Woman Transforms Tattoo of Trans Son to Match His Identity
This mother wears her support on her sleeve, literally.
— -- A tattoo artist from Calgary, Canada, recently transformed a tattoo on his wife's arm to reflect their transgender child's true identity.
Steve Peace told ABC News that his wife Lindsay Peace got a tattoo portrait of their three kids over ten years ago. One of the tattoos showed a blonde girl in pigtails and a pink dress, but they recently found out, that the girl's image didn't match the 15-year-old's identity.
Ace Peace told his parents this past January that he identifies himself as a boy.
"Soon after, when people came up to us asking about the tattoos, we'd realize one didn't match, and it was just an uncomfortable situation," Steve said. "She thought about covering it, but I said, 'Hey, I'll just change the clothing and give it a haircut!'"
Steve updated the tattoo this past summer, when he changed the girl on his wife's arm into a boy, he said.
"We decided to surprise Ace with it, and when he saw it, he loved it," Steve said. "I think it really confirmed for him that his parents were behind him and that his identity as a trans boy is real."
The tattoo artist added that the photo of the tattoo only took off on social media after he posted it on his Facebook page last week. He said, he and his wife hope the tattoo's story encourages other parents of trans kids to support and accept their children.
"It was tough at first, but we knew we had to get behind him," Steve said. "For trans kids with no parental support, the risk of suicide rises, and that was a deciding factor for us. It's a life-or-death situation."
Steve said, he and his wife educated themselves and researched transgender issues right after their son came out to them. The father added, he was overjoyed seeing Ace "become happier and happier" with every step he took to affirm his identity as a boy.
"Now, we have quite a few people coming up to us or calling us telling us they had negative feelings about trans people at first and then saying, 'Holy Cow! I was wrong all this time!" Steve said. "We're happy that the tattoo has taken off and helped opened some people's eyes and educated them to the issues trans people and kids face."
