It had never occurred to Dr. Paria Hassouri that she didn’t know her child's gender. When her daughter Ava came out as transgender at 13, Paria didn’t believe her. Many years later, and with a better understanding of what it means to have a transgender child, Paria knows that gender is a spectrum that presents and evolves at different times. 

Visiting us today is Dr. Paria Hassouri and her daughter Ava, to talk about their journey during Ava's transition. Paria is a pediatrician, a writer, and an activist. She recently published Found In Transition, a memoir where she tells her side of her daughter's transition story.

As an Iranian-American who spent some of her early years living in Iran, Paria knows how exhausting it is to be judged on sight, and that is one of the main reasons she advocates against transphobia.  

In this episode, Paria and Ava generously shared their story - the bitter and the sweet parts of their love story. We talked about how they managed to rebuild trust in each other after Paria's first reactions of denial, anger, and grief. We also talked about how Ava has forgiven Paria and how Paria is working to forgive herself. Ava kindly shared some advice for transgender children and their parents. 

Tune in, and listen to Paria and Ava's beautiful story of love, acceptance, growth, and forgiveness. 

Some Questions We Ask:

• Paria, can you give us a little summary of what it was like for you when Ava came out as transgender? (4:31)
• What would your advice be, Ava, for parents of trans kids who might be where our parents were four years ago? What would you say to them? (11:07)
• Part of your growing up was in Iran. How do you think that your struggle to fit in and find your place culturally here in the US impacted your feelings about Ava and her transition? (16:37)
• I'm curious what your advice would be for trans kids, especially trans kids who are around your age when you came out, and how you would recommend they handle it (26:31)
• Jackie knows people who are actually raising their kids with a non-gendered upbringing. Do you see that changing as a pediatrician? Or do you think we still have a pretty long way to go on that front? (33:54)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Paria's reaction when Ava came out and how they transitioned to the place they are now (5:50)
• The process of rebuilding trust between them (11:20)
• What it meant to Ava to come out and not being accepted immediately (22:45)
• Transgender people are beautiful. What Ava learned in her first encounters in Transforming Family (28:00)
• Paria's final message on the relationship between a transgender kid and their mother (43:25)

Resources:

• Paria Hassouri website
• Book: Paria Hassouri - Found in Transition: A Mother's Evolution during Her Child's Gender Change

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