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5-Year-Old Transgender Boy Jacob Lamey's Story Will Restore Your Faith in People

5-Year-Old Transgender Boy Jacob Lamey's Story Will Restore Your Faith in People

5-Year-Old Transgender Boy Jacob Lamey's Story Will Restore Your Faith in People
brianasalese

It's not every day that we celebrate people for simply doing the right thing, but the story of Jacob Lamey, a 5-year-old transgender boy, and his parents, Mimi and Joe, and their decision to support Jacob's transition, is pretty deserving.

When Mimi and Joe brought their second child home, her name was Mia. By the time she was two, Mia was saying things like "I'm a boy," and "Why did God make me this way?" and "Why did God make me wrong?"

The parents reacted like most parents would.

Her parents said to themselves: 

"I hoped this obesession with being a boy would go away."

Mia became obsessed with changing her clothes, sometimes up to 10 times a day, but once she was introduced to this dog sweater, it was all she ever wanted to wear.

As she got older, "her need to play boy roles and her need to be seen or spoken to as a boy at home, became very persistent and very consistent," says Mimi.

"Those are the hallmarks of a possibly transgender child."

Mia insisted on cutting her hair, being called by male pronouns at home, and not being called Mia, a name she felt wasn't meant for her.

Pediatrician Michelle Forcier told the parents, "It's not a fad or a phase."

"Your 4-year-old probably knew that they were a boy or girl at 3, 4, 5 years old, and that's a normal part of child development," says Forcier.

Last year Mimi and Joe took their family to Disney World and let Mia dress up as Prince Charming, and they say it was a turning point for them.

"He was really happy in that moment. He was being perceived as he wanted to."

After toiling for years, Mimi and Joe finally decided to support their son in who he wanted to be.

"And right then he said, 'That's what I want. I want to be a boy always. I want to be a boy named Jacob.'"

Since the transition, teachers, classmates and family friends refer to Jacob with male pronouns, and his sisters know he's their brother.

Faith in humanity restored!

30 Years of Out100Out / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff and Wayne Brady

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Briana Gonzalez

<p>A proud, queer, Latina, identical twin with a penchant for brash humans and things that make me cough laugh.</p>

<p>A proud, queer, Latina, identical twin with a penchant for brash humans and things that make me cough laugh.</p>