Parenthood is hard. Even when your children are regular and very ‘text-book’. It is doubly hard when your child has gender identity conflicts. This film is a short and moving account of Josie who was born as Joey and her struggle to control her own body. Her mother from whom Josie draws a lot of courage, displays unwavering support for Josie’s wish to be a girl.
There is, of course, a lot of debate on where to draw the line between acquiescing to a child’s wishes and completely relinquishing control. After all, a transgendered 9 year old is still a 9 year old. Most 9 year olds only need to make decisions about which sport to play or which friend to invite to their birthdays. Not big life changers like taking hormone blockers. At an age when children can barely articulate their feelings about their crushes, should parents blindly support their children’s choices about gender and identity? This moving video explores these subjects with a lot of sensitivity and consideration.
In a conservative society like India, the parent-child relationship is more traditional where children often bear the heavy responsibility of fulfilling their parents’ expectations. These expectations go beyond the scope of academic performance and extend to what should be the children’s personal choices: what to wear, who your friends should be, who to marry, what the spouses should wear, how many children you should bear, how to raise your children, what school your children should go to, the list goes on. In sharp contrast, Josie’s mother is unflinching in her faith that her child will make the best choice for herself.
