Dès qu’elle a su parler, une fillette née en 2007 n’a cessé de répéter qu’elle se sentait masculine. Ses parents l’ont écoutée et racontent l’histoire de leur enfant transgenre dans une vidéo bouleversante.
Jeff et Hillary Whittington ont reçu jeudi dernier le Prix de l’exemple lors du 6e déjeuner annuel de la Fondation Harvey Milk (premier politicien américain ouvertement homosexuel). A cette occasion, le couple vivant à San Diego (Californie) a pris le temps de raconter l’histoire de son enfant, Ryland. Les parents ont présenté une vidéo montrant le passage de leur rejeton de petite fille à petit garçon.
On y apprend notamment que, dès qu’elle a su parler, la petite fille aux cheveux blonds a dit à ses parents: «Je suis un garçon.» La chambre de Ryland était peinte en rose et l’enfant portait des vêtements féminins, mais elle préférait les activités et les jeux destinés aux garçons. Décontenancés par le comportement de leur bout de chou, les Whittington ont d’abord pensé qu’il s’agissait simplement d’une phase qui finirait par passer. Mais, à l’âge de 5 ans, Ryland s’est mise à rejeter catégoriquement tout ce qui lui rappelait sa féminité, raconte le «Huffington Post».
«Pourquoi est-ce que Dieu m’a faite comme cela?»
«Quand la famille mourra, je couperai mes cheveux comme ça je pourrai être un garçon», a lancé un jour l’enfant à ses parents. «Pourquoi est-ce que Dieu m’a faite comme cela?» a-t-elle ensuite demandé. Devant le mal-être évident de Ryland et après avoir consulté de nombreux experts, Jeff et Hillary ont fini par accepter le fait qu’il était une personne transgenre. En faisant des recherches sur le sujet, ils ont appris que le nombre de suicides chez ces derniers, souvent rejetés par la société, était très élevé. Le couple a alors décidé d’aider Ryland à embrasser sa véritable identité. Coupe de cheveux plus courte, achats d’habits masculins, nouvelle décoration de la chambre… tout a été repensé pour le bien-être de l’enfant.
La vidéo montre ensuite Ryland en train de jouer au football et au baseball, porter des cravates et danser avec une fille lors d’un mariage. «En comparaison avec les choses horribles que des gens doivent endurer avec leurs enfants partout dans le monde, ça, ce n’est rien», déclarent les parents dans le clip long de sept minutes.
Egalement présent lors de la cérémonie de jeudi soir avec sa petite soeur, l’enfant est monté sur la scène et a déclaré: «Mon nom est Ryland Michael Whittington. Je suis un enfant transgenre.» Devant une assistance très émue, son père a ensuite déclaré: «Voici notre coming-out. Nous voici en train de faire entendre nos voix.» L’histoire de Ryland a déjà été visionnée plus de trois millions de fois sur YouTube.
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>> Jeff and Hillary Whittington have a very special story to tell. The proud parents of Ryland, 6, want the world to know how their son, born a baby girl, realized he was a boy — and why they accepted him without question.
Jeff and Hillary Whittington are the definition of inspirational parents. After their baby girl started declaring she was a boy almost immediately after learning how to speak, they were faced with many new challenges. In a new video uploaded to YouTube, the parents tell the heartwarming story of how they came to the conclusion that their little girl was actually transgender, and why they immediately allowed “her” to transition into a “him.”
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In a 7-minute video uploaded to their YouTube, Jeff and Hillary give an exact outline of their son’s road to acceptance.
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Ryland was born in early 2007 “healthy, happy, and beautiful” — but on her first birthday, the Whittington’s found out that their daughter was deaf.
Soon after receiving cochlear implants, Ryland learned how to hear and speak. As soon as she could speak, she started telling her parents, “I’m a boy.”
Thinking that their daughter was just going through a phase, they referred to her as a tomboy. However, it didn’t take long for Ryland to start protesting all things feminine.
Jeff and Hillary watched their daughter get older, and they watched her “phase” of thinking she was a boy only get stronger.
Things took a turn for the worse when Ryland started to feel ashamed of herself, and at 5-years-old she asked her parents a heartbreaking question: “Why did God make me like this?”
Jeff & Hillary Helped Ryland Make The Change
That’s when Jeff and Hillary took matters into their own hands. They started “truly listening” to Ryland, and they also started doing research while reaching out to professionals and experts for advice.
It did not take long for Jeff and Hillary to realize that their daughter was actually a transgender boy. Though she was born with girl body parts, it was her brain that identified with being a boy.
After discovering a terrifying statistic that transgender children often become suicidal when not properly accepted by their loved ones, Jeff and Hillary decided it was time to let their son be just that — their son.
Ryland got his haircut, his parents changed their pronouns to “him/he,” and they sent a detailed letter to all of their friends and family members explaining the change.
“We lost a few… but the people who truly matter stuck by us,” they share in the video.
On May 22, Ryland and his parents were presented with the Inspiration Award by the Harvey Milk Foundation. During his beautiful acceptance speech, 6-year-old Ryland thanked his parents for allowing him to be himself.
“I’m a transgender kid,” Ryland said. “I’m a cool kid. I’m the happiest I ever been in my whole life. Thank you to my parents […].”
“And thank you to Harvey Milk for helping the world be a better place.”
You can watch and follow along with the Whittington’s beautiful and inspiring story in the video above. Warning: You are going to need tissues!
