Day One:

One day my family changed forever.

And in that day, the societal ‘Village’ that always supported my kids, kept them safe, stood together; it changed too.  

The ‘Village’ I had always known and been privileged too, didn’t include us anymore. 

We were suddenly on the fringe, scratching our heads, and wondering…

Why?

And so our journey began and the Invisible Parents Club was born. I knew loving and supporting my child needed to go beyond our nuclear family. I needed a village — I needed to find others who were navigating these murky, often mysterious waters.

Some of us are raising trans and non-binary kids who are stealth and some are more open. Safety is always on the forefront of many of my friends minds.

We support; but don’t expose. We protect them when our communities can’t, because they often don’t recognize or see them. Or they’re afraid.

The invisible world of gender expansive and trans children and the parents and caregivers who are learning to support them — it is bigger than you realize. We are striving for answers; holding our breath, when around every corner there is an opportunity for acceptance and an opportunity for discrimination.

The children you see are crazy brave.

Because visibility is still a challenge, the invisible ones exist all around you.

*There are approx. 1/2 a million gender diverse and transgender children in Canada. **Canada is home to 1 million people who identity as LGBTQ+, accounting for 4% of the population. 56% of Gen Zers know someone who uses gender neutral pronouns.

And not until the rules apply to everyone, can many of us as parents, exhale and rejoin the Village; because, inclusion matters.

This Blog is where I share everything I’ve learned along my journey thus far. It is a place where we celebrate gender diversity and gender identity and it is a navigational and support tool for others who are beginning their journey and looking for accurate information and hopefully inspiring space where every child can thrive.

*Based on stat of 8 million children in Canada and the underreported stat that approx. up to 3% of people identify as transgender (2018).

** Stats Canada, June 2021 and Wunderman Thompson.

Updated: December 2021