It's one thing to be accepting of someone when they reveal to you that they are transgender, but it's another to know exactly how to support them. Heather Lundberg Green, from Louisville, Kentucky, was faced with this problem when her son, Adrian, told her that he was trans, hoping to transition from female to male.
“When he told me he was transitioning, I was determined to support him through his journey, but I had no idea how,” she wrote in a blog post for Love What Matters. “I have always had many friends in the LGBTQ community and still I wasn’t sure what steps I should take as his mother, or even what an appropriate response was outside of ‘I still love you.’”
That's when she had a unique idea - she would throw a gender reveal party, coinciding the event with her son's 20th birthday. Getting together a photoshoot for Adrian, she covered him in a blanket that read, 'It’s a boy!'
She then took to Facebook to share the photos, where it quickly went viral, receiving a warm response from others supportive of Adrian. The post, which racked up over 30,000 likes, read:
"When your child comes out as trans, the best thing to do is create a photoshoot to celebrate the fact that he silently and bravely stepped out of the race that he never wanted to be in, found his own lane and proceeded to win.
"HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, Adrian! You are without a doubt the most fascinating human I know and I will always be your biggest fan! I love you, I honor who you are and I respect your courage to be unapologetically you!! Lets celebrate!!"
The online community were particularly supportive once the posts went up. “So glad you are you and teaching the world to see you for who you are,” wrote one user, while another added: “I’m so proud and have all the feels, even though I’ve never met Adrian."
When she approached him about the idea, which she likens to "hairbrained schemes" her children come up with regularly, he told her "you're crazy, but yes," Green told WAVE.
Adrian first came out as trans to his 17-year-old brother Lucas back in September, and was surprised at how well he took the news. According to an interview with Heather in The Washington Post, when he mentioned potentially changing his name to Adrian, Lucas' only response was that he'd have to change his name tag at work.
The story doesn't just end with Adrian, however, as Adrian revealed to USA Today. He was told by his younger brother a particularly heartwarming story, that showed the impact that viral stories like this can have on real people. Adrian explained:
“He proceeded to tell me that a trans boy at his school had come out to his parents after seeing our post. He had been considering suicide before coming out to them and because of our message he had the courage to tell them and found out that his parents were going to support them. He would not have had the courage had we not taken these photos.”
While coming to terms with transitions and trying to support people during them can be tough, Adrian's story just goes to show that positivity and openness can lead to great things.
