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That is the expectation you should hold yourself to. And like, yeah, that stuff is real and it happens, but another real thing is being queer and happy. And I think that’s why parents have such a hard time accepting. KF: You’re going to cry? I just I, I think one thing that’s really, like, sad is that media tends to focus around queer tragedy. You were up against so many challenges and yet you stood strong and you were still brave. There were times that I wasn’t sure how school was going to go because you were so depressed. But I’m very glad that you have reached some milestones that, to be quite honest, I was afraid we weren’t going to reach - you weren’t going to reach… I sometimes want you to be a little baby again so I could just hold you and rock you.
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The baby photo is a lovely moment of father and son bonding. JS: Oh boy, I am excited for your future. A father and son from Oregon recreated a bath time baby photo decades after the original snap and it was deeply unsettling. And now I’m graduating and planning for life and stuff. KF: I’ve definitely become more mature, but that’s bound to happen when you go from 12 to almost 19. JS: In what ways do you feel that you’ve changed the most since that interview? I remember being like, ‘Woohoo!’ And then, like, looking back and being like, ‘Ugh, I told everyone what time I got underwear?’ ĬLIP: I think the happiest moment in my life would probably be January 16th, 2015, 8:45pm. JS: I remember trying not to cry, because we were opening up to each other, and I remember how I was shocked that you remembered the exact day and time that you got boy’s underwear. Jennifer Sumner (JS) and Kaysen Ford (KF) Originally aired Jon NPR’s Morning Edition. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or just needs someone to talk to, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-80. Top Photo: Jennifer Sumner and Kaysen Ford during their road trip celebrating Kaysen’s g raduation June, 2021. They came back to Stor圜orps to mark the occasion - and to reflect on their first conversation. Six years later, Kaysen, who now identifies as nonbinary, has graduated high school. Kaysen has since moved with their family from Tuscaloosa, AL, to Birmingham for access to local services that empower transgender people to live more authentically, like Point of Pride - an international network of gender-affirming support programs - and Magic City Acceptance Center a drop-in center for LGBTQ youth and their allies. Kaysen explained that, “It shouldn’t be scary to be who you are.” In 2015, when Kaysen was 12, they came to Stor圜orps to talk about being comfortable in their own skin.ĭuring that conversation Jennifer shared how proud she was of Kaysen for being courageous and true to themself. Their mother, Jennifer Sumner worried that Kaysen would face bullying as a transgender kid growing up in the South. Kaysen Ford had just finished 5th grade in Tuscaloosa, AL, when they started to tell friends and family that they were transgender.