“A Mother’s Beautiful Acceptance: How Amanda Mancino-Williams’ 13-Year-Old Came Out as Trans”

While anti-trans bills are being introduced in state legislatures across the United States, there are numerous heartwarming stories that give us hope. Amanda Mancino-Williams, a writer, shared a touching story about her 13-year-old child coming out as transgender. It wasn’t just the fact that he came out, but the creative and thoughtful way he did it. He drew a booklet filled with illustrations, puns, and images to express his identity to his mother. Mancino-Williams shared the drawings on Twitter, stating, “Got a note from my 13yo tonight, under the door, like they always did when there was something important to say.”

The 13-year-old, who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male, used puns like “dot-er” for “daughter” and “sun” for “son” to come out to his mother. In his note, he wrote, “I was originally expected to be an artist who specialized in pointillism, but I have discovered that being a ball of gas suits me better.” The booklet is a beautiful representation of his self-discovery.

Mancino-Williams revealed that her son wanted her to share the story on Twitter to inspire others to embrace their true selves. She wrote, “This is a fantastic gift for all of us. And, he wanted me to share to inspire others to be themselves.”

Mancino-Williams expressed her gratitude for the kind messages she received. She wrote, “Just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have reached out with words of delight and support and kindness. We’ve been reading through them together, and it’s been a morning of a thousand smiles. Love to you all.” It’s important to remember that not all transgender children receive the same acceptance as her 13-year-old, and we hope this story inspires other parents in similar situations to embrace and support their children.

Brandon Boulware, a business lawyer from Missouri, shared his journey of accepting his transgender daughter. Boulware spoke about it during a meeting of the Missouri state House, where lawmakers were considering a resolution to ban transgender high school athletes from girls’ sports. He revealed that for years, he had not allowed his daughter to wear girl clothes or play with girl toys. He forced her to wear boy clothes, get short haircuts, and participate in boys’ sports teams due to fear of teasing from other kids. However, he realized that his refusal to accept her true self was making her miserable. Boulware emotionally urged the committee to vote against the resolution, emphasizing the importance of letting transgender children be themselves and have a happy childhood.