Whispers behind our backs.
A friend of a friend of a friend.
‘Did you know?
Did you know they won’t call their son their daughter?
Why not?
Because.
Because they’re transphobic.’

They know.
Those who have not read anything about this.
They know what’s going on and they know what we are.
We’re transphobic.
‘It’s like gay.
Only trans.
Same thing.’
They know.
‘Transphobic!’

But they can’t say it to us.
They say it behind our backs.
Better that way.
They want to be nice.
‘Defend themselves??
How could they possibly defend themselves?
There is nothing they can say anyway.
They’re transphobic.
Why would we have a conversation with them?
La la la.’

But we love our son!!
Wait....please...listen to us!
Did you know they are cutting the breasts off of 14 year old girls?
‘La la la.
They are not doing that!
We don’t believe you.
Anyway they just want to be their authentic selves.
Leave them alone!’

No!
Listen!
Please!

They think there is no reason except transphobia to not call our son our daughter.
Nobody wants to hear that you can’t actually be born in the wrong body.
‘La la la’.
Nobody wants to hear how devastating it is to have a beloved son enter into a cultish delusion where the end game is cutting off body parts.
‘La la la’.
Nobody wants to hear how deeply it hurts us to know that everyone is celebrating him...celebrating what? That he will pretend to be what he is not for the rest of his life?

Devastating to us.
Everyone else celebrates.
Yesterday we were nice people.
Today we’re transphobic.
Everyone is so sure of themselves.
They know.

Actually.
They have no idea.