“Dad?” Your trembling voice sounds throughout the mostly empty house as you stand at the top of the staircase. You’ve been dwelling on your identity for a while now. Sure, you still enjoy traditionally feminine things and dressing up, but your mind belongs in another body, and you know you need to talk to your dad about it.

He doesn’t reply, so you decide to bite the bullet and trudge down the stairs, finding him sprawled out on the couch watching a game of football on the TV. “What’s up sweet pea?” He hums when he spots you standing by the television, pausing the game to properly hear you. He can see the hesitancy on your face and gently pats the spot on the sofa next to him.

“I need to .. tell you something.” You start, fiddling with your hands as you sit there. The look on his face is gentle, eyebrows curved upwards slightly and lips twisted into a calming smile underneath his beard. You hesitate again before blurting it out.

“I want to be a boy.”

The words come out of your mouth quicker than you had anticipated, and his expression changes to one of slight surprise. His little girl who has always loved pink, dresses and dolls suddenly wants to be a boy?