Reply To: What Should My Daughter Call Me?

[Chrissy Swain]

My daughter is 13 and calls me DAD. I’ll never be “mum” to my daughter. She had a mum who died when she was just 7 years old. I came out in May 2018 and I label myself as non-binary genderqueer.  I am not on any HRT and neither have I had electrolysis. I have not worn masculine clothes in the last couple of years, other than maybe a couple of t-shirts and shorts. I dress as a woman 99.9% of the time. My daughter doesn’t like me in a dress or a skirt but she doesn’t live with me either. What I do is wear jeans or leggings when I am with her. I still wear makeup and my clothes are still feminine. I respect her wishes to a certain extent. She wants me to look masculine but I don’t want to because I don’t really feel comfortable in masculine clothes. I don’t feel I want to be a cis-man. I’m not comfortable pretending to be what I am not but I am willing to make compromises for my daughter while she is still young.