Meet your newest contender for parent of the year. This time, it’s the Irish mom who reacted to her transfem child’s coming-out with a delightfully sweet—and affirming—text message.
In posts on Reddit’s r/lgbt and r/ComingOut communities, a Reddit user named Maeve shared the text messages their mother sent them after they came out.
Related: WATCH: Father gives powerful speech to lawmakers about his trans daughter
“I like it,” the mom writes at the top of the screenshot excerpt. “Will take a bit to adjust to [your] new name. Glad you stayed Irish, lol.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“Thanks for being chill,” Maeve replies.
And Mom writes back, “I just love you, babe. Whatever makes you feel like you, makes me happy. ‘Cause that’s all I want for you kids, is what makes you happy. You have to live in that skin. And it should feel like home.”
I put off coming out to my mom for a long time because I was afraid. I’m so glad I was wrong. from comingout
In comments on the post, Maeve explains that they’re transfem and that they “went through a few” names before picking Maeve. “It fits well,” they added.
And Maeve said that because their mom gave them an Irish name, they “honored that by picking a new Irish name.”
Related: Father’s request to see teen son’s “boy toy” goes viral for all the right reasons
Chicago-based therapist Kelly George told LGBTQ Nation recently how crucial it is for parents to put in the work using the names and pronouns that heir children use for themselves.
“We operated for years assuming this person was X, and now they’re saying that they’re Y,” George said. “And we have to actively work to see them as Y, to see them as they are and as they have told us they are. The parents who make this effort are the ones who are more likely to get name and pronouns correct and are more likely to have a healthy relationship with their trans child, their queer child.”
