Michelle is a lifelong Virginian, a home school educator, and mother of six. Two years ago, one of her children came out to her as a transgender boy. Michelle quickly learned as much as she could about how to help her beloved son—and found that supporting him did wonders for his health and happiness. 

“I feel like I’ve gotten my kid back,” Michelle said. “He was clearly miserable, which I thought was normal teenage stuff, but he finally let us know that it was so much bigger than that. I’m so grateful that he felt he could come out and tell us who he really was. Once he was convinced that we had his back, no matter what, our relationship improved immensely.”

Michelle feels honored to have stood by her son’s side and advocated for him during the process of coming out to his school. Now that he’s about to turn 18 and go out into the wider world, she wants to help ensure that he’s supported by nondiscrimination protections.  

“He deserves to be respected, and to have opportunities just like the rest of his peers. He shouldn’t have to worry about being treated differently simply because of who he is. I don’t want the places that he can safely live, work, shop, eat, or receive healthcare to be limited because state policies don’t support him. Just like all people, he should be allowed to thrive and to be himself, no matter where life may take him.”