""Before I came out, I always knew that my mom was, you know, supportive but just not really understanding," says Mat, now 17. "I knew she had a very limited view.""
""I really thought I did something wrong. ... I just equated being trans to being troubled.""
""I will say without a doubt that the 'T' has really helped," she says, referring to Mat's testosterone treatment."
Haylin, a marriage and family therapist raised as a super ultraconservative Christian in Honolulu, believed she was progressive when her child Mat first came out as gay or bisexual in fifth grade and later as a transgender male. Haylin restricted Mat's clothing choices at church and initially resisted his request for gender-affirming care. A confrontation occurred when Mat said she was asking him to hide part of himself, which prompted Haylin to reevaluate her beliefs. Haylin stopped equating being trans with being troubled and supported Mat's testosterone treatment. Mat credits that support and treatment with increased confidence, involvement in performing and directing, and overall well-being.
Read at Advocate.com
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