Mother Horribly Responds to Her Transgender Son
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A transgender teen in Jacksonville, Florida, is asking the state court to grant him legal protection, after his family rejected and abused him over his gender identity.
Ryan Stalvey says his parents discovered that he was transgender at the age of 14, and since then, he's endured physical and mental abuse from his mother. The 16-year-old is now asking the court to allow him to live with a foster family he met through a transgender friend at his high school, Action News Jax reports.
"They have not accepted me at all — I don't know if they will," Stalvey told Action News Jax. "It sucks, but not as much I guess because I have another family that does.”
In January, Stalvey's biological mother was arrested after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to a call at their home. The mother reportedly attacked the teen during an argument over his male clothing; she was not charged, but a court ordered her to treatment in April.
The Florida Department of Children and Families sent Stalvey to live with his grandmother, Mic reports. She, in turn, allowed the teen to stay with his friend's family, where he hopes to make a permanent home. His mother refuses to approve the legal adoption, however, so he's taking his case before the court.
In a Tumblr post about the case, Stalvey shared a clip of a secretly recorded video showing his mother attacking him over his clothes. He also included a copy of a prepared statement that he presented to the court last week.
"When [Stalvey's parents] found out I was trans, the backlash from them was outrageous," he wrote. "Especially from my mother. They made me believe I was wrong, and so I began feeling depressed, lost, and alone. They did not understand that you just had to love your child."
"I am asking you today because I have lived most of my life sad and scared to [sic] please let me live with Nick and Heidi Dennis because they have made me feel safe, loved and I feel proud of who I am. I have developed a brotherhood with their transgender son, Kyler and a place in that house."
On social media, Stalvey's supporters are using the hashtag #RiseforRyan to raise awareness to his case. He and fellow students plan to hold an event on Saturday in support of trans rights and child abuse awareness. The trans community are more likely to face discrimination and violence at home, contributing to high rates of homelessness among the LGBT community. It's estimated that LGBT teens account for 20 to 40 percent of the teen homeless population, the National Center for Transgender Equality reports.
