#TransYouthAreLoved

Hi,

A message to trans youth 🏳️‍⚧️ You are awesome, you are valid, and you have a future. Please, ignore the haters and the grifters; they don’t speak for us and their views don’t define you.

You do you. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to transition socially, partially, or medically; if you have; or if you never will. Do what feels right for you. It’s your life, your mind, and your body. To mix things up gender wise is just as okay as it is to be mix things up around sexuality. It’s okay to be you, it really is.

If you’ve found a label that works for you, that’s cool. If you haven’t, that’s absolutely fine too. They’re just words – shortcuts to a story, if you will – and they don’t define you or lock you in. You are trans enough. Gatekeepers can do one! 🖕You can be genderfluid and love sports. You can be trans masc and love cute things. You can be trans femme and love deathcore. Equally, lean into your geekery and love of things nerdy – that’s just as cool, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise ✊ Your gender does not define what you like, you choose. Enjoy your hobbies and your interests, they help make you, you.

If you’re neurodiverse and trans+, that’s absolutely fine too. Neither affects the legitimacy of who you are. I think people are waking up to just how varied we are when it comes to gender, sexuality, health, and our minds.

I’m not going to lie and say it’ll all be easy; there’s going to be some heavy weather along the way. But, hey, you got this. I believe in you and I have faith that in you being you, however that shows under the fantastic and inclusive transgender umbrella, it’ll be a better future.

I saw this spray painted decades ago in Belfast and the spirit of it has never left me. My son – a young trans man – wasn’t out to me back then, and I hope he saw this and felt validated. I may not be out fully as Lynn, but as Richard, I will be your ally and give you space to speak.

Be fierce, be fabulous, be kind, and be you.

Lynn 🩷

PS: Further information on #TransYouthAreLoved can be found on PinkNews and DIVA magazine.

Parents and carers of trans youth may find this article helpful from US magazine, The Cut. It’s a long read and full of the lived experiences of families with trans kids