Twitter user @snepblep, who openly identifies as transgender, shared one of the most inspiring, heartwarming stories on social media this holiday season. As he explains in a Twitter thread, he received a Christmas gift from his grandmother that shows how meaningful acceptance really is.
When he was a child, his grandmother gave him a Raggedy Ann doll that had his birth name embroidered onto the doll’s chest. After “borrowing” Raggedy Ann this year, she gave it back to Gabe with some important updates.
She had given Raggedy Andy pants, shorter hair, and sewed “Gabe” in place of the former name.
‘He’s trans, like me,’ Gabe wrote on Twitter.
This wasn’t the only customized gift Gabe received from his grandmother this year, either. She also gifted him with a pocketknife and a T-shirt. The T-shirt reads, “I’m Gabe doing Gabe things.”
In perhaps the wittiest quip about a Christmas gift yet, Gabe named his doll “raggedy transdy.”
Studies show that family acceptance is one of the most important factors when it comes to mental health for members of the trans community. Trans people (including trans youth) face higher rates of homelessness, depression, and job discrimination, and are more likely to attempt suicide. These statistics can be even harsher for trans people with intersecting identities, like trans women of color or trans sex workers. Support and acceptance from cis family members is the least they can offer, and can have the biggest impact.