Woman Worried About Bringing Transgender Son to Family Wedding

A woman on Reddit explained why she is nervous to bring her 12-year-old transgender son to a family wedding.

"My sister, Sarah, is getting married next month, and she invited us to the wedding. Now, I'm all for supporting my sister, but there's a catch. She's marrying a straight man, and I'm worried about the environment my son will be exposed to," she began.

The woman revealed her son recently came out as transgender and has been doing well in the "inclusive" community he has right now.

"He's making friends, expressing himself freely, and even started attending a local LGBTQ+ youth group. I'm proud of how comfortable he's become with his identity, and I don't want anything to jeopardize that," she wrote.

In contrast, the wedding will include people from "a small conservative town," and she's "concerned about the potential negative impact his family and friends might have on Timmy. They might not understand or accept my son's identity, and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome at the wedding."

"I've tried talking to my sister about this, but she insists that John and his family are open-minded and won't cause any problems. She thinks I'm being paranoid and overprotective. However, I've heard stories about people from conservative backgrounds being less accepting of LGBTQ+ individuals, and I don't want to risk Timmy's well-being," the mother added.

"So, here's my dilemma: Should I let Timmy attend the wedding and risk him facing discrimination, or should I keep him home and avoid the potential harm? I know my sister will be upset if we don't go, but I'm more concerned about my son's emotional safety," she concluded.

Users in the comments section were divided.

"[You're the a--hole] for just deciding that all these people you've never met are going to be mean to your son," one person wrote.

"Let him decide but I would trust your sister though ... props on trying to protect your son," another commented.

"You're trying to protect your child, and while that's admirable, you won't be able to protect them forever, and you're being prejudiced yourself by assuming stereotypes are true. Let your child attend the wedding, but keep an eye out in case you need to intervene," someone else advised.

"It feels like you are discriminating him more than anyone here," another chimed in.