Our Gender Odyssey

I am the father of a trans boy.

This past summer we decided to attend the Gender Odyssey Conference as a family. My wife and I weren’t sure at first if we wanted to attend. We thought maybe it wasn’t geared toward younger kids enough. But, after talking to other parents who had attended in the past, we decided to register. We were scared getting there on the first day. We weren’t sure what to expect. We were all pleasantly surprised!

The kids went to the day camp each day. There, they listened to stories, got their faces painted, made puppets, dressed-up in costumes, etc. They had so much fun. Each day when we picked them up they had stories to tell and kept asking if we were going back the next day. It was great. They stayed busy and happy. That’s all a parent could ask for.

For us as parents, the workshops and presentations were tremendously valuable and emotionally draining. I learned some valuable tools to help navigate complicated situations. I shared my feelings and difficulties with other fathers. I cried, shared stories, and most importantly found countless strangers completely ready to embrace our child and empathize with our family.

One of the greatest parts of the conference was meeting other trans men and trans kids. We heard their stories. We heard their successes and challenges. It was amazing. It was helpful. It was sometimes painful. We were both so glad we could attend.

To cope with the emotions of each day, we decided to take a walk and decompress once we arrived home. We talked about what we learned and how it applied to Chris and our situation. It helped us chart a course and share our fears. I feel so lucky and fortunate to have such an amazing wife and a great support system. I am so glad we found Aiden Key and the Gender Odyssey conference.

We are planning to return. We owe it to Chris to get all the help and support we can. He deserves the best.