Not As We Expected

By Tina Livingstone B.Ed Hons

From the moment of conception, families begin to form expectations. Long before a child is born, the world is already being shaped around an assumed gender. Colours are chosen, names are considered, and futures are imagined.

For most children, the identity assigned at birth fits well enough. But for some, it is like being handed a cap that simply does not fit — they wear it because they must, but it never sits right, and the discomfort is constant.

To disclose a trans identity takes immense courage. It means risking the loss of everything that is familiar — family, relationships, employment, safety. And yet the alternative — a lifetime of inauthenticity — carries its own unbearable weight.

We aspire to a society that celebrates individuality rather than imposing rigid gender assumptions from birth.