This trans woman has to come out to her mother every time she sees her
Tina Healy says her mother always has the same, beautiful reaction.
Ms Healy – who is the inspiration behind the best-selling trans children’s story ‘Introducing Teddy’ – has told of the moment she first told her mother she was trans.
However, in a heartbreaking twist, Ms Healy has revealed that she has to come out to her mother every time they see each other – as she suffers from dementia.
Ms Healy recalled the anecdote during an interview about on her family this week – after her daughter Jessica Walton wrote a book for children about being transgender.
‘Introducing Teddy’ is now tipped for global success after securing an international publishing deal from Bloomsbury following a successful crowd-sourcing campaign.
During the interview, Ms Healy explained her own mother has dementia, and how she was initially worried about coming out to her as trans.
To her relief, her mother accepted her straight away – but since falling victim to severe bouts of memory loss, Ms Healy told of how she has to break the news again every time they see each other.
“She said – at the end of it, she said, ‘Well,’ she said, ‘What do you know?’ She said, ‘I’ve got a beautiful new daughter.’ And she said, ‘Come here, love,’” Healy told ABC.
“I go and see Mum every few weeks and she’s forgotten each time, and every time I tell her again, she gives me just the same beautiful reaction that she did exactly the same, almost word for word every time.
“I’m kind of the luckiest one of all because I get to come out to Mum 100 times a year, and every time, she’s beautiful.”
Ms Healy also said that after decades of struggling to come to terms with who she is, her family’s support has meant everything.
“My life is so different,” she told the ABC. “I mean, I can be myself. I’m not as anxious anymore. I don’t worry as much. I’m much more peaceful and calm. I’m happy.”
Jessica says she was inspired to write the book after Tina came out as trans about three-and-half years ago.
“When we were growing up Tina was so much fun, she was such an involved, happy, really down to earth dad,” she said.
