Family throw gender reveal party for eight-year-old trans daughter
Frozen toys.‘I have two other children, Ella’s brothers, two cisgender boys who play rough but Ella never wanted to join in. ‘At age six she wanted to start wearing girls clothes like skirts and dresses.‘I must admit with Ella being our first child and that being all we knew, I thought it might just be a phase.
One Halloween we decided to let Ella pick her own costume and she wanted to be a cat so she wore a skirt and cat ears.‘Neither of us knew what the right thing to do was so we showed Ella books of trans people because she didn’t have the words to say it. ‘Eventually, she did, she said I’m not a boy, I don’t feel like this inside.’ Nikki and Graham struggled with knowing what to do when their daughter first came out. ‘We were so confused,’ Nikki shared, ‘asking ourselves if she was too young and were we doing the right thing. ‘We wanted to ensure what we were doing wasn’t harmful or damaging.‘We arranged a consultation with a psychologist from our local child mental health centre Reach Out Centre for Kids and they ensured we were doing the right thing.‘From here we let Ella take the lead.
In grade one she started using she/her pronouns, eventually growing her hair longer and wearing girls’ clothing.‘Ella did get upset when her hair wasn’t growing fast but apart from that she is a very happy girl with an upbeat character and has been throughout her journey.’The good news is that Ella’s two brothers, the rest of her family, and her friends, have been super supportive.
She’s now able to explore her gender identity in a space that feels safe and welcoming. ‘Grade one was confusing as some peers were saying she wasn’t a girl,’ Nikki said. ‘However, we chose to move Ella and the rest of our kids.‘Ella’s new school was a.
