It likely isn't news at this point that representation matters. Everyone from parents to therapists agree: Children often thrive when they see themselves represented in everything from toys to TV shows. And when kids who are often underrepresentented see people who look like them rise to high offices or land important roles, it makes them feel like anything is possible.
That is likely how hundreds of transgender kids felt when they learned that Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state senate, won her office in Delaware.
For dad Eric and daughter Corey Maison, who are both transgender, her win was a genuine bright spot in 2020.
The Maisons' story began nine years ago, when Corey was 10 years old.
"One night we sat down as a family and watched the Jazz Jenning’s story about transitioning," Eric tells CafeMom. "Something clicked in both mine and Corey’s mind. Corey was only 10 at the time. I put all my effort towards letting her figure out who she was and pushed back my feelings to make sure my daughter was taken care of. It was not until almost 5 years later when i finally came out and started transitioning myself. My family, especially Corey, were very accepting."
It's fair to say Eric, who gave birth to five children, was inspired by Corey's courage to transition.
The journey for both Eric and Corey wasn't always an easy one, despite the love and support from their family.
"Corey was always bullied in school, but it got worse when she came out as trans," Eric admitted. "It was so bad at one point I had to pull her out of public school and homeschool her. We live in a very conservative area and have faced several criticisms from our community. Corey lost several friends when she transitioned. As a parent it was heartbreaking."
So for them, seeing someone like McBride come to a position of power is a breath of fresh air.
"Seeing Sarah take the seat made me feel like all the hard work we have done is paying off and the world finally is starting to see transgender people are just as deserving as the rest of the world," says Eric. "With all the hate in the world, it matters a lot having a trans person in office because its one step towards equality. I know she will fight for all LGBTQ+ rights. We have a lot of work to do but we are moving in the right direction, and making history!"
While the future impossible to know, for Eric, it was his daughter's reaction to the news that truly showed him what this could all mean.
"She was absolutely over the moon when she heard the news," Eric recalls. "She told me that it gave her more hope for her generation. She said, 'You never know, I might be president of the United States one day!'”
In the end, isn't that what it's all about?
Our kids, no matter their ethnicity or orientation, deserve to feel like they have a place in this world. And it's our job to elect people to give them that hope, until they can do it for themselves. While the election drama of 2020 feels like it may never end, wins like McBride's remind us that we can move the needle toward a society where all our kids can believe they can achieve whatever it is their hearts are set on.
