And The Voyd Would Be Calling

This is a wonderful comic I read on Tumblr:
"Helen finally gets to chat with Karen" by Yamino

For those who don't want to click the link, a summary:  Voyd is a character from the Incredibles 2.  Some fans have speculated that Voyd is transgender.  A Tumblr artist called "Yamino" has taken this idea and run with it, drawing several Voyd-related comics.  In this one, Helen Parr sits down to chat with Voyd.  Voyd reveals that her parents rejected her because they couldn't accept her powers or her gender identity.  Helen is very accepting, and invites her over for tacos.  There's some sequel comics in which Voyd meets and interacts with the rest of the Parrs. There's a chronology page here: Chronology

I've read this comic at least a dozen times now, and I'm not even sure why I find it so compelling.  It's not a particularly deep story, it's just a short conversation between two off-duty super heroes. And yet, reading it satisfies some primal need for being accepted.  All I know for sure is that whenever I read the comic, it releases endorphins.  It's like some strange "acceptance porn".  And frankly, it pisses me off that we live in a world that makes such a comic necessary.

I'm currently reading "Flesh and Blood" by A. E. Dooland.  A full blog will come later, but basically it's about a transman who is stressing about coming out to his mother.  The mother is the kind of woman who will do anything for her daughter... as long as the daughter lives exactly the kind of life the mom wants her to live.  Meanwhile, his current hosts are so accepting that it once again reminds me of the above comic.

The mother feels like she sacrificed so much to put her daughter through school, and she wants her child to get married to a wonderful man and have many children.  But the daughter would rather be a man herself.  I haven't finished the book, so I don't know yet what the mom's reaction will be when the truth comes out, but I can't bet it won't be good.

It seems like a lot of parents live vicariously through their children.  I don't think this is unhealthy in itself, as long as those parents still let their children make their own choices.  If your dream was to be a musician, but your child shows no interest in music, don't force the kid into living your dream.  Simple, right?  Don't pound a square peg into a round hole.

Having a transgender child should be even more of a no-brainer, because it's not a choice.  You can choose whether to transition, but you don't actually choose to be transgender.  That's a state of being.  Abandoning your child because they're transgender is like kicking them out for being left handed.

Transgender people are already one of the most suicidal groups in the world.  According to some sources, more than 40% attempt suicide at some point in their lives.  I've been close.  Trans people need more emotional support than just about anyone.  Abandoning them is practically attempted murder.

So it's not the life you wanted for them.  So what?   It's better than no life at all, which is what you're driving them to when you kick them out.

There's a meme that says: "I don't understand why people think that having a LGBT+ child means they failed as a parent.  Disowning your child means you failed as a parent." I think that pretty much nails it.