The story of my household — me, my
husband Jose, and our 15-year-old son Daniel — is the basic story of a
household who’ve deliberately created roots in Arizona. 

I used to be born in Arizona, Jose got here to
Arizona as a toddler, and we had our son Daniel in Arizona as a result of we
determined to construct our life right here in Tucson. We’re proud that Arizona is
our dwelling. We love going to occasions on the Rialto Theatre, getting recent
tortillas from La Estrella, and spending time with our associates and
household who stay close by.

However as a result of Daniel is transgender, some
Arizona politicians have determined our household isn’t proper for this state,
and so they’re attempting to pressure us out.

Like several child, Daniel is many issues.
He’s pupil with a stable GPA. He performs guitar, bass, drums and
is attempting to be taught piano. He’s enthusiastic about getting his driver’s
license when he turns 16. He’s into Legos, video video games and Jurassic
Park.

And Daniel is transgender. 

From a really younger age, Daniel knew he
was a boy, regardless that we thought he was a woman when he was born. It
took time for Jose and I to know what it meant for Daniel to be
transgender, however the underlying want to like and help our youngster has
by no means modified. 

And it’s OK in the event you don’t perceive
what it means to have a transgender youngster. Each youngster is totally different,
and my lived expertise with my youngster will not be the identical as you or your
household. However that doesn’t give me the fitting to infringe on the rights of
your youngster, and my household wants the identical respect in return. 

Sadly, too many Arizona
politicians are refusing to respect Daniel and our household. Proper now,
there are Republican-backed payments within the Arizona Legislature that will
come between our household and Daniel’s docs, chopping off choices for
life-saving medical care (Senate Invoice 1702), payments that will intrude with Daniel’s education and probably require academics to disrespect my son (Home Invoice 2711, Senate Invoice 1700, Senate Invoice 1040 and Senate Invoice 1001), and extra. 

My son will not be a speaking level or a
political technique, he’s only a child. These legislative assaults make him —
and all children like him — much less protected, and make Arizona a hostile place for
me and my household. 

There may be loads of misinformation
about what it means to be transgender, and what it means for a household to
have a transgender child. A few of the identical unhealthy actors who have been pushing
youngster separation insurance policies and who push racist white-supremacist views
at the moment are attacking trans children, too. It’s painful to stay in a state that
typically sees my household’s ethnicity and cultural background as
one thing unhealthy or scary, and now sees my trans son as one thing unhealthy and
scary and incorrect, too. 

However these techniques to manage us
aren’t new. When my dad and mom went to high school, children bought in hassle for
talking Spanish in school. Now, legislators are threatening children who
have determined to go by a distinct identify or pronoun. These legislative
bullies are savvy — they know that if you restrict language and restrict
what might be talked about, you’re successfully erasing various folks. 

I fear concerning the future, too. What
will the impression of this anti-trans rhetoric be 10 or 20 years down the
highway? What’s going to occur when my husband and I are now not round to
shield our solely youngster? Will he be protected? What’s going to the impression of this
sort of laws be on youth who don’t really feel protected sharing the reality
about who they are surely with their dad and mom? 

And, maybe above all, why do
anti-trans forces proceed to spend hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to focus on some
of essentially the most susceptible folks in our communities? Why distract us
as an alternative of specializing in points that really have an effect on all Arizonans day by day,
like public security or enhancing our faculties?

There may be a lot bias and
misinformation round trans folks, however you don’t should be an knowledgeable
to know that my household ought to be capable of make choices about what’s
finest for us. Having a trans youngster isn’t a scary or detrimental expertise —
it has expanded my coronary heart and my world in a means that has modified me for
the higher. I’m honored to be Daniel’s mother, and anybody else could be so
fortunate to be his dad or mum.

In the long run, freedom means we don’t
must show who we’re, we simply get to exist on this world on our personal
phrases. Our household isn’t any totally different than anybody else’s who loves their
youngster, sees them absolutely, desires to do what’s finest for them. 

I’m doing what’s finest for my youngster,
however the state retains threatening our skill to maintain him protected and wholesome
— threatening our skill to remain on this stunning state that we’ve
grown up in and love, amongst our household and our group. And our
Arizona household shouldn’t must look to states for security. We must be
in a position to keep proper right here.