Ep 21 A Mother's Story: Raising a Transgender Son

Honest Mamas Podcast

Welcome to episode twenty-one of the Honest Mamas Podcast! Today, we speak to Janna Barkin about her book “He’s Always Been My Son.”

Janna and her husband Gabriel live and thrive in Marin County, California. Together they’ve raised three wonderful children, Travis, Emily and Amaya.

Janna was born in New York City and graduated from Binghamton University (SUNY) with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Social Sciences. She has worked as a preschool teacher/director and also as a certified childbirth educator, and she has over a decade’s experience teaching yoga. Her students include beginners, advanced practitioners, pre- and post-natal mothers, and people experiencing disability, grief, transition, pain, and loss.

Janna is a lifelong learner who loves experiencing new things and giving back to the community. She also volunteers her time and services for these causes:

• Founding member of Ally Moms, an online community of moms who have come together because they have a transgender child.
• Helpline volunteer at the Transgender Law Center in Oakland, CA.
• Team Coordinator for Stone Soup Marin, a volunteer organization that cooks meals for the homeless served by the Mill Street Shelter in San Rafael, CA.

Janna’s son Amaya is a very smart and motivated student, a well-liked and popular peer among his many friends, and a darn good-lookin’ kid. On occasion, he can be particularly sweet or a bit surly. He is also trans.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• What inspired Janna to write her book
• The challenges she has had to face through this journey
• Insights into the various experiences Janna has been through
• How Janna knew the importance for Amaya to show up in the world
• The need for the general public and therapists to keep broadened perspectives around transgender issues
• How the medical community needs to become more educated in this area

Resources

https://www.hesalwaysbeenmyson.com

https://www.genderspectrum.org

http://standwithtrans.org/ally-moms