Stories of anti-trans vitriol dominate the media, which makes it easy to forget just how many folks out there give endless love and support to the trans people in their lives.Every day, hundreds of thousands of parents across the country fight with all their might to provide their trans kids with love, hope, and a community of support. They fight to shield their kids from pain and to make them feel proud of who they are. Related You said that to the wrong damn mama: How one moms fight for her trans son became a movement TheNovember IssueofLGBTQ Nationcelebrates the incredible parents uplifting their trans children at one of the most challenging times in history for the community. It highlights the passionate, furious, and exhausting behind-the-scenes work these unsung heroes do to give their kids the lives they deserve.LGBTQ Nationasked these parents a simple question:What do you wish the world knew or understood about your trans child?We received dozens of responses, and will publish some of our favorites every Friday this month (you can alsostill submit). Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today In every single message, one thing became clear: These parents want nothing more than for the world to see the humanity in their kids, to see past thepronounsand body parts and understand that they are so much more than their genders.Here is what 10 of these parents, who we have allowed to remain anonymous, had to say. He is an incredible hockey playerIf you asked my son to list 10 things about himself number 20 would be that he is transgender. He is a brother, a friend, a teammate, a student, a son, and an incredible hockey player. He is fair and funny, he is private and respectful. My son has more integrity and grace at 13 than most people triple his age. The only thing he wants is to be treated with the same dignity and respect as his peers.She deserves to be radiantMy step-daughter has really come alive since coming out and its a joy to see. Her smile is brighter, she laughs more freely, she blushes shyly at compliments. Though she is out and free to be her true self with us, due to the hate in the world and in the media and due to the bullying at school she is not out to the world. It is heartbreaking to see her so joyful and free only to then lock her true identity away again because people can be so cruel. Shes such a beautiful and kind soul and she shouldnt have to hide it, she deserves to be radiant and alive as her true self for all of her life not just a few days a week. | Shutterstock Im so lucky to be his momHe has blossomed since he spoke his truth and became who he truly is. He is caring, empathetic, funny, sarcastic, creative, and unique and all of those qualities were finally able to come to the surface once he was able to let go of the identity the world thrust upon him and emerge from his cocoon. No parent would ever wish this on their child its a whole extra level of struggle in a world that is already hard enough. But he is happier, healthier, and stronger now than he ever would have been in silence. I am so unbelievably proud of him that sometimes I just look at him and tear up thinking, What an amazing human. Im so lucky to be his mom! She is a talented photographerShe is really kind and only human. Shes no different than us just wants to be happy in life and be her true self. She good at understanding and comforting her little sister. She is a talented photographer and loves to collect Pokmon cards. She is just as normal as you and I.She is a giftThe hardest part has never been my child being transgender. The hardest part has been the worlds refusal to see her brilliance. Because she is a gift. Parenting her has made me braver, more compassionate, more joyful. It has made our whole family more free.The story of raising a trans child is not one of sorrow. It is a story of freedom. Of becoming. Of joy. And for those of us lucky enough to be along for the ride, we get to reap the benefits too. | Shutterstock She has the strength of a lionMy child told me when she was eleven years old that she was trans by creating a beautiful clay sculpture that said, I am trans in all of the trans colors with a little bow on top made out of clay. She has the best vocabulary out of anyone in her grade, but she cant cross the street by herself. She loves to create art and talk to her friends on the phone while playing video games. She loves to analyze the world around her and try to establish whats real. She has the wisdom of an eighty five year old and has taught me so much about life. She knew who she was before I ever did. It took me into my thirties to decide who I was and my child already knows.Watching her list off all of the people that she loved with all her heart and how they would react to finding out that she was trans was one of the most heartbreaking experiences Ive ever had in my entire life. This little girl knew that she would not be loved by the people around her, just for being who she is. So she hides it.I never wanted this journey for myself as a mother or for my child. Its unspeakably painful to know of how the world is going to treat her. The best thing that I can do is to just love her for exactly who she is, and make sure she always has a home in my heart. She is a blessing beyond words and has the strength of a lion. He crochets gifts for the cafeteria workersI wish people would understand that absolutely NOTHING has changed about my child since transitioning except for a pronoun. He is the same soul and the same smart, generous, talented human being he always has been. He was number 2 in his graduating class, earned a full-ride scholarship, and is double majoring in English Education and English Literature. He crochets gifts for his professors and for the cafeteria workers at his university. He volunteers at the local food bank and plays piano beautifully. He is a wonderful role model for his little brother and for so many others. He has always been perfect. Nothing has changed but a pronoun and I couldnt love him more if I tried.Happiness looks fantastic on her Im proud of her and this is not a sorrow for our family. She chose her name to respect our family and be in continuity with that while better expressing who she is. Shes wise and nurturing. Her hormones make her happy and happiness looks fantastic on her. Honestly trans people like anyone else have a valuable contribution to make and we have to get better at seeing that and not weighing them down with stupid interrogations about every single thing! He opened my eyes and heart My trans son is the greatest blessing in my life! Mostly because he opened my eyes and heart to differences in the world I knew nothing about. He is a kind, caring, considerate guy who is hurt by the way the world views trans people. I wish everyone could see that trans people are human beings first. They just want to live in peace like everyone else. He loves sunsets That he is the bravest human I know. He wakes up every day being his true self and there are many grown adults that do not have the courage to do thatespecially knowing that there are people in this country who would rather him not exist. He loves sunsets, his family, his friends, and his pets. He is finishing out his senior year of high school with his sites set on becoming a professional chef. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does loving his friends and family hard, cooking, being a human that I am so immensely proud of. His gender goes not define who he is.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.