Interview with mother of deaf transgender daughter
Heather Golob: My name is Heather. I’m from Michigan.
Alex: Congratulations to your daughter Ivy for being in “American Girl.”
[Images showing Instagram posts from @Ivyalonasjourney showing Ivy holding the “American Girl: Body Image” book and the chapter featuring Ivy.”]
Alex: Can you explain what she wrote about and how she got the honor of being in the “American Girl” book?
Heather: (Shows a copy of the book) She is twelve now. Someone saw her Instagram account and her vlogs.
[Brief video clips of Ivy from her Instagram account. CREDIT: Instagram/ivyalonasjourney]
Ivy: Hey! Hi! To my transgender family… (holds up a series of papers written with a marker). They read, “You are… Amazingly… Courageous…”
Ivy: Let you know that gender is in the brain, not genital. *snaps* Bye girl!
Ivy: Hi!!!! Are you alright? To just letting you know you’re beautiful today. Love ya!
Heather: The book is about loving your unique self. And it reminds us that all bodies are worthy of love and respect. There are many different kinds.
[Full-screen image of the American Girl: Body Image book. It has a subtext that reads, “how to love yourself, live life to the fullest, and celebrate all kinds of bodies.”]
Alex: What are some of the positive responses about the book?
Heather: It has been good. People think it’s amazing to have a deaf child in the book.
Alex: What are some of the negativity you’re gotten from the book?
Heather: The most common responses are… firstly that the book is not appropriate for young ages, they say “No! Not for a 3-year-old!” The second is people saying that parents are forcing kids to take medicines to transition. They are referring to medicine to help with transitioning. The third is comments that “American Girl” should not support the transgender community. So I want to clear up the first comment. On the “American Girl” website, you will see that it says the book is for ages 10 and above. It’s not for those who are 3 or 4 or 5 years old. The second response is that we are not allowed to have medical surgery on transgender children. No. There is a social transition at a young age, yes. A social transition means changing clothing, the style of hair, to match up with their identity. Those who are 9 to 12 years old can go and see a doctor specializing in gender-affirming care that includes social workers, psychologists, and really everything on that team. It includes parents and the child. We are making sure that the child is being their authentic self.
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Alex: What is your advice to parents who may be noticing that their child has struggles or issues with their gender identity?
Heather: As a parent, what I wish everyone knew about raising transgender children is that it’s important… I emphasize here that before you meet them or give birth, it is usually your wish and hope for the child to be happy and healthy, right? All we can do is follow our child’s lead and listen and give love. Statistics and data show that 82% of transgender individuals have considered suicide and 40% have attempted it. Most parents are not really supportive of transgender youth. I recommend for anyone who wants to be supportive or to learn more to please do research online and talk with anyone who is from the LGBT community. Learn from them. That’s important so you can support transgender children.
Alex: I appreciate your time.
[Full-screen image of Heather and Ivy posing for a picture] Credit: Instagram/ivyalonasjourney]
Heather: Mom says I love you, little frog!