Transgender Teen Learns She Can Finally Receive Hormone Therapy
By:
Detroit mother Erica Maison is making headlines for a viral video she posted of her transgender teen Corey receiving her first dose of hormone therapy. Corey has wanted to start taking hormones for years but had to wait until she turned 14, as determined by the family's therapist.
In the video, Maison tells 14-year-old Corey to open up a black plastic bag on the couch. When Corey realizes her first dose of hormone therapy is in the bag, she weeps and hugs her mother in an incredibly touching moment.
RELATED: Your Understanding of Gender Might be Wrong. Here's Why
“She squeezed me, and I stopped the camera so I could hug her back," Maison told BuzzFeed News. "Neither of us let go for what seemed like an eternity. We were both crying and shaking. She literally took my breath away, as she has never given me a hug like that before. I have never felt so much love from her than that moment. It was a mixture of pure joy and relief from us both.”
Maison, who said Corey showed an interest in high heels dresses as a little kid, recognizes that this is a major milestone for her child.
“This was it, this was the most pivotal turning point in her life, and we both knew it,” Maison continued.
It hasn't been an easy road for the family, though. In the fifth grade, Maison started homeschooling Corey because she was bullied constantly for the way she looked. At the time, Maison suspected Corey might be gay, but shortly after leaving the mainstream school system, Corey discovered transgender YouTube star Jazz Jennings, and Corey realized she was trans as well. Corey began dressing in a feminine manner at home, eventually feeling comfortable enough to do so in public. Maison went on to find the right therapist to guide the family through Corey's transition.
Having come such a long way, Maison hopes other people will show some compassion for the transgender experience by seeing the footage of her daughter.
"I want people to watch this video, and see the raw emotion of a transgender child that can finally live her life the way she feels inside," Maison said.
For more on issues facing transgender Americans, check out our video on the battle for gender neutral bathrooms:
