Know Yourself: Take the time to understand your values and what brings you joy. Be Yourself: Embrace your quirks, passions, and uniqueness. Don't waste energy pretending to be someone you're not. Love Yourself: Practice self-compassion (here's a helpful resource). Treat yourself with kindness and respect. You deserve it. Happy Friday! Mandy Giles (she/her)Founder and CEOParents of Trans Youth p.s. Click here to receive additional emails specific to Texas news and events. p.s.s. But wait!...
5 days ago • 1 min read
So your transgender, non-binary, or gender-diverse kid has a new name. Hooray! But how should you refer to them before they transitioned (or started using a new name and pronouns)? The general practice is to use the new name all the time, for everything. For example, you might remember a family gathering before your child transitioned. You'd say, "Oh, remember when [new name] burped the whole alphabet? [New pronoun] had us all crying with laughter." It might feel unfamiliar and a little...
8 days ago • 1 min read
First, an apology. I normally send short and sweet emails on Tuesdays and Fridays, and I realized yesterday that I missed the last 2 email days. I'm sure you were just twisted up with anxiety, Reader, wondering why you hadn't heard from me. Here's who's been distracting me lately: Meet Cooper! Cooper is our Golden Retriever puppy who is now 14 weeks old. He's a love bug but also a menace. I work from home, so my work hours have been basically cut in half chasing after this jellybean. So if I...
12 days ago • 1 min read
The application window for the Parents of Trans Youth Community (PTYC) is now open! Reader, you might not be the parent of a trans child. But before you close this email, think about who you know with trans kids, and consider forwarding this message to them. OK, so here's the scoop about our membership community: ✨Who is PTYC for? ✨Parents and caregivers who affirm their trans kids (of any age) ✨What’s inside? ✨- Live events every week- 24/7 access to moderated chat spaces- Monthly support...
22 days ago • 1 min read
My mind prepared an altar for the old me. I succumbed to the woman inside, relinquishing the longstanding belief that my femininity was some kind of disease. As I retraced my experience, I felt cheated out of freedom for so long. Who would I have been without those day-one boxes of gender, if I'd been less consumed by what others thought of me, if I could have been the driver of my own destiny? The old me had to die. I no longer accepted this perpetual division between who I wanted to be and...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, I hate the ally flag. I really do. I hate it for the same reason I'm not a fan of ally t-shirts and pins. It's like saying, "I like gay people, and even trans people, too! But I sure don't want to you to think I'm one of them." I use the photo below in my "Turning Allyship into Action" presentations as an example of performative allyship. A performative ally might take action, but that action is all about appearances, personal benefit, or being trendy. It doesn’t actually help or...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Join Parents of Trans Youth in raising money for Equality Texas this Pride month! Equality Texas is the largest statewide nonprofit fighting for LGBTQIA+ Texans and does it all: political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. We both share the same goal of fighting for Texas trans kids, and Parents of Trans Youth supports their work 100%. Equality Texas has played a huge part in my advocacy journey, teaching me how to testify at the Texas legislature, training me on...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I saw the movie “She’s The He” this week, and when it was over, I immediately wanted to see it again. It’s a teen satire about two seniors who pretend to be transgender during their last week of high school (a crush on a girl is involved). Hijinks ensue. AND one of them finds out that she actually is trans. The friend I saw it with is also the parent of a trans young adult, and we laughed til we cried, probably because we’re Gen X and appreciated this 80s- and 90s-style teen romp. But also,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
It’s paperback launch day for author and activist Raquel Willis’s memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation! Parents of Trans Youth is hosting Raquel for a live conversation about the book on June 30 at 8pm EDT, and I want you there, Reader. “ Structured in seasons — rooting, budding, pruning, and blooming — this memoir is not a story of linear triumph, but of ongoing transformation. With lyrical precision and moral clarity, Willis examines what liberation truly demands: not...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read