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Transgender Mother And Son Transition To Father And Daughter Together

By Trisha Faulkner
Published on: 12:42 PST, Mar 19, 2017

As far as things a mother and son would typically do together is concerned, transitioning to a gender they identify as isn’t usually on the list.

For Eric Maison and his daughter, Corey, however, this is exactly what the duo had the pleasure of doing. According to ABC News, Eric and his daughter Corey were watching a documentary about a transgender girl together when they both had the same light bulb moment and realized they were both transgender.

“That’s when we both learned what it meant to be transgender, and realized that that explained both of us exactly,” Eric, the 39-year-old father (former mother), told People.

For years, this mother and her son both shared the same feeling of being uncomfortable in their own bodies. Having no idea what transgender or transitioning was, the two were unable to describe exactly what it was they were feeling to other people. Naturally, this made it hard for other people to understand as well.

“I was always sad and angry all the time, and I didn’t know what to do about it,” Corey, the 15-year-old daughter (former son), said.

Corey’s father claimed to know something was wrong and that he hated his body – but he had no idea why he felt that way.

“I knew that something was off, but I didn’t know what that was. I knew that I hated my body, I was very ashamed of it, but I didn’t know, cognitively, why. Honestly, I just thought it was me. I thought there was something wrong with my brain.”

It was almost immediately after watching the documentary that Corey told her parents she believed she was transgender. The teenager described the moment as “relieving.” Eric, however, made the decision to hold onto the thought that he was also transgender for three years. He did this simply to support his daughter. He knew she was going through a lot and wanted to make sure she was taken care of before he made a similar announcement to his family.

“I wanted to make sure that my child was taken care of. I wanted to do everything to make sure her transition was smooth and everything was in place. As a parent, you want to put your kids first.”

At first, Corey had a lot of personal issues to deal with. Being a girl with short hair, she became the frequent target of bullies. People would laugh and stare at her. She even lost friends as she transitioned. The daughter, however, was able to learn who her true friends were as she transitioned.

“I lost a lot of friends in the process, but the ones that actually did care stayed.”

Corey rejoined her school in Detroit after taking a few years off to take classes at home. According to her parents, the school administration was very welcoming. Corey was permitted to use the girl’s bathrooms and locker rooms, and all of the staff members were briefed about the situation.

Eric told People that there were some parents who had an issue with a transgender girl in the bathrooms and locker rooms with their daughters.

“There was an issue with a few parents complaining that there was a trans girl in the bathroom with their children, and the principal basically said, sorry but, President Obama set these guidelines and we’re going to stick by them.”

It was in 2015 that Corey started the hormone treatments which were the final step in her transition. It was then that Eric finally felt comfortable coming out about also being transgender. Eric told his therapist first, and then his husband. It was actually by accident that Eric told his husband, Les, that he was transgender. Eric and his husband were watching a movie about a transgender girl and he accidentally compared himself to the main character. Fortunately, his husband was very supportive.

“And he took a minute to think and process that and he said, ‘I love you, and no matter what we’ll make this work.'”

Shortly after Eric started to take testosterone. A year later he had top transition surgery to have his breasts removed. Eric noted the irony of the fact that he had to have a part of his body removed in order to feel whole. He also opened up about the fact that it was when he started to developing breasts that he really began to hate his body.

Corey and her father, Eric, were featured in National Geographic’s Gender Revolution issue, claiming they felt “complete” and that coming out as transgender improved their lives in every way possible.

“Holding a secret breaks us up and puts up obstacles. We’re better people and have better relationships with our family members.”

According to Eric, he and his daughter are happier with the way their life is now.

[Featured Image by valentinrussanov/iStock]

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