Leo (he/him) & Erin (she/her)

Leo has always known who he is.

​

When he started high school, he began stepping more fully into that truth, sharing his name and pronouns, and imagining what it might look like to live openly as himself.

​

For his parents, the journey looked different.

​

“We thought we were accepting,” his mom, Erin, shared. “But we had a lot to learn.” Like many families, they wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know where to start. 

​

That’s when they found Spectrum. “We reached out to Spectrum for advice and support. Spectrum was here . . . and they didn’t judge or make us feel bad.”

​

At first, Spectrum was simply a place to ask questions. A place to find guidance. A place to begin. But as political tensions rose and harmful rhetoric toward trans people intensified, everything changed.

​

“It wasn’t about are mom and dad ready,” Erin said. “It’s an emergency because there are real world consequences. . . If we didn’t have Spectrum, we would’ve dragged our feet.” Suddenly, what once felt gradual became urgent. Leo needed his legal documents to reflect who he was not someday, but now.

​

The process was overwhelming: name changes, birth certificates, passports. Confusing paperwork. Conflicting information. Deadlines that felt impossibly close. Without support, Erin believes they might have been delayed or that Leo would have had to navigate it alone as an adult.

​

Instead, Spectrum stepped in. “They showed up and said, ‘We’re going to figure this out together.’” Spectrum staff walked alongside them through every step – answering questions, organizing paperwork, even standing with them in line at the courthouse.

​

“It wasn’t about having all the answers,” Erin reflected. “It was about not being alone.”

​

For Leo, that support meant something just as important: relief. “I didn’t have to think about it,” he said. “I didn’t have to worry about all the legal stuff.” Instead, he could focus on being a teenager, going to school, thinking about his future, and continuing to grow into himself.

​

Through Spectrum, Leo’s family found more than help navigating systems. They found connection. Erin joined a parent support group. They attended community events. They found moments of joy that had nothing to do with paperwork or stress.

​

“[Spectrum] isn’t just a place to call when things are bad,” Erin emphasized. “They have fun activities where there’s joy. Love. Togetherness.”

​

Leo knows how fortunate he is. Many trans youth don’t have supportive families or access to resources like Spectrum. “I know lots of trans kids without supportive families and when they become adults, they don’t have a lot of resources,” he said. “Programs like [Spectrum’s] – from hangouts to funding – help us feel less isolated.”

​

That’s why spaces like Spectrum matter – not just as a resource, but as a lifeline. When families have support, everything changes.

​

“Every little bit of community helps get you through,” Leo said. “Trans people are people you know. We’re your neighbors. We’re the people who bag your groceries. Trans visibility means being recognized as a normal person, not a thing to talk around.”

​

This Trans Day of Visibility, stand with trans youth and their families.

​

“Support a child. . . Support every way that you possibly can, please, because to us, it felt life-saving,” Erin implores.

 

Leo reminds his community, “Being trans is just a part of you – an important part of you – but you are so much more than that.”