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A father and his daughter were watching a documentary called ‘Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric’—a film that features the lives of transgender people—when something in their minds clicked. Eric Maison and his daughter, Corey, came to the conclusion that they are transgender, People reports.
Eric, 39 years old, was a woman who transitioned into a man. Corey, 15 years old, was a boy who transitioned into a girl. Their story was featured in National Geographic magazine’s historic “Gender Revolution” issue.
Eric told People, “That’s when we both learned what it meant to be transgender, and realized that that explained both of us exactly.”
Corey said, “I was always sad and angry all the time, and I didn’t know what to do about it.”
Eric and Corey had been unsatisfied with their bodies for the past years. Although they knew that they were uncomfortable, they couldn’t verbalize or put into words how they actually felt.
Eric said, “I knew that something was off, but I didn’t know what that was. I knew that I hated my body, I was very ashamed of it, but I didn’t know, cognitively, why. Honestly, I just thought it was me. I thought there was something wrong with my brain.”
After finishing Katie Couric’s documentary, Corey decided to come out to her parents in 2012. She admitted that she felt that the moment was “very relieving.” Eric, who felt that he was sure of how he was feeling, kept her feelings inside the closet for another three years, not only to not steal her daughter’s thunder, but also not to confuse or complicate her life.
Eric said, “I wanted to make sure that my child was taken care of. I wanted to do everything to make sure her transition was smooth and everything was in place. As a parent, you want to put your kids first.”
It took time for Corey to find and surround herself with friends that she can be comfortable with. She said, “I lost a lot of friends in the process, but the ones that actually did care stayed.”
When Corey moved to a local school in Detroit after being home-schooled for a few years, the school administration welcomed her with open and accepting arms. She was allowed to use the girl’s bathroom and locker room.
Eric said, “There was an issue with a few parents complaining that there was a trans girl in the bathroom with their children, and the principal basically said, sorry but, President Obama set these guidelines and we’re going to stick by them.”
