As parents are learning to embrace their children for who they are, transgender children are becoming increasingly common within the LGBTQ community. The societal construct of gender identity has continuously been challenged. Matthew Stubbings and his wife Klara Jeynes are that kind of parents. Stubbings, a United Kingdom native, is the parent of Britain’s youngest transgender child. Their son, Stormy, born as a female with a twin brother, decided at the age of two that she was a boy and has since identified as such over the course of the last two years. Stormy, now four, has had the support of his parents to challenge the social norms regarding his gender identity. Stubbings agrees that Stormy’s identity in himself not being constrained to societal norms and prejudices is something that everyone can learn from.
According to Stubbings, Stormy displayed signs of identifying as a male as soon as he was 18-months-old. Within these months, Stubbings said that Stormy displayed an aversion to pigtails, dresses, and “pretty shoes”. Not too long after, at two-and-a-half, Stormy communicated to her family that she wasn’t a girl and was a boy instead. “Stormy has never been a girl. He has never verbally expressed to us that he’s a girl,” Stubbings said. Matthew and his wife have been supportive of Stormy being a transgender boy. Matthew also stated that he is a happy boy that loves his life. It has, however, become challenging for them when facing other adults within their community who are not understanding with their support. It is communicated to them that they are hurting their child due to him being four years old. With this in mind, they find themselves constantly attempting to have people reference Stormy as a boy and not the gender that he was assigned at birth.
Stubbings has communicated pride in the decision that his son has made in his identity. “I am so proud that he knows who he is and isn’t constrained by societal norms and prejudices,” Stubbings said. “We can all learn something from this small boy, and I learn every day. Everyone is different.” He has received positive responses after sharing his story on LinkedIn as a means of encouraging people to accept people as they are. “We all need to accept that people are different and not try to force those around us to fit into a box that suits us. Accepting people for who they are is the only way to encourage innovation, embrace growth, and harness the best in everyone”. He made sure to include images of his son after having his hair cut. “I have permission from my son to post this. He is proud of who he is.”
