Dear Justice,
This weekend you made a little boy’s dreams come true.
My 10-year-old gender non-conforming son has been wanting to shop at Justice since he was 4, when he would tag along for clothes shopping with his big sister. After about age 11, she outgrew Justice and we hadn’t gone in the store for years. He ended up always begrudgingly trying on clothes from the boys departments along with his older brother. But he hated it. He avoided trying on clothes at all costs. Back-to-school shopping was a chore he dreaded to the extreme.
Every time we made a trip to your next door neighbour store, Target, my son would longingly look in the windows of Justice and say, “I wish I could shop there.” But we never went in. There was just something off-putting about those words on your window, reading, “Just for Girls,” that kept us away time and time again. My son doesn’t identify as a girl, at least he hasn’t for as long as he has been able to communicate, although he has always acted like a stereotypical girl, played exclusively with stereotypical girls toys, and has almost exclusively female friends.
Top Comments
We’re open to whatever, as long as he’s happy, true to himself, and not hurting anyone.
Versus being proper parents and reassuring him that he is a boy.
While I realise that there's a choice between normalising a gender identity like her son's by publishing his life versus protecting him from the inevitable digital vitriol, I for one, wouldn't choose the Facebook route for my child under these circumstances.
My thinking would be that he's going to have enough on his plate already.
I agree. My hope is that this boy is maybe already "out" to most of the people who know him and this won't make things too difficult for him. Without knowing anything about the family though, I don't know. :\
I'm glad the store was so accommodating and welcoming to him though.