Mom Records Overjoyed Trans Teen Getting Hormones

A few days ago, Erica Maison posted a video depicting a major turning point in her 14-year-old daughter’s life: The video shows the trans teenager receiving her first dose of hormones. Her daughter, Corey, has been waiting to begin hormonal therapy for two and a half years, and her reaction to finally being able to begin this stage of her transition is emotional and moving. Seriously, you may need tissues for this one.

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Erica, based in Detroit, explained that, although Corey “was always feminine,” it wasn’t until she saw a video of trans YouTube star Jazz Jennings at the age of 11 that she identified as transgender. Corey began dressing as a girl in public, and Erica sought a therapist specializing in transgender children. The family began working with a gender clinic at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where doctors eventually gave Corey a puberty-suppressing implant. The teen had to wait, however, before she could begin hormone therapy. Last week, Corey finally received the go-ahead from her medical team, and Erica decided to surprise her with her first dose of hormones.

In the video, Erica has Corey sit on the sofa and retrieve the black bag from the cushions. Corey opens the bag and pulls out a box. It takes her a few moments to figure out what the box contains, but when she does, you can see her face transform with joy:

Erica told BuzzFeed that afterwards, “We were both crying and shaking. She literally took my breath away, as she has never given me a hug like that before. I have never felt so much love from her than that moment. It was a mixture of pure joy and relief from us both.”

She explained that she posted the video in hopes that it might raise awareness and ultimately help other trans kids:

I want people to watch this video, and see the raw emotion of a transgender child that can finally live her life the way she feels inside. I want people to see this, because maybe it will open their eyes. Open their eyes to anyone who’s different. Maybe make them realize that people who are transgender are people just like them, but also people that are at much higher risk for violence and ridicule, over something they had no choice in.

She added, “We all just want to be loved and accepted by others, and that is all I want for my daughter, to be loved and accepted for who she is inside.”

Watch the full video below.

Images: YouTube; BuzzFeed LGBT/Tumblr (2)