84 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: I feel like my New Year's was very unexpected as well. 85 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 2: I shared this with my listeners. So I never met 86 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 2: my father before and since Christmas, my father and I 87 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 2: have been talking every single day. And in the midst 88 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 2: of that, I always had a great relationship with his sister, 89 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 2: who's my aunt, but she bought in a new year 90 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 2: with me. She came to my house and spent the 91 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 2: night with me. 92 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 4: Yeah awesome. Ah, I love that. Yeah, that's a great 93 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 4: way to bring in the new year. 94 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 2: Right, gotta be feeling all warm and shit inside. Well, 95 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: like I told you off the air, it is such 96 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 2: an honor to have you on a show because I 97 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 2: feel like I've been trying to get a hold of 98 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 2: you for like what six to eight months, and now 99 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 2: we're finally here. I was like, what is this? 100 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 4: You know, I was like, oh my goodness. I was 101 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 4: campaigning for my re election when you first sent me 102 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 4: the email. So I was like, my head was like, WHOA. 103 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 2: I can imagine. I can imagine. So I feel like 104 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 2: there are so many different ways we can dive into 105 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:43,799 Speaker 2: your story, but I feel like it's important to start 106 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 2: with you. So, how it does it feel to hold 107 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 2: the title of being the first non binary elected official 108 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 2: in Delaware? 109 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 4: You know it, I'm just me, you know, and having 110 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 4: that title is, you know, the first non binary person 111 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 4: to be in the State of Delaware here, I don't know. 112 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: It just I don't know. 113 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 4: I know, the representation is super important to see, but 114 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 4: for me, you know, I'm just going in and doing 115 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 4: my thing. I mean, granted, a lot of times I 116 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 4: think people don't necessarily understand what the non binary like 117 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 4: aspects can be, and there is this this belief that 118 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 4: I'm supposed to look a certain way. You know, most times, 119 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 4: I think the standard idea of what non binary might 120 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 4: mean is what we used to call adrogyny or adrogynist. 121 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 4: And I'm not that I'm very fem presenting. I'm very 122 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 4: you know. Yeah, so like you know, I'm like, but 123 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 4: it doesn't necessarily negate how I identify. And I'm you know, 124 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 4: I'm hoping that as I continue in this space, I 125 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 4: can show that being non binary can look a variety 126 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 4: of weights and it does not dismiss who we are. 127 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, did you always see yourself in the office or 128 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 2: did this just unfold over time? 129 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 4: New So I am not into politics, I will say, yeah, 130 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 4: I just didn't. I'm once say I didn't care. I 131 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 4: just didn't quite necessarily see what differences were being made for, 132 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 4: especially communities like mine. But then my advocacy in the 133 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 4: LGBTQ community for trans rights kind of started putting me 134 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 4: in spaces with political advocates and elect officials, and I guess, 135 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 4: in a weird way, it did unfold over time. I 136 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 4: had a lot of people who are like, you're already 137 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 4: making change to policy. You're already doing this, right, why 138 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 4: aren't you in office to make you know, bigger change? 139 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 4: And I was kind of like, I don't think I 140 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 4: will be a good and I'm it just kind of 141 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 4: everything fell into my lap in a weird way of serendipity. 142 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 4: You know. I challenged myself a lot. You know, I've 143 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 4: always been someone who challenges themselves, and I was kind 144 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 4: of like, okay, I'm I only run if I finished 145 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 4: my two year master's program in less than two years. 146 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 4: And then I finished it in fourteen months, and I 147 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 4: was like, darn it, why did I challenge myself? I'm 148 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 4: so good right? But that actually wasn't even what finally 149 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 4: was the straw that made me decide, yes, I'm doing this. 150 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 4: It was a conversation with my predecessor during my RD meeting. 151 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 4: And for those who don't know what r D is, 152 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,719 Speaker 4: it's your residential district or representative district. I don't know 153 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 4: if they're called other things in other states, but here 154 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,439 Speaker 4: at are called representative districts. And it was a discussion 155 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 4: about gun control, particularly surrounding permit to purchase, and I 156 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 4: just was like listening to the reasonings why he didn't 157 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 4: want to vote for it, and all I could think 158 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 4: of was, We've had so many mass shootings for our children. 159 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 4: I'm a mom, but on top of that, I am 160 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 4: the I'm the child of a veteran, I am I 161 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 4: know many police officers I know, and I'm part of 162 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 4: the LGBTQ community and I have a mental health background. 163 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 4: We don't find ways to keep guns out of the 164 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 4: hands of those who could use them to hurt themselves. 165 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 4: We're going to continue to see this rise in suicide rates, 166 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 4: which is what we've been seeing. And I was kind 167 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 4: of just like trying to have this conversation with him 168 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 4: as his constituent at the time, like, you know, if 169 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 4: we're talking about mass shootings, because it kept bringing up 170 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 4: mass shootings, and like, these are people who legally own 171 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 4: guns using them against children who have no ability to 172 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 4: fight back, and we need to do something about that. 173 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 4: And he's like, I don't believe that I need proof. 174 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 4: And I was like, so funny. I just did a 175 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 4: research paper before I graduated from my master's program. I 176 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 4: have all these peer review articles. 177 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 2: You know, what proof do you need? It's in the news, 178 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 2: is everywhere? 179 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 4: Is it real? Though? Right? And you know it was 180 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 4: after that discussion I and we got out of the 181 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 4: committee meeting. I just sat back and was like, Okay, 182 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 4: I can't trust someone to represent me if they can't 183 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 4: represent how to keep my community safe and alive. Right, 184 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,719 Speaker 4: So then I was like, I guess I'm running. I 185 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 4: don't know what I'm doing. 186 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 2: And if I'm not mistaken, I feel like America is 187 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 2: the only country that has a large number of mass shootings. Right, yeah, yeah, 188 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 2: that is crazy. 189 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 4: It's it's it's insane and it is a problem. And 190 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 4: I wasn't you know honest, I'd never run for anything 191 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,559 Speaker 4: in my life, Like I never even tried to run 192 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 4: for like class president him. Never, you know, I run 193 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 4: for so little. I actually don't even job. I see 194 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 4: me the girl anytimes, see anyone jogging like you just 195 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 4: look unhappy. 196 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 2: And look at you. You've run it for a whole office. 197 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 4: I was like, dang, I went straight from I'm not 198 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 4: going to do pilates today too. I'm going to run 199 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 4: for right, right right. And I mean, I just did 200 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 4: what I do best. I went to my talks to 201 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 4: people and I door knocked, and I always shared a 202 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 4: story with you, who are you know, getting to that 203 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 4: voting age, who are like, should I vote? And I'm like, yes, 204 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 4: if you want to see at least local change. From 205 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,840 Speaker 4: the federal level, it can be tricky, but local is 206 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 4: where a lot of the change actually does happen. And 207 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 4: I always share had I not done this and had 208 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 4: people not believed in my message, I wouldn't have won, 209 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 4: because I literally won against him by twenty four votes. 210 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:23,319 Speaker 2: Oh wow, yeah wow, And. 211 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 4: He was a sixteen year incumbent. 212 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 2: But that just lets you know that people are ready 213 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:30,200 Speaker 2: for change. 214 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 4: They were, they were, and you know I was. I 215 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 4: represented something that a lot of times, you know, if 216 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 4: you're not from Delaware, my district, District thirteen is Ellesmere, 217 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 4: and anyone if you talk to anyone from Delaware who's 218 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 4: driven through Delaware through Elsmere and say, hey, what is 219 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 4: your perception of Ellesmere? The perception is cops speed trap, 220 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 4: white races, And that is not even close. Yes, we 221 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 4: are a speed trap, do not speak through it and police. 222 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,079 Speaker 4: My district is also twenty seven percent Hispanic. There's a 223 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:09,079 Speaker 4: lot of LGBTQ people in my district. It's so diverse. 224 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 4: My district is so diverse, and people don't see that, 225 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 4: and I think I represented that diversity. You know, I'm disabled, 226 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 4: so I'm actually also the first visibly disabled elected official. 227 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 2: Oh I did not. 228 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 4: Yes, I'm an ambulatory wheel chair user. Sometimes I have 229 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 4: a walker. It depends, it depends on the day. But 230 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,280 Speaker 4: seeing someone like that, so sometimes I was door knocking 231 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:38,599 Speaker 4: in my wheelchair. 232 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:39,119 Speaker 3: Oh wow. 233 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 4: And you know I'm again I'm a mother and I 234 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 4: have children who are autistic and so being able to 235 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 4: connect with people there. And I also have the VA 236 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 4: Hospital in my district, so being the child of a 237 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:58,079 Speaker 4: veteran really yeah. So it was a lot of reasons, 238 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 4: and I'm so grateful my district trusted in me, and 239 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 4: I do, strangely enough, love the work I do. I 240 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 4: still don't like politics, but I do love policy, and 241 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 4: that's how I usually explain it the people. I hate 242 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 4: the drama and the dramatics of politics, but I love 243 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 4: good policy that I know is going to impact people 244 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 4: that I care. 245 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 2: Like, I hate the politics and the politics. 246 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah. 247 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 2: Do you think there's a growing acceptance of lgbt QIA 248 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 2: plus leaders in politics or do you feel or do 249 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 2: you still feel there's a huge resistance there. 250 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 4: I'm gonna be honest, I think there's still resistance. I 251 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 4: think when we are trying very hard to at least 252 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 4: get legislation that will protect our community as a whole, 253 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 4: we will see a little bit more pushback, a little 254 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 4: bit more doubt and questions. And that's a problem because 255 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 4: at this point, it's not like we don't know that 256 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 4: LGBTQIA people exist like right and have for a while, and. 257 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 2: I mean we're in twenty twenty five, Like, come on. 258 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 4: Now, I mean when I someone coming in non binary, 259 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 4: my pronouns have been made fun of in my job, 260 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 4: you know, and I oftentimes just don't use them pronouns 261 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 4: at work. I just don't because I am willing to 262 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 4: hide that piece of myself or just keep it, you know, 263 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 4: to myself, in order to get good bills paths. 264 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, what's so funny that you mentioned that, 265 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 2: because when I when you fill out the form to 266 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: be a guest on the show, and one of the 267 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 2: questions in the form everyone it says, what should I 268 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 2: know about you? And you said that your pronouns is 269 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 2: she and them. And then when I was reading your story, 270 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 2: I read that you was not binary, and I'm like, oh, 271 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 2: I said, I've never met anybody who goes by it's 272 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: not binary, that she and them. So that's that's funny 273 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 2: that you said that, that you feel like you have 274 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 2: to hide that part of you. 275 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, for a while I tried, you know, I was like, 276 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 4: say them, say them, but you know, no one's going 277 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 4: to use it. And look, I'll be honest, even I 278 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 4: slip up on my own pronoun you know that's real. 279 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 4: You know, I had no opportunities really to come out, 280 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 4: and that term didn't exist when I was younger, and so, 281 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 4: you know, I always knew I wasn't sis hetero, like 282 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 4: I knew I wasn't SIS, and I certainly know I 283 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 4: wasn't heterosexual. I just didn't have words yet for that. 284 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 4: And strangely enough, my fourteen year old is non binary 285 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 4: and strictly goes by dayam pronouns. And they helped me 286 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 4: really like, okay, I think this is this is okay. Yeah, 287 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 4: so there's spaces where I'm perfectly fine using bay them pronouns, 288 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 4: but I also recogniz eyes there are going to be 289 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 4: spaces where it's not going to be safe or it's 290 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 4: not going to be feasible for me, and I, you know, 291 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,239 Speaker 4: you just kind of it sucks, but hopefully one day 292 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 4: it's not going to be a problem. 293 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 2: Now, before we get into your journey of you know, 294 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 2: embracing your true self, what were your thoughts on the 295 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 2: recent presidential election. I, you know, I have eggs. 296 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:30,679 Speaker 4: So I have my good friends, my very close friends 297 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:32,639 Speaker 4: who have known me. I have one friend who's known 298 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 4: me over forty almost almost forty years. I have always 299 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 4: had this weird gift, if we want to call it that. 300 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 4: At the point now, I'm like, I think it's a curse. 301 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 4: Ever since I was a little kid, I could always 302 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:48,679 Speaker 4: determine a presidential election. 303 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 3: Mm hmmm. 304 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 4: So my dad loved kind of betting on things, and 305 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 4: he would be like, Okay, we're here, now, what do 306 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 4: you think? And I have yet to be wrong, And 307 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 4: at this point I really wish I could. I knew 308 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 4: the first time when he won the first time in 309 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 4: twenty sixteen, I knew the moment he came down the 310 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 4: escalator to announce his run for president that he was 311 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 4: going to become a president. I knew it by that. 312 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 2: What was it like? What gave it away? 313 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 4: I want to say, I've always had this intuition of 314 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 4: human nature, which why I'm a therapist, as you know, 315 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 4: as a state rep. But I just understand human nature. 316 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 4: And when people feel very disenfranchised, when people are angry 317 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 4: and scared and bitter and hungry, they yeah, they will. 318 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 4: They will find the next the group that they can 319 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 4: oppress the most. I don't like feeling this way. I 320 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 4: don't like knowing I could be next. So I would 321 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 4: rather put someone else under the bus. 322 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 2: M hm. 323 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,880 Speaker 4: You know when you know, I always believe this, and 324 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 4: that's where people were, and that's where people still are, 325 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 4: you know, between having a black man as a president, 326 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 4: there was still this idea. And I just finished listening 327 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,719 Speaker 4: to this amazing book by George M. Johnson called Flamboyant. 328 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:26,159 Speaker 4: It's amazing. It's about the Harlan Renaissance, but in the 329 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 4: queer community. So he touches on. 330 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:29,919 Speaker 2: I heard that book. Is it like a boil on 331 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,159 Speaker 2: the cover? Were like, So. 332 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,920 Speaker 4: That's his first book. All boys aren't blue. Yeah, And 333 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 4: he has one called Flamboyance, which like talks about Langston 334 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 4: Hughs and like all the queer people during the Harlan Renaissance. 335 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 4: And you know, he talks about how black people are 336 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:56,879 Speaker 4: often pitted. We are already oppressed by white supremacy, and 337 00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 4: then we ultimately pit ourselves against each other because we 338 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 4: have been taught that there can only be one Yeah, 339 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 4: and that's still a form of white supremacy, because that's 340 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 4: how we've been taught to believe. And I think after 341 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 4: seeing a black black man in office, you know, we 342 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:22,159 Speaker 4: saw people like gross no and and my daughter and 343 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 4: I got to meet the Obama's there just. 344 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 2: Absolutely I heard Michelle first lady Michelle Obama says he 345 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 2: had daughter, that she's so beautiful. 346 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,919 Speaker 4: I was, I was like, yeah, she's like I was 347 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 4: like da. But then, you know, and then we had 348 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,480 Speaker 4: four years of Trump, and I think people are like 349 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 4: some people finally were like, we can't do this again. 350 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 4: But we all still we still kind of stuck with 351 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:54,919 Speaker 4: the status quo. He I always not poo pooing on Biden. 352 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 4: I always believe that as human beings, we tend to 353 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 4: go with what we're comfortable with because it's too scary 354 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 4: to try something different. That's just nature, that's just how 355 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 4: we've always been. Some of us are willing to step 356 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 4: outside of that box, but most of us are like, 357 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 4: but what happens if I make a mistake? What happens 358 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 4: if I'm wrong? And what ifs? Is what causes us 359 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 4: to stick to the status quo. And I think a 360 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 4: lot of times in politics they rely on that. Yeah, 361 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 4: and so I was not surprised by this election because 362 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 4: I already knew it was going to happen this way. 363 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,639 Speaker 4: I think I had a sign too, you know. The 364 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 4: day the day Biden announced that he wasn't running again, 365 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 4: I was at the zoo with a client because I'm 366 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 4: a mobile outpatient therapist, so I get to take my 367 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 4: clients to places for therapeu to breathings. We went to 368 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 4: the zoo and what you see. There's a bald eagle 369 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 4: at the zoo and he was in the nest box 370 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,199 Speaker 4: being picked on by a tiny raven. I think it 371 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 4: was a raven. This raven would bounce up peck inside 372 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 4: the box. The eagle would make that weird eagle sound, 373 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 4: and then the raven would tackle I kid you not, 374 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 4: this happened. And then my foam came. I looked down 375 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 4: and it was my friend from a National Guard showing 376 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 4: me the letter of resignation or like that he wasn't 377 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 4: running again. I was like, is this a signe wow? 378 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 4: I was like, yeah, so I'm not surprised, but truly 379 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 4: am not. I just I'm scared for the people who 380 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 4: truly believe that things are going to get better. I'm 381 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 4: scared for the people who are about to lose things 382 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 4: they didn't expect to lose. And I don't want it 383 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 4: to be a pointing finger situation. I don't want us 384 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 4: to be like, ha ha, we told you so, because 385 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 4: they're struggling now too, and if one person struggling, then 386 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 4: we're all struggling at this point. Yeah, and no one 387 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 4: gets to laugh about that. 388 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. Do you think she's gonna run again? 389 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 4: I don't know. 390 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 2: I don't think. 391 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 4: I don't think. That was exhausting. And the way they 392 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 4: was such a consolation price, you know, it was such 393 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 4: a consolation price. It was kind of like, hey, here 394 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 4: you go, and you know, I get tired for black women. Yeah, 395 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 4: that have to be the consolation prize. 396 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, I saw a picture of a drinking wine and 397 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 2: I said, yeah, she's not running again. 398 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,680 Speaker 4: I mean you I could tell just by the way 399 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 4: she walked off stage after. I was like, that's how 400 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 4: my mom would walk away from me after She's definitely 401 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 4: told me I'm grounded for a very long time. 402 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, like you have forced her hand, like I'm done. 403 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 4: Yeah. No, I think she's just gonna enjoy her time 404 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 4: with her her family, and she deserves it. I wouldn't 405 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 4: put this on anyone. This was not easy. I have 406 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 4: to run every two years. It is hard, especially call 407 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 4: into multiple intersections. 408 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 2: Well, earlier, you mentioned how you always knew that you 409 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 2: wasn't heterosexual, So can you shure I've been about your 410 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 2: journey of discover discovering, and embracing your career identity. 411 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 4: So I think I was like fourteen when I told 412 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 4: my mom that I was I liked women too. I 413 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 4: just knew I certainly probably didn't like men nearly as 414 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 4: much as I he heard women. But I don't mind men. 415 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 4: I just wish they wouldn't speak and I or breathing 416 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 4: my general vicinity. They have what I like, I just 417 00:24:58,520 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 4: don't like the other parts. 418 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, the chemical make up amend Man. Oh my goodness. 419 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,080 Speaker 4: I'm like, but you just have just that and not 420 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 4: the other things. Yeah, yeah, I just I've always and 421 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 4: I've never been one for like monogamy. Like I never 422 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,920 Speaker 4: understood that either. Oh no, even as a little little kid, 423 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 4: I would just I'd read like fairy tales. And I 424 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,479 Speaker 4: know my mom and I've talked about this. When I 425 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 4: guess I was like eight, she read me Red Riding 426 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:33,520 Speaker 4: Hood or something like that, and it didn't registered at 427 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 4: red Ridinghood. It was a little girl in my head. 428 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 4: I don't know. I just thought she was some woman 429 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,160 Speaker 4: trying to get to her grandma. And I'm like, oh, 430 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 4: there's this wolf man person and there's a huntsman dude 431 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 4: over here. I'm like, I know, instead of going to 432 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 4: grandma's house, let's just all go to whoever's house and 433 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 4: be together whoever. I never actually, it never made sense 434 00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 4: to me, and I'm still that way now. Look, honestly, 435 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:08,480 Speaker 4: if if two gorgeous K drama dudes just wanted to 436 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 4: come and just wow, I would be fine. I'd be like, look, 437 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 4: I don't even need to know your name. There needs 438 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,160 Speaker 4: be no language barrier here be for me all the time. 439 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 2: But wait, you're married now right? Oh? Oh okay, okay, 440 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 2: because I've read that you was. I guess Trindley's father 441 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 2: is was your ex husband? 442 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:29,359 Speaker 4: Yes? 443 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, okay, yeah. 444 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 4: Now we got divorced when my now ten year old 445 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 4: was two. 446 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 2: So oh wow. 447 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 4: I have been raising my babies on my own and 448 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 4: I we do very well. That is, speaking of ten 449 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 4: year old. That was my ten year old offering me candy. Hi, 450 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 4: he's my youngest. 451 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:53,400 Speaker 2: But no. So what was your family's reaction when when 452 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 2: you told them that you were attracted to women as well? 453 00:26:58,119 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 4: Conversion therapy? 454 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:00,200 Speaker 3: Mm? 455 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,600 Speaker 4: I was raised in the church. I had to see 456 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 4: a religious counselor it didn't work. 457 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it never works. 458 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 4: But all it taught me how to do was hate 459 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 4: who I was m and hide who I was. So 460 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,120 Speaker 4: I learned I knew that if I it was weird 461 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 4: because at that moment, I knew I didn't want children either. 462 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 4: And my reasoning was, if this is how we're supposed 463 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 4: to raise children, I don't want to do it mm hmm. 464 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 4: And so I was sure I'd never be all. But 465 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,439 Speaker 4: when I became a mom, I also then was like, 466 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 4: if that's how we were supposed to raise children. I 467 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 4: will not do the same m and I didn't. I 468 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 4: haven't obviously. 469 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, you talk about conversion therapy, and I 470 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 2: was just thinking about other things that kids or young 471 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 2: adults may see they would make them hate themselves. So 472 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 2: what are your thoughts on how the media portrays young 473 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 2: transgender children. 474 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 4: As someone who has watched the media portray my daughter 475 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 4: as a monster, I oftentimes believe that this is where 476 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 4: we come in as the ones who are supportive and 477 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 4: the ones who do have that representation for that community, 478 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 4: to show them that you are not a monster and 479 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 4: you are not a mistake. One of the one of 480 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 4: the quotes you know that trend is known for us. 481 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 4: I am not a mistake. I'm a masterpiece. And that's 482 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 4: how I, you know, always say like you are a masterpiece. 483 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 4: You have been put together in such a beautiful way 484 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 4: that you inspire adults to be better. Right, So, and 485 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 4: I think in a weird way versus how trans people 486 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 4: were portrayed on TV in the imediate when I was 487 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,960 Speaker 4: younger to what it's looking like now, it's definitely gotten better. 488 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, sure, you know. 489 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 4: I often tell people I didn't know anything about trans people, 490 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 4: especially as Trinity, you know, was trying to tell me something. 491 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 4: All I had to go home was when we had 492 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 4: Jerry Springer is a manner as a woman, Like that 493 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 4: was all I had And that was like you think 494 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 4: back on that, that was absolutely offensive. 495 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 2: Well, Jerry, that was a wild show. 496 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 4: I mean I would total audience for for real, like 497 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,800 Speaker 4: I'm not gonna die, but I want to. 498 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 2: Do the Yeah, you know what's so funny. I had 499 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:49,000 Speaker 2: a conversation with this woman, she's a trans woman, and 500 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 2: she was saying how that's when she finally saw herself 501 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:57,719 Speaker 2: by watching the Jerry Springer show. Yes, as herful as 502 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 2: it was, she said, it kind of helped her find 503 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,920 Speaker 2: her I didn'ty and she was able to articulate despite 504 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 2: all the chaos and stuff. 505 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, I mean there's always way snatching somewhere. No, 506 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 4: but you know, it was it. I think we are 507 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 4: we are seeing a generation that recognizes it. We do 508 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 4: see it portrayed far better, especially in cartoons. We just 509 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 4: watching Squig Names too. 510 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,240 Speaker 2: I've been watching it too. I'm almost almost. 511 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:27,360 Speaker 4: There's a trans character. 512 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 513 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:30,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, and like we and I know some people are like, 514 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 4: why aren't I having assisman? But when you think about Koreata, 515 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 4: you're not going to really fine actors who are lgbt 516 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 4: Q and out like that. 517 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. 518 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 4: And the actor who who who portrayed, who portrays this character, 519 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 4: he really did his research, he talked to trans people 520 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 4: and he's I think I think he did a fantastic job. 521 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 4: And so I think I think we're getting there. I think, however, 522 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 4: I do fear how policy and the way we talk 523 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:06,080 Speaker 4: about trans kids, in particular these policies is what is 524 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 4: actually going to be the problem. Not the media. 525 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 3: Yeah. 526 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,080 Speaker 2: Do you think that the media does enough to highlight 527 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 2: the challenges enjoys a parenting transgend the children. 528 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 4: No. I mean maybe back when we first went public 529 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 4: with our story, there was probably a little bit more 530 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 4: about us. But it has shifted because I think it 531 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 4: changed strictly because we thought it was fine. You know, 532 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 4: we're like, oh, we don't need to do this anymore. 533 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 4: Look how accepting and open people are now, and I 534 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 4: feel like we're going backwards. In fact, I had posted 535 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 4: on Facebook and like when Trinity transition, the first thing 536 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:44,960 Speaker 4: I had to create was a something called a safeholder. 537 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:50,719 Speaker 4: Wasn't in this safe So back during that time in 538 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:55,080 Speaker 4: order to protect you and your child from possible CPS 539 00:31:55,360 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 4: or removal for abuse, we created holders that had haper work, pictures, 540 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 4: any notes from doctors and therapists to have on hand. Mmmm. 541 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 4: And I said that, But for Hyperion, that's my fourteen 542 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 4: year old, I didn't. I haven't made one. I didn't 543 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,320 Speaker 4: have to because I thought everything was fine. I'm like, 544 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 4: but I think I'm going to have to make one 545 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 4: for Hyperion now, Hyperion staring at me. Hyperion now, just 546 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 4: just in case, just in case. And I'm like, I'll 547 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 4: do a video. 548 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 2: And if I'm not mistake of Hyperion is now transgender 549 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 2: as well, right. 550 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 4: Yes, not binary, not very And so I was like, 551 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 4: if you want me to do a video explaining how 552 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 4: to create a safe bolder, I will, And so I 553 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,959 Speaker 4: actually I will be doing that because because we are 554 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 4: at a place I think we're going to need them. 555 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 4: I think we're going to need them again. And that 556 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 4: breaks my heart because I feel like the work that 557 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 4: parents like me have done to create an accepting and loving, 558 00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 4: an affirming world is completely being the part. 559 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, like you took all these stuffs forward just to 560 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 2: get pushed all the way back. 561 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, I mean from a legislative standpoint. Even for me, 562 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 4: it's not safe. You know, the death threats get really 563 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,480 Speaker 4: out of hand sometimes and you have to add, you know, 564 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 4: the fact I'm black on top of that. So it's 565 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 4: like it's transphobia, homophobia and racism. Oh and and ablesm Yeah, 566 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 4: because they do attack my disability to so I sometimes 567 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,840 Speaker 4: I have to like step back because they do get 568 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:43,360 Speaker 4: really scary, and then I pop, we've been docks like 569 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:48,680 Speaker 4: it was. It was dangerous for a while, And how 570 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 4: is it now? Currently? It's relatively okay. But we also 571 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 4: haven't gone back into session yet and I haven't reintroduced 572 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 4: my bill for protections for gender firming care. 573 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 2: Wow. Oh that's a lot. 574 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, I just learned a little bit. You know. I'm like, 575 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,440 Speaker 4: as long as I can keep my kids safe, and 576 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 4: I'm pretty tough. I look adorable, but now I know 577 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 4: I'm really a Yeah. 578 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:25,240 Speaker 2: Now, when did you first notice that your daughter Trinity 579 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:30,400 Speaker 2: was expressing that she identified differently to her assigned gender by. 580 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,560 Speaker 4: The time trend was three, Yeah, three years old. 581 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 2: I thought that was eye opening. 582 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't know what was gone. Trim was so 583 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:43,280 Speaker 4: both Trent and Lucy and my order too, are seventeen 584 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:52,360 Speaker 4: months apart. When Trinity started preschool, they she had a 585 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,360 Speaker 4: speech delay, so they kind of they would do this 586 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:59,239 Speaker 4: routine of they would ask her name, they would ask 587 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 4: how old she was, and then they would ask if 588 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,959 Speaker 4: she was a boy or a girl, and she would 589 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 4: do the first two, but then she would say girl 590 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 4: for every like every single time. So they would send 591 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 4: me home like a letter, and you know things like 592 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 4: can you work on your you know, work with your 593 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 4: child to understand the differences, And I'm like, I'm trying, 594 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:27,800 Speaker 4: and I'm at home. Toys were toys, clothes were closed 595 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 4: like it like whatever was a kid right right? And 596 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 4: like so I couldn't figure out actually what was going on. 597 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 4: Trim began withdrawing very quickly mm hmm and wasn't responding. 598 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 4: She was a thumbsucker for a while, so she would 599 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 4: just keep her thumb in her mouth. And she also 600 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:57,080 Speaker 4: developed anxiety induced pika, so she was like eating her clothes, 601 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,880 Speaker 4: destroying like anything she could put her that wasn't food. 602 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,840 Speaker 4: And I just didn't understand what was happening to my 603 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 4: child at all. And so within I would say, maybe 604 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,880 Speaker 4: two three months after they kept trying to work with 605 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 4: her she just stopped participating in life almost, and I'm thinking, 606 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,360 Speaker 4: this is a three year old, what on earth could 607 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 4: be so terrible? And because she had an IEP, the 608 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 4: school psychologist would do the I guess. The teacher was 609 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 4: kind of like, can we look at the behavioral aspects 610 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 4: and emotional aspect of what's happening with this child? And 611 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:41,839 Speaker 4: at three years old, the school psychologist had her at 612 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,279 Speaker 4: the ninety eighth percentile for clinical depression. And I'm like, 613 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:47,240 Speaker 4: she's free. 614 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 2: What do you ad guess about? 615 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 4: What is? Are you not eating enough? Plano is like 616 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:54,359 Speaker 4: what's going on? 617 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:54,799 Speaker 1: You know? 618 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 2: One thing when I was reading and doing researching your story, 619 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 2: and I was like, oh my god, Like some people 620 00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 2: may think this is so like minew but she was 621 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 2: having nightmares that her voice was gonna sound like very 622 00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:07,319 Speaker 2: white yes, And I was like, yo, that would have 623 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:08,160 Speaker 2: freaked me out too. 624 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 4: I mean, I was kind of like I just didn't 625 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:16,719 Speaker 4: know what was what was happening? And how did she 626 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:22,600 Speaker 4: know about Barry White eight thirty? Well, grandma, grandmam. She 627 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:29,239 Speaker 4: also knew Luther vandraw too, right, you better know those people, right, Because. 628 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 2: I'm like Arry White, I was like, oh my god. 629 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:34,920 Speaker 4: Honestly, was like she just saw herself becoming. She was like, 630 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,440 Speaker 4: I'm gonna beat like daddy, I'm gonna She was just 631 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 4: not happy, and I was like, I don't know what's 632 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:50,080 Speaker 4: going on, you know. Thankfully I found Laura's playground on Aol. 633 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:52,399 Speaker 4: I always tell people's aol dot com. At the time, 634 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 4: it was the only start. Yeah, I was like I 635 00:37:55,320 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 4: had my Space so and and as you know I've shared, 636 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 4: there was only one therapist in the entire state of Delaware, 637 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:13,400 Speaker 4: one MM and she never worked with children, and wow, 638 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:18,840 Speaker 4: she on, you know, and we tried gender neutral clothing 639 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,400 Speaker 4: and everything, but pronouns were still the same and so 640 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:29,320 Speaker 4: was like her name, and we weren't seeing any progress. 641 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:33,120 Speaker 4: And at three and a half, she were just she 642 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 4: would One night, I was like talking her in and 643 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:38,840 Speaker 4: she's just like, maybe if I die in my sleep, 644 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 4: I'll wake up a girl. I don't think that's how 645 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,239 Speaker 4: that works. And so of course I'm panicking, and you know, 646 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,200 Speaker 4: I didn't. I just didn't know what to do. And 647 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:56,000 Speaker 4: it ended up we had this emergency session while she 648 00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:00,360 Speaker 4: was at school at preschool, and I was like, I 649 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:04,560 Speaker 4: don't know what else to do. Yeah, and the therapist. 650 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:08,560 Speaker 4: That's when she the question, do you want a happy 651 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:12,520 Speaker 4: little girl or a death little boy? Yeah? Well, I 652 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 4: mean obviously right, no, you know, and that's how we 653 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:20,880 Speaker 4: got to where we are. 654 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 2: I can only imagine how you feel. But I wondered 655 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 2: how did the father feel when y'all discovered that at 656 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 2: the time when Trinity was in the process of transitioning, 657 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:32,120 Speaker 2: she I think I read some word her she tried 658 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:36,920 Speaker 2: to cash rate her privates with kitty scissors. 659 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:40,279 Speaker 4: When she right before transition. Yeah, we were alarmed. We 660 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 4: were scared. Yeah, didn't we just you know, for us, 661 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:49,680 Speaker 4: we didn't want our children to ever feel they didn't 662 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:53,120 Speaker 4: have us, right, they didn't. We didn't love them, and 663 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 4: we didn't hear them. And that's why, you know, I 664 00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:57,640 Speaker 4: would say, we have to stop listening with our ears 665 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:03,279 Speaker 4: and started listening with her heart, and so you know, 666 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,480 Speaker 4: it was a I know some people have gotten mad 667 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 4: at me online when I say I was watching my 668 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker 4: child die because some people have actually lost children, and 669 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:19,880 Speaker 4: I recognize that, but I truly believe have we not 670 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 4: just listened and accepted, I wouldn't have her. 671 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, especially with the suicide rate that's really had months. Yeah, 672 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 2: transgender children. So yeah, yeah, so when you bothered the 673 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:37,880 Speaker 2: little girl clothes, what was her response? 674 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 4: I actually have a picture I'll have to send to 675 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:43,799 Speaker 4: the day she put that on and did not want 676 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:48,919 Speaker 4: to take it off. She was so excited and we 677 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,799 Speaker 4: were by that point we were like, okay, you want 678 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:55,719 Speaker 4: to be Trinity, you know, and she was like yes, 679 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:57,839 Speaker 4: And it was really the first time you had seen 680 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:02,719 Speaker 4: her smile in almost a year. And Trinity was not 681 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 4: it was not hard. It was her middle name. 682 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:06,759 Speaker 2: And I thought that was even like an ae have 683 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:08,799 Speaker 2: because I'm like, one of the moments, what was the 684 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,439 Speaker 2: what are the eyes of her middle name being Trinity? Yeah, 685 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:16,319 Speaker 2: that's a real middle name name. Yeah, I thought that 686 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:18,600 Speaker 2: was just like oh wow, like you know, God works 687 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:19,600 Speaker 2: some mysterious ways. 688 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:23,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, it was. It was already there. You know a 689 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:25,800 Speaker 4: lot of people their middle names like and that's what 690 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:27,960 Speaker 4: we were, like, people go by their middle names all 691 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:31,800 Speaker 4: the time for some people, and so Trinity just made sense. 692 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:34,120 Speaker 4: And she she's been Trinity since. 693 00:41:34,239 --> 00:41:36,440 Speaker 2: So, yeah, that's so funny you said that, because as 694 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,319 Speaker 2: I'm getting to know my father, he always wanted my 695 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:41,719 Speaker 2: middle name, Tierra to be my first name. So he 696 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,480 Speaker 2: actually caused me by Tierra sometimes so you're Tiera now. 697 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,879 Speaker 4: But no, yeah, she's she's she's a cool kid. She's grown. 698 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:52,960 Speaker 4: She's not a kid anymore. 699 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:54,560 Speaker 2: But she's really she's a grown woman. 700 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 3: Now. 701 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:59,520 Speaker 4: I know she can stop right now. 702 00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 2: Reason While researching your story, I saw that you face 703 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 2: a battle with medicaid to cover the puberty blockers needed 704 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 2: to stop turning these sexual development So can you walk 705 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:08,880 Speaker 2: us through that battle? 706 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:15,200 Speaker 4: Yeah? So actually around nine was you know, by this 707 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:20,520 Speaker 4: point there was more information and so I kind of 708 00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:26,480 Speaker 4: was like, okay, guys, let's do this. We didn't have 709 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 4: an endochronologist to do it at first. The chief endocrinologists 710 00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:41,440 Speaker 4: at the time was not necessarily certain about trans kids okay, 711 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 4: and didn't want to actually work with us at first. 712 00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:48,440 Speaker 4: And then he went to a conference in Boston with 713 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:53,359 Speaker 4: who we call the father of of pediatric undercarming care, 714 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:58,440 Speaker 4: and that's doctor Speck. And he went to this conference 715 00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 4: and he was he said, he himself is like it 716 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:05,960 Speaker 4: changed his entire worldview. So he found us again and 717 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,560 Speaker 4: we had to first start with a bone density scam 718 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:15,239 Speaker 4: to get a baseline of her bone density, and then 719 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:18,840 Speaker 4: after that, every six months that child had to go 720 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:25,000 Speaker 4: through blood withdrawals see where her testofswrong locals were. And 721 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:30,720 Speaker 4: by the time she was thirteen, that's when she started 722 00:43:30,719 --> 00:43:35,560 Speaker 4: showing signs of puberty. And so then we were like, okay, 723 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 4: let's get these puberty blockers on board. And I was 724 00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:43,560 Speaker 4: on Medicaid because I had to quit my job to 725 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:49,319 Speaker 4: homeschool her and my oldest son. A year after she transitioned, 726 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:54,720 Speaker 4: the public school actually denied her access to school unless 727 00:43:54,719 --> 00:43:58,040 Speaker 4: she came as a boy. But by that point she 728 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 4: had been living as herself for over a year, and 729 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:03,719 Speaker 4: I was like, well, that's not going to happen, and 730 00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:06,920 Speaker 4: so I put my job and we went to poverty 731 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:09,960 Speaker 4: with that decision. But it was a decision I'd make 732 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:15,200 Speaker 4: over and over again. And so I'm on medicaid and 733 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:23,440 Speaker 4: she they denied her, and so I was like, oh okay. 734 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:26,799 Speaker 4: And the intercrenologist he was just kind of like, of 735 00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:29,520 Speaker 4: all the people who would fight this, I fail, You're 736 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:31,839 Speaker 4: to one who would fight this. And I was like, yes, 737 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:37,880 Speaker 4: I am, and so I started fight. I appealed and appealed, 738 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:43,879 Speaker 4: and I ended up with a a patient advocate through 739 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:49,239 Speaker 4: Medicaid and just kept appealing. And then but I kept 740 00:44:49,239 --> 00:44:53,359 Speaker 4: we kept getting denied. At this point, we put her 741 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:57,840 Speaker 4: on a medication called Sperona lactone, which is also used 742 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,720 Speaker 4: to suppress test off, but it's not like strong enough 743 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 4: and she was getting really worried. And we were part 744 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:12,200 Speaker 4: of a UU church at the time, and so one 745 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:14,319 Speaker 4: day I we would do this thing where you could 746 00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:18,840 Speaker 4: go up before the congregation you could talk about like successes, triumphs, 747 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:21,680 Speaker 4: or like concerns or things that are worrying you. And 748 00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:25,160 Speaker 4: so I it just so happened this particular day was 749 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:28,120 Speaker 4: really packed, like there are a lot of people, and 750 00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:30,239 Speaker 4: I just went up and I get I guess you 751 00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 4: could say this was my first foray into public speaking. 752 00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:39,640 Speaker 4: Was that a true And so I kind of was 753 00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:43,440 Speaker 4: just like I shared my fears and like I don't 754 00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:47,319 Speaker 4: want to have come so far in affirming her and 755 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:50,640 Speaker 4: lose her because of eurocoy, you know, like I don't 756 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:52,160 Speaker 4: want to do that. I don't want red tape to 757 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:55,319 Speaker 4: be the reason I lose my child. And in the 758 00:45:55,400 --> 00:46:00,759 Speaker 4: audience that particular day was my former colleague, presentative Paul 759 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:05,960 Speaker 4: Bombok because that was his district, and he approached me 760 00:46:06,680 --> 00:46:10,560 Speaker 4: during fellowship afterwards and was like, I'm a state representative 761 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:13,040 Speaker 4: here in Delaware. I want to help you and your child, 762 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 4: and he gave me his card and from that point forward, 763 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:20,520 Speaker 4: I had did another appeal which was denied, so I 764 00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:25,480 Speaker 4: emailed him everything I had and then that's when he 765 00:46:25,560 --> 00:46:30,359 Speaker 4: connected me to Sarah McBride. So that's how I met 766 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:35,320 Speaker 4: Sarah McBride. And then we just started like trying to 767 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,799 Speaker 4: figure out what to do. And I ended up going 768 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:44,279 Speaker 4: before the entire medical board for Medicaid and HIMRK and 769 00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:48,520 Speaker 4: I train wrote this letter about how happy she would 770 00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 4: be to get puberty blockers, and I took it with me. 771 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:54,759 Speaker 4: During all of this, we were also being followed by 772 00:46:54,880 --> 00:47:00,319 Speaker 4: national geographics. Oh wow, Like so these two things were 773 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:01,400 Speaker 4: happening at once. 774 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:04,600 Speaker 2: I didn't even see that. 775 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:08,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, we she has a picture and they did an 776 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,359 Speaker 4: issue on gender and she has a two page. 777 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:13,680 Speaker 2: Oh wow, you gotta send me some pictures. 778 00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:16,480 Speaker 4: That's when she was recognized as the girl with the 779 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:17,200 Speaker 4: rainbow hair. 780 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:18,880 Speaker 2: Wow. 781 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:26,600 Speaker 4: So we are doing this and I am still fighting. 782 00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:31,680 Speaker 4: And I even took the UU church pastor, like the reverend. 783 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:33,520 Speaker 4: He came with me and he's like, I'm gonna ware 784 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:37,279 Speaker 4: my collar. So I either more like, do you really 785 00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:38,799 Speaker 4: want to say no with a reverend. 786 00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:39,719 Speaker 2: Here right right. 787 00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:44,120 Speaker 4: We pulled out all the stops, and unfortunately they sent 788 00:47:44,200 --> 00:47:46,920 Speaker 4: this letter the next day, certifive mail, saying they were 789 00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:50,359 Speaker 4: denying her completely. That's what it actually said, because they 790 00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:53,719 Speaker 4: don't cover this kind of stuff. And I wanted to 791 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:58,000 Speaker 4: just like, I didn't know how to tell her, so 792 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,920 Speaker 4: I didn't because I did something I never thought I 793 00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:05,239 Speaker 4: would do. I wrote what is now it has been 794 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 4: deemed the letter, and I still have a template of 795 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:11,960 Speaker 4: this letter for anyone who has wanted to use it, 796 00:48:12,680 --> 00:48:16,400 Speaker 4: where I wrote stating that the state of Delaware's denial 797 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:20,080 Speaker 4: and Medicaid and high Marked denial of my child's gender 798 00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:24,040 Speaker 4: firming care was in violation of the Affordable Care Act 799 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:28,040 Speaker 4: section fifteen fifty seven, that if we did not get 800 00:48:28,080 --> 00:48:31,920 Speaker 4: dis corrected, I would sue a state of Delaware. Wow, 801 00:48:33,719 --> 00:48:40,960 Speaker 4: within two days she was approved, I bet they. And 802 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:44,080 Speaker 4: the weird part was the chief medical officer for a 803 00:48:44,239 --> 00:48:46,319 Speaker 4: High Marked at the time was like, well, we just 804 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:51,240 Speaker 4: wanted them to go to Chopped Children's Hospital Philadelphia because 805 00:48:51,280 --> 00:48:54,799 Speaker 4: they had had an well established gender pediatric gender for 806 00:48:54,920 --> 00:49:00,399 Speaker 4: me care clinic for years. And he's like, he said 807 00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:04,239 Speaker 4: that my our endochnologists didn't have enough experience. She was 808 00:49:04,239 --> 00:49:07,359 Speaker 4: his only patient at the time, and I was like, 809 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 4: it's Delaware. Yeah, one in Delaware is like one thousand 810 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:16,799 Speaker 4: in Phillies, right right, Fine. I'm like, fine, I will 811 00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:18,920 Speaker 4: go to CHOP if you need them to confirm my 812 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:22,680 Speaker 4: childish trans if that's what we need to do. And 813 00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:24,640 Speaker 4: we got the Chop And the funny part was they 814 00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:29,520 Speaker 4: had been following our story, our fight for those eight months, 815 00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:32,160 Speaker 4: and so when they met her, they were like, this 816 00:49:32,239 --> 00:49:37,480 Speaker 4: child is thirteen years old, transitioned at four. We're pretty sure. 817 00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:42,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like she knows exactly who she is at this point. 818 00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:48,080 Speaker 4: And so we won, and she became Delaware's first transgender 819 00:49:48,160 --> 00:49:53,160 Speaker 4: minor to get Medicaid to cover gender firming care. 820 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:53,520 Speaker 3: Yeah. 821 00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:55,600 Speaker 2: And then she also became the first miner to be 822 00:49:55,640 --> 00:50:00,000 Speaker 2: able to get the gender market change yes, yeah, yeah. 823 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:05,120 Speaker 4: So I helped them reshape their policy to cover other 824 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:11,960 Speaker 4: trans and non binary people and then we did a 825 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:16,280 Speaker 4: YouTube video that went viral, So then we really became viral, 826 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:22,719 Speaker 4: and that's when she got a pr agent. We met 827 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:28,280 Speaker 4: Cross at the time from Post where actually we practiced 828 00:50:28,320 --> 00:50:34,759 Speaker 4: the same Buddhism, so kind of her Auntie we we 829 00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:38,279 Speaker 4: met so many trans elders, and I really wanted her 830 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:41,640 Speaker 4: to meet these black trans elders. It's so important for 831 00:50:41,719 --> 00:50:44,279 Speaker 4: me to have her meet them because we did not 832 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:49,200 Speaker 4: see black trans femininity portrayed ever in great light, and 833 00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:53,120 Speaker 4: I wanted Trinity to be that light of a black 834 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:57,560 Speaker 4: family is capable of loving their black trans child. 835 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:08,760 Speaker 3: Yeah. 836 00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:11,200 Speaker 2: I was reading some articles about how you were just 837 00:51:11,200 --> 00:51:15,319 Speaker 2: talking about navigating conversations about trending these transition with your 838 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,359 Speaker 2: extended family, and that didn't really go to will. 839 00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:21,400 Speaker 4: No, they stopped talking to me for three years. 840 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:25,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, they were saying you had unfit parenting. It was 841 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:26,360 Speaker 2: a mental illness. 842 00:51:26,560 --> 00:51:31,440 Speaker 4: But luckily they're all very supportive now again. No, my 843 00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:35,040 Speaker 4: you know, my mom's the matriarch, and it was really 844 00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:38,160 Speaker 4: really difficult for her. It ended up being my late 845 00:51:38,160 --> 00:51:44,080 Speaker 4: stepfather who was like, this is your grandchild. So we 846 00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,520 Speaker 4: all got to figure it out, you know. And he 847 00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:51,960 Speaker 4: was everything. He was everything. He never slipped he I mean, 848 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:58,120 Speaker 4: he came into our lives long after I was married, 849 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:01,320 Speaker 4: so we were full of adults when he came into 850 00:52:01,360 --> 00:52:05,880 Speaker 4: our lives and married my mom. And he never wants 851 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:11,680 Speaker 4: he never once doubted and you know, there are certain 852 00:52:11,719 --> 00:52:16,680 Speaker 4: parts of the story that a lot of people don't know. 853 00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:22,480 Speaker 4: But after we won, after I won that battle, one 854 00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:27,160 Speaker 4: of the concessions I had to make was to allow 855 00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:32,279 Speaker 4: a caseworker, a social worker, to do home visits for 856 00:52:32,320 --> 00:52:43,160 Speaker 4: a year. Why good question, Wow, it was. It was 857 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:45,960 Speaker 4: a concession I was willing to make if it meant 858 00:52:46,680 --> 00:52:49,840 Speaker 4: no other family or trans person had to experience the 859 00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:50,680 Speaker 4: fight that we did. 860 00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 2: What did she wanted to see? Or what did the 861 00:52:53,160 --> 00:52:56,680 Speaker 2: person wanted to see? He kept coming to do wellness 862 00:52:56,760 --> 00:52:58,799 Speaker 2: checks and then I would have to leave the room 863 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:02,680 Speaker 2: and she would ask the risk questions and it was 864 00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:05,320 Speaker 2: ultimately like having a case open. 865 00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:10,880 Speaker 4: And it was. It was for a year, but we 866 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:14,160 Speaker 4: ended up becoming friends. And she's like, your family is 867 00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:14,920 Speaker 4: so wonderful. 868 00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:17,879 Speaker 2: I'm bed now my family is wonderful. 869 00:53:18,040 --> 00:53:21,480 Speaker 4: But yeah, She's like, there's obviously no abuse here. But 870 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:25,000 Speaker 4: and I recognized that, but it was it's something that 871 00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:28,480 Speaker 4: you know, I haven't started sharing until recently because it 872 00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:31,200 Speaker 4: was sometimes a little nerve wracking and traumatic, especially as 873 00:53:31,239 --> 00:53:34,319 Speaker 4: a low income you know parent, you know, is there 874 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:35,400 Speaker 4: enough food in a fridge? 875 00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:35,560 Speaker 2: Like? 876 00:53:35,719 --> 00:53:38,000 Speaker 4: Or is my house clean enough? You know, it was 877 00:53:38,080 --> 00:53:41,239 Speaker 4: just a whole bunch of like it was a lot 878 00:53:41,239 --> 00:53:44,800 Speaker 4: of stress I didn't need because I loved my child. 879 00:53:44,840 --> 00:53:47,640 Speaker 4: But it was something that happened because I fought so 880 00:53:47,719 --> 00:53:49,280 Speaker 4: hard because I loved my child. 881 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:51,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, how did you navigate when it comes to your 882 00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:54,640 Speaker 2: mental health? Like I could just only imagine with that 883 00:53:54,760 --> 00:53:58,120 Speaker 2: journey alone, and then you know, having small kids and 884 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:00,600 Speaker 2: you got this case like, oh want you to taking 885 00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:01,320 Speaker 2: care of yourself. 886 00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:07,319 Speaker 4: I mean I had a therapist anyway, But I don't know. 887 00:54:07,560 --> 00:54:09,680 Speaker 4: Anytime anyone asks me how I do half of what 888 00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:13,760 Speaker 4: I do, I'm not really actually sure anymore. I just 889 00:54:14,200 --> 00:54:16,839 Speaker 4: I kind of just do it and then I don't 890 00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:22,440 Speaker 4: think about it. I mean, I was homeschooling at this point, 891 00:54:23,360 --> 00:54:24,880 Speaker 4: I was a stay at home mom. 892 00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:27,239 Speaker 2: I don't know. 893 00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:29,000 Speaker 4: I just kind of did what I had to do 894 00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:33,760 Speaker 4: because I had to do it. And there's no time 895 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:37,200 Speaker 4: to be sad about that. I was never I never 896 00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:41,880 Speaker 4: grieved the loss of you know, Trinity prior to Trinity 897 00:54:41,920 --> 00:54:48,279 Speaker 4: being Trinity. That never happened, and I simply was just, 898 00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:50,880 Speaker 4: you know, I was like okay. And I know, like 899 00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:53,680 Speaker 4: some of your your listeners might go like, oh, the 900 00:54:53,719 --> 00:54:56,960 Speaker 4: other child is trans It must have been influenced I 901 00:54:57,040 --> 00:55:00,040 Speaker 4: will point out my younger two children had no no 902 00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:03,760 Speaker 4: idea Trinity was trans They had no idea. 903 00:55:03,640 --> 00:55:05,600 Speaker 2: When did they When did they find out? 904 00:55:06,840 --> 00:55:09,240 Speaker 4: So Hyperion found out when Hyperion came. 905 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:15,800 Speaker 2: Out, Oh wow, at nine, so that at that point, 906 00:55:16,480 --> 00:55:17,080 Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. 907 00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:22,719 Speaker 4: So Trinity is twenty one to Hyperion's fourteen. So yeah, 908 00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:26,239 Speaker 4: Trum was like, yeah, yeah, because there's an eleven year 909 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:30,280 Speaker 4: age gap between Hyperion and my young Trinity and my youngest. 910 00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:34,919 Speaker 4: And he just learned that Trinity was translate last year. 911 00:55:35,640 --> 00:55:41,319 Speaker 4: Thank yeah, last year last year. Wow, Trinity's just been 912 00:55:41,520 --> 00:55:44,960 Speaker 4: their sister, right. 913 00:55:45,080 --> 00:55:46,759 Speaker 2: I mean for the most part, Trinity has been a 914 00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:48,640 Speaker 2: girl his entire life. 915 00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:53,439 Speaker 4: So yeah, for thing, Yeah, he's for both of them. 916 00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:58,520 Speaker 4: The person right, probably no would have been Lucian. But 917 00:55:58,560 --> 00:56:01,960 Speaker 4: when I recently asked him, he's nineteen. It'll be twenty 918 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:05,240 Speaker 4: this year. When I asked him he's he actually realized 919 00:56:05,280 --> 00:56:07,080 Speaker 4: he does not remember. 920 00:56:06,840 --> 00:56:09,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, because that's who she is. She's always been there. 921 00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:13,479 Speaker 4: Yeah, because she was. He was just turning three when 922 00:56:13,760 --> 00:56:20,280 Speaker 4: she had transitioned, so he has no recollection of Trinity 923 00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:21,960 Speaker 4: prior to Trinity. 924 00:56:22,120 --> 00:56:22,600 Speaker 2: Was he shot. 925 00:56:22,680 --> 00:56:28,320 Speaker 4: So he found out what my youngest, Yeah, he found 926 00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:34,920 Speaker 4: out on I think it was transgendered Day of this ability, 927 00:56:35,160 --> 00:56:40,200 Speaker 4: which is March thirty. First, he was like trady Tramp. 928 00:56:42,719 --> 00:56:45,560 Speaker 2: That was like, I know, he was like wait what, 929 00:56:46,560 --> 00:56:49,520 Speaker 2: I'm a complete mob blown, right, He's like. 930 00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:51,880 Speaker 4: This whole time, like what she still your sister? And 931 00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:58,680 Speaker 4: he's like that, Yeah. Wow, they never knew. They never knew. 932 00:56:59,360 --> 00:57:03,160 Speaker 4: So there was no influence on anyone because there was 933 00:57:03,200 --> 00:57:06,440 Speaker 4: nothing to influence. But I don't even know if they 934 00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:07,680 Speaker 4: realized how famous she was. 935 00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:10,600 Speaker 2: Trinity is pretty lit. 936 00:57:11,280 --> 00:57:15,120 Speaker 4: But yeah, he's saying he didn't know. They didn't know. 937 00:57:15,360 --> 00:57:18,720 Speaker 4: You know. He was especially really teeny, you know, like 938 00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:21,320 Speaker 4: when all this went down, and like we got to 939 00:57:21,360 --> 00:57:27,000 Speaker 4: meet the former former governor, which was Governor Markel, and 940 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:31,959 Speaker 4: I think Fane my youngest he was maybe nine months old, 941 00:57:32,480 --> 00:57:35,200 Speaker 4: ten months old when we met him, and he wanted 942 00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:39,880 Speaker 4: to like recognize Trinity. And that was a wild day too, 943 00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:43,120 Speaker 4: you know because I had to also leave for a 944 00:57:43,240 --> 00:57:45,920 Speaker 4: flight to Scotland that same day, so I was like, 945 00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:48,360 Speaker 4: can we like make this. I gotta get on a plane, 946 00:57:48,480 --> 00:57:53,560 Speaker 4: right right. So yeah, so yeah they didn't. They had 947 00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:54,120 Speaker 4: no clue. 948 00:57:54,560 --> 00:57:56,880 Speaker 2: Now we're almost finished. But another thing that I loved 949 00:57:56,920 --> 00:57:59,560 Speaker 2: about your story is about how y'all shared your story 950 00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:02,200 Speaker 2: in a book that tore our rope. But I also 951 00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:05,280 Speaker 2: saw that it was banned in several places. So how 952 00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:07,680 Speaker 2: do you feel about the idea of books, especially those 953 00:58:07,720 --> 00:58:11,400 Speaker 2: that share diverse verses being banned, diverse voices being banned 954 00:58:11,440 --> 00:58:14,240 Speaker 2: or restricted, and what message do you think it sends 955 00:58:14,280 --> 00:58:15,120 Speaker 2: to the next generation. 956 00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:20,880 Speaker 4: Banning books of lived experiences is a way for people 957 00:58:21,000 --> 00:58:25,120 Speaker 4: to try to make people disappear, and it won't happen. 958 00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:29,440 Speaker 4: There will always be people sharing their stories. Again, I'm 959 00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:31,280 Speaker 4: going to go back to plamboyants. There are some people 960 00:58:31,320 --> 00:58:33,640 Speaker 4: I learned about I had never heard of, and it's 961 00:58:33,680 --> 00:58:37,760 Speaker 4: because their stories were literally hidden as queer black people 962 00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:42,840 Speaker 4: in the Harlem Renaissance. And so when we banned stories, 963 00:58:43,360 --> 00:58:52,240 Speaker 4: we are telling generations that their story shouldn't exist. It 964 00:58:52,280 --> 00:58:55,280 Speaker 4: was an honor to have over book, Like we were like, 965 00:58:55,480 --> 00:58:57,560 Speaker 4: oh my goodness, I know y'all made it. 966 00:58:58,160 --> 00:59:00,439 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I know, but ban. 967 00:59:00,440 --> 00:59:05,640 Speaker 4: It harder because that means more royalty. So I was like, yes, translation, 968 00:59:07,560 --> 00:59:09,600 Speaker 4: but at the same time, I was kind of like, 969 00:59:09,720 --> 00:59:15,800 Speaker 4: you can't ban truth. And it was so funny seeing 970 00:59:15,880 --> 00:59:21,600 Speaker 4: Reddit stories, like Reddit posts on this particular thing because 971 00:59:21,640 --> 00:59:24,080 Speaker 4: some people there, I guess there was a review someone 972 00:59:24,160 --> 00:59:26,800 Speaker 4: gave and they were like, this is a very great 973 00:59:26,840 --> 00:59:30,120 Speaker 4: story of fiction. And then I guess a friend or 974 00:59:30,160 --> 00:59:33,240 Speaker 4: a fan was like, no, I've met these people. They 975 00:59:33,280 --> 00:59:41,880 Speaker 4: are real because there's also this confusion of their being. 976 00:59:42,320 --> 00:59:44,800 Speaker 4: She's black, she's trans, and she's on alt to them 977 00:59:44,800 --> 00:59:49,280 Speaker 4: spectrum and those intersections being very rare to see not 978 00:59:49,280 --> 00:59:51,600 Speaker 4: only written but written in such a positive way the 979 00:59:51,600 --> 00:59:56,200 Speaker 4: way we wrote it. You know, again, I've never had issues. 980 00:59:56,240 --> 01:00:00,000 Speaker 4: I've never grieved. I've never been upset about the different 981 01:00:00,080 --> 01:00:04,960 Speaker 4: intersections that my children have. I don't have issues with 982 01:00:05,000 --> 01:00:07,120 Speaker 4: them being I have three of my four children on 983 01:00:07,120 --> 01:00:12,320 Speaker 4: the autism spectrum. Okay, you know right, and so that's 984 01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:15,960 Speaker 4: never ever been an issue for me. And so you know, 985 01:00:16,200 --> 01:00:19,600 Speaker 4: I just I love that I had a lot of 986 01:00:19,720 --> 01:00:23,160 Speaker 4: say with my book. I got to determine. I got 987 01:00:23,200 --> 01:00:25,720 Speaker 4: to tell them I wanted the illustrator to be a 988 01:00:25,800 --> 01:00:29,280 Speaker 4: trans person of color, and they were That was very 989 01:00:29,360 --> 01:00:31,880 Speaker 4: important to me. I got to like pick who the 990 01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:33,840 Speaker 4: voice for the audiobook was. I knew it wanted to 991 01:00:33,840 --> 01:00:37,720 Speaker 4: be a black woman because it wouldn't make any sense 992 01:00:37,720 --> 01:00:39,480 Speaker 4: for me as a black person to be voiced by 993 01:00:39,480 --> 01:00:40,080 Speaker 4: a white person. 994 01:00:40,160 --> 01:00:42,320 Speaker 2: Oh no, no, no, that's crazy. 995 01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:45,800 Speaker 4: And you know it was just very important. And you 996 01:00:45,840 --> 01:00:48,280 Speaker 4: see a lot of themes even at that time, we 997 01:00:48,400 --> 01:00:52,120 Speaker 4: used them pronouns for hype prior to us really being 998 01:00:52,120 --> 01:00:57,040 Speaker 4: told from Hype to use them pronouns like specifically speaking. 999 01:00:57,840 --> 01:01:01,160 Speaker 4: And you know, thing is so he's a cute ptuty 1000 01:01:01,240 --> 01:01:05,320 Speaker 4: in the book, he's so a cute putuity. But you know, my, 1001 01:01:06,000 --> 01:01:08,560 Speaker 4: when I describe my family now, like if I the 1002 01:01:08,640 --> 01:01:13,400 Speaker 4: message I always want to say is like one, we 1003 01:01:13,480 --> 01:01:16,360 Speaker 4: do not get to have expectations on who our children 1004 01:01:16,600 --> 01:01:19,120 Speaker 4: will be and who they will love. That is that 1005 01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:22,560 Speaker 4: is not what we should be doing as parents. We 1006 01:01:22,640 --> 01:01:26,400 Speaker 4: are here to guide them. I don't raise my children. 1007 01:01:26,640 --> 01:01:32,160 Speaker 4: I love and uplift my children. And it took a 1008 01:01:32,200 --> 01:01:34,840 Speaker 4: lot for me to get to this place as a 1009 01:01:34,880 --> 01:01:38,400 Speaker 4: parent as a mother, and my children are thriving because 1010 01:01:38,440 --> 01:01:44,560 Speaker 4: of it. And I'm queer, I'm non binary, and I 1011 01:01:44,600 --> 01:01:46,880 Speaker 4: have two trans kids, a gay son, and then my 1012 01:01:47,000 --> 01:01:51,680 Speaker 4: baby boy is a leo and that right there about 1013 01:01:51,760 --> 01:01:54,000 Speaker 4: him for sure. 1014 01:01:54,400 --> 01:01:56,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, do you looking back, because I can just only 1015 01:01:57,000 --> 01:01:58,640 Speaker 2: imagine a lot of things that you've been through that 1016 01:01:58,720 --> 01:02:02,760 Speaker 2: you haven't shared publicly. Do you think everything that you 1017 01:02:02,800 --> 01:02:04,560 Speaker 2: have been through leading up to now help prepare you 1018 01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:05,400 Speaker 2: to raise Trinity? 1019 01:02:07,120 --> 01:02:09,400 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1020 01:02:09,520 --> 01:02:11,880 Speaker 4: There are a lot of people who who got me 1021 01:02:11,960 --> 01:02:15,640 Speaker 4: there well too, in particular my grandfather and my great grandmother. 1022 01:02:16,080 --> 01:02:16,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1023 01:02:17,280 --> 01:02:21,840 Speaker 4: They you know, they taught me the value of respecting 1024 01:02:21,880 --> 01:02:30,440 Speaker 4: people and seeing people. And I've always been someone who 1025 01:02:30,520 --> 01:02:32,760 Speaker 4: I don't want to judge you unless you give me 1026 01:02:32,800 --> 01:02:33,280 Speaker 4: a reason. 1027 01:02:33,560 --> 01:02:35,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1028 01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:38,560 Speaker 4: I knew that I would not lift the hand in 1029 01:02:38,640 --> 01:02:41,640 Speaker 4: my children. I knew I wouldn't yell at my children, 1030 01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:44,280 Speaker 4: and I actually don't. We talk about it all the time. 1031 01:02:44,320 --> 01:02:46,400 Speaker 4: Actually we laugh about that. I just don't yell. 1032 01:02:46,640 --> 01:02:48,160 Speaker 2: Actually, you have a lot of patience. 1033 01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:54,080 Speaker 4: I don't. I don't yet. I try very hard. I mean, 1034 01:02:54,080 --> 01:02:56,000 Speaker 4: if I'm calling for you, I'm yelling. But when it 1035 01:02:56,040 --> 01:02:59,800 Speaker 4: comes to my rage levels are very, very very low. 1036 01:03:00,760 --> 01:03:02,920 Speaker 4: It takes now to you hurt my children. I'm an 1037 01:03:03,080 --> 01:03:07,880 Speaker 4: entirely different human being. But I don't. I don't. I 1038 01:03:07,960 --> 01:03:11,080 Speaker 4: knew that my goal was to ensure that my children 1039 01:03:11,160 --> 01:03:13,520 Speaker 4: knew I had their back, but they could be secure 1040 01:03:13,560 --> 01:03:17,680 Speaker 4: without me. And you know, just I know we're going 1041 01:03:17,720 --> 01:03:21,160 Speaker 4: to go soon. But this is just a proof that 1042 01:03:21,240 --> 01:03:22,960 Speaker 4: I managed to do it, and I still don't know 1043 01:03:23,120 --> 01:03:26,600 Speaker 4: what I've done. But my oldest son last year was 1044 01:03:26,880 --> 01:03:30,360 Speaker 4: for the year before he was at Westchester University for 1045 01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:33,840 Speaker 4: his first year of college for a far different major 1046 01:03:33,920 --> 01:03:37,120 Speaker 4: than he's doing that, and he was in an early 1047 01:03:37,240 --> 01:03:42,600 Speaker 4: childhood development class and they were talking about the three 1048 01:03:42,880 --> 01:03:48,120 Speaker 4: attachment styles for parenting. There's avoidant attachment, there's an anxious attachment, 1049 01:03:48,160 --> 01:03:49,920 Speaker 4: and then the one you want to try to achieve, 1050 01:03:49,920 --> 01:03:55,360 Speaker 4: the secure attachment. And his professor was explaining each attachment 1051 01:03:55,360 --> 01:03:58,760 Speaker 4: style with case studies that are peer in peer review articles, 1052 01:03:59,080 --> 01:04:02,000 Speaker 4: and when she got to this cure attachment, he was 1053 01:04:02,040 --> 01:04:04,960 Speaker 4: looking at the case study and he thought it was familiar. 1054 01:04:07,200 --> 01:04:09,960 Speaker 4: And so then at the end, you know, she was 1055 01:04:10,000 --> 01:04:12,560 Speaker 4: asking if any of the students had questions, and he 1056 01:04:12,960 --> 01:04:15,160 Speaker 4: raised his hand and asked her if the case study 1057 01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:18,880 Speaker 4: used for secure attachment style was based off of a 1058 01:04:18,920 --> 01:04:22,840 Speaker 4: Delaware family. He was like, yes, we've been using it 1059 01:04:22,880 --> 01:04:26,840 Speaker 4: for several years now for secure attachment style. And he's like, 1060 01:04:27,080 --> 01:04:29,560 Speaker 4: just throwing it out, is the name of the mother 1061 01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:34,640 Speaker 4: represented in this? And she's like I believe so yes, 1062 01:04:35,440 --> 01:04:38,640 Speaker 4: And she's like why He's like, that's my mom. Wow. 1063 01:04:39,680 --> 01:04:41,480 Speaker 4: He told me this as I was bringing him home 1064 01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:45,760 Speaker 4: for the weekend, and I'm just like, why are you sure? 1065 01:04:46,400 --> 01:04:51,280 Speaker 4: And she like Afterwards they talked, and then the next 1066 01:04:51,360 --> 01:04:55,640 Speaker 4: day they were given a quit like a survey to 1067 01:04:55,640 --> 01:04:59,160 Speaker 4: see what attachment style they fit under with their family, 1068 01:04:59,240 --> 01:05:01,600 Speaker 4: and he was only want to get one hundred percent secure. 1069 01:05:03,680 --> 01:05:07,680 Speaker 4: And we just chuckle about this because I'm like, one, 1070 01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:09,280 Speaker 4: I didn't know it was a case study at this point, 1071 01:05:09,760 --> 01:05:14,959 Speaker 4: but two, I never necessarily see myself as a great mom. 1072 01:05:15,160 --> 01:05:20,080 Speaker 4: I think I do the best I can, but obviously 1073 01:05:20,120 --> 01:05:25,800 Speaker 4: I've done something right, and I do mama as tired 1074 01:05:25,840 --> 01:05:29,440 Speaker 4: as I am. Right, you know, I take what I 1075 01:05:29,920 --> 01:05:33,160 Speaker 4: know and then I learned from them and I get 1076 01:05:33,200 --> 01:05:36,320 Speaker 4: to turn that into policy. But I also get to 1077 01:05:36,360 --> 01:05:39,080 Speaker 4: be a therapist for at risk youth too, and I 1078 01:05:39,120 --> 01:05:44,200 Speaker 4: help them find their purpose. And that's kind of why 1079 01:05:44,200 --> 01:05:45,400 Speaker 4: I do everything. 1080 01:05:45,040 --> 01:05:50,160 Speaker 2: Out to Yeah, yeah, what are your hosts for transgender 1081 01:05:50,240 --> 01:05:52,280 Speaker 2: youth growing up in today's world. 1082 01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:56,880 Speaker 4: That they recognize they are far worthy and far loved 1083 01:05:56,920 --> 01:06:02,360 Speaker 4: than they even know. Yeah, and to cleaner room, cleaner 1084 01:06:02,440 --> 01:06:06,960 Speaker 4: rooms please please clean room trend no actually training rooms 1085 01:06:07,040 --> 01:06:07,439 Speaker 4: very clean? 1086 01:06:08,280 --> 01:06:11,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you know. Trinity expressed at just four years 1087 01:06:11,600 --> 01:06:13,280 Speaker 2: old that she was a girl. Now she's in her 1088 01:06:13,280 --> 01:06:16,560 Speaker 2: early twenties. So what message do you hope your story 1089 01:06:16,600 --> 01:06:18,960 Speaker 2: sends to young people, especially those who may be questioning 1090 01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:19,960 Speaker 2: their own identities. 1091 01:06:21,560 --> 01:06:25,040 Speaker 4: You know who you are? Yeah, there will always be 1092 01:06:25,080 --> 01:06:30,120 Speaker 4: someone there who will listen with their heart. And if 1093 01:06:30,360 --> 01:06:32,560 Speaker 4: you have a family, that can't be the ones I'm 1094 01:06:32,600 --> 01:06:33,280 Speaker 4: your mom now. 1095 01:06:33,680 --> 01:06:33,960 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1096 01:06:34,360 --> 01:06:35,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of babies. 1097 01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:39,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, furry babies to y'all. Furry babies too. 1098 01:06:40,000 --> 01:06:43,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, one's whimpering because he's like, I dropped my food 1099 01:06:43,080 --> 01:06:43,920 Speaker 4: outside my cree. 1100 01:06:44,840 --> 01:06:47,280 Speaker 2: And last, but not least, how can we shift the 1101 01:06:47,320 --> 01:06:50,720 Speaker 2: conversation to help others see transgender youth for who they are, 1102 01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:52,320 Speaker 2: beyond misconceptions. 1103 01:06:54,000 --> 01:06:58,680 Speaker 4: Talk to them and talk to the people who love them. 1104 01:06:59,400 --> 01:07:02,720 Speaker 4: Because when you hurt or say something hurtful about a 1105 01:07:02,760 --> 01:07:07,040 Speaker 4: trans youth, you are ultimately hurting your future. You were 1106 01:07:07,080 --> 01:07:09,360 Speaker 4: hurting someone in your life where you may find out 1107 01:07:09,560 --> 01:07:13,440 Speaker 4: it's trands that you've come to really care about. Yeah. 1108 01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:16,439 Speaker 4: The video that went viral for us was called meet 1109 01:07:16,480 --> 01:07:21,120 Speaker 4: my Child. I want people to meet Trinity. I want 1110 01:07:21,160 --> 01:07:23,880 Speaker 4: people to meet me. I am a mom in the 1111 01:07:23,960 --> 01:07:26,640 Speaker 4: end of the day, regardless of her being trans. She's 1112 01:07:26,680 --> 01:07:30,160 Speaker 4: my child. Yeah, And when you say the things you say, 1113 01:07:31,120 --> 01:07:33,560 Speaker 4: you are hurting me too and those who love her. 1114 01:07:34,200 --> 01:07:37,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I am so happy that we were 1115 01:07:37,560 --> 01:07:40,120 Speaker 2: able to make this happen. This was definitely worth the way. 1116 01:07:40,160 --> 01:07:42,080 Speaker 2: So I really appreciate you for coming on to the 1117 01:07:42,120 --> 01:07:44,800 Speaker 2: show and just starting the new A're off with love 1118 01:07:45,040 --> 01:07:47,520 Speaker 2: like I feel. Really, I'm really thankful for our conversation. 1119 01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:51,240 Speaker 4: Same and I hope you continue to build such a 1120 01:07:51,280 --> 01:07:56,520 Speaker 4: wonderful relationship with your dad and you know it is 1121 01:07:57,640 --> 01:08:00,680 Speaker 4: it changes the world when we do everything with love first. 1122 01:08:01,200 --> 01:08:04,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, even though he a wow boy man. 1123 01:08:04,760 --> 01:08:07,080 Speaker 4: I mean, honestly, just spram with the water. 1124 01:08:08,640 --> 01:08:11,240 Speaker 2: He needs more than water, shall he need alcohol? 1125 01:08:13,560 --> 01:08:14,040 Speaker 4: Calm down? 1126 01:08:14,080 --> 01:08:17,000 Speaker 2: Count hell, he needs everything because that niggas Wow. 1127 01:08:17,800 --> 01:08:20,200 Speaker 4: I'm sure my kids feel the same about me most days, 1128 01:08:21,439 --> 01:08:23,599 Speaker 4: like my mom dressed up as a mouse. I'm going 1129 01:08:23,640 --> 01:08:24,120 Speaker 4: to this. 1130 01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:28,080 Speaker 2: Thing right right well to the listeners. If you have 1131 01:08:28,120 --> 01:08:30,320 Speaker 2: any questions, please make sure to email me at hello 1132 01:08:30,360 --> 01:08:32,320 Speaker 2: at the PSG podcast dot com. And if you are 1133 01:08:32,400 --> 01:08:35,320 Speaker 2: interested in supporting our guest book, please make sure to 1134 01:08:35,400 --> 01:08:37,080 Speaker 2: hit me up and I will send you the direct 1135 01:08:37,120 --> 01:08:40,040 Speaker 2: link so we can support them and get it unbanned. 1136 01:08:40,120 --> 01:08:42,360 Speaker 2: Can you unband a book. Is that possible. I know, 1137 01:08:42,360 --> 01:08:43,519 Speaker 2: it's a process, right. 1138 01:08:43,920 --> 01:08:47,679 Speaker 4: It would have to be the state, okay, okay, yeah, 1139 01:08:47,720 --> 01:08:50,080 Speaker 4: and unfortunately, book fans are quite a thing. You can 1140 01:08:50,080 --> 01:08:52,880 Speaker 4: put laws in that will keep book fans from happy. 1141 01:08:52,960 --> 01:08:55,559 Speaker 4: We are working on that here nowhere, so. 1142 01:08:55,880 --> 01:08:59,679 Speaker 2: Okay, well just email me and I see y'all a link. 1143 01:09:00,280 --> 01:09:01,960 Speaker 2: Thank you to my guest, Thank you so much. It 1144 01:09:02,000 --> 01:09:04,240 Speaker 2: was such a pleasure. Thank you, thank you, thank you, 1145 01:09:04,600 --> 01:09:15,640 Speaker 2: thank you, and until next time, everyone Later heys. The 1146 01:09:15,760 --> 01:09:19,000 Speaker 2: Professional Homegirl podcast is a production of the Black Effect 1147 01:09:19,080 --> 01:09:23,800 Speaker 2: podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 1148 01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:26,639 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 1149 01:09:26,720 --> 01:09:29,640 Speaker 2: Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show, and you 1150 01:09:29,640 --> 01:09:32,320 Speaker 2: can connect with me on social media at the PHG 1151 01:09:32,520 --> 01:09:33,040 Speaker 2: podcast