Mama Bears

You don’t want to awake the mama bears.

God loves all kids, including my trans son. Missouri lawmakers bring out my mama bear | Opinion
Kansas City Star
By Dawna Daigneault
February 21, 2023


Like many folks in Missouri, I was raised in a conservative household. Growing up, I did not know anyone who was openly LGBTQ, and my church taught me that LGBTQ people were sinful. Now, I’m the proud mom of a trans son. I’ve learned so much from him and on this journey as a parent. But one thing hasn’t changed since I gave birth to him years ago: I know that God loves him, and all children.

Early in my professional career as a therapist, I had clients who came out to me because they trusted me. Witnessing their honesty and courage moved me further toward understanding that LGBTQ people want the same things we all want: to love and be loved, and to be accepted for who they are.

When my son told me he was transgender, I was afraid. Like many Missourians, I didn’t know anyone who was trans, and I worried that people would be unkind. I’m not proud of my initial response. I know I contributed to his pain and distress as a teenager.

But what I came to realize is that my kids are evidence of God’s great accepting love of all children. I am grateful to know my children and be taught, by them, how to love them best. I learned that you don’t have to understand everything about being transgender to love someone for who they are.

I have always thought that we were put here by god for a reason, he made LGBTQ+ people to test others. Now I am not a religious person but I believe in god but I feel that it is how you live your life that counts. Having compassion for other, and empathy for those in needs and I feel that god put us here to test others.

I remember reading in Catholic Catechism class that Jesus said “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

I believe that we are here to test that love. But I feel that a lot of people are failing.

Between us, my husband and I have four delightful children. Our kids are precious to us. We love to get together to celebrate their birthdays, when they get to pick their favorite meal (often my husband’s four-star meatloaf). As a therapist and as a mom, I want the same things for all children: support, safety and the freedom to become who they really are.

And parents in Florida…

Parents raise concerns as Florida bans gender-affirming care for trans kids
NPR News
By Melissa Block
February 20, 2023


[…]

"It's been amazing," says her mother, Virginia Hamner, who says she's seen her daughter "light up" with gender-affirming care. "It's fun and exciting for her to be able to be exactly who she wants to be," she says.

But under new rules passed by Florida's medical boards, it's unclear whether Liz will be able to continue on to further treatment.

[…]

In the current climate, she worries about what she calls "the constant invalidation" of who River is. "Constantly seeing that who you are is a political debate, [or] an agenda item on anyone's list," she says, "makes you feel less than human."

We hear the rallying cry of "Parental Rights!" all the time from Republicans... but it is always one sided. What about the rights of parents who support LGBTQ+ children?

They better watch out the conservatives have awaken the “mama bears” and there is one thing that we have learned in nature you don’t want to get between a mama bear and its club.