Christmas can be a mixed bag for trans people. For some it means celebrating with the ones they love most; for others, it means misgendering, deadnaming and rejection.
According to a Stonewall report, one in seven trans people aren’t open about their gender identity to anyone in their family, and of those who are, 11 per cent aren’t supported by any relatives at all.
If you’re one of the many people who are gritting their teeth at the thought of making small talk with their transphobic Uncle Ted over Christmas dinner, it can help to have a sense of humour and a supportive sibling on your side.
That’s the advice of one amazing trans ally on social media, who shared their foolproof plan to derail family transphobia over the holiday season.
“My younger brother is trans,” they explained. “My parents have been horrendous about deadnaming and misgendering him. At Thanksgiving, I used an airhorn to correct them. I fixed a 2-3 year long problem in two seconds. 10/10 would recommend this training method.”
Obviously this style of parental training isn’t for everyone, but if it worked for Pavlov and his dogs it’s surely worth a try, right?
The hilarious story was shared on Twitter by gay doctor Senthorun Raj, who used it as a “holiday reminder” to be an LGBT+ ally when it matters most.
“Now is perfect time to treat your LGBT+ friends/family/neighbours as human beings rather than ‘agendas’ or ‘ideologies’ you need to debate,” he said. “Merry Christmas!”
A holiday reminder: now is perfect time to treat your LGBT friends/family/neighbours as human beings rather than “agendas” or “ideologies” you need to debate.
Merry Christmas!
— Senthorun Raj ✨ (@senthorun) December 24, 2020
His fabulous advice was welcomed by many and inspired a few more noisy suggestions as well. Tiny cymbals for the win!
I have the bestest humxn in my life @Mei_Mac 🎄💚🌸💜 pic.twitter.com/zPVziAEwrY
— EM Williams (@ThEM_Williams) December 24, 2020