For the last few years, a mom and son from Detroit have been documenting their transgender journey together as dad and daughter.
Eric (formerly Erica) and Corey Maison have been chronicling their transition on Instagram and they have also talked to the press about their experiences.
Corey, born a boy, was barely a teenager when he first opened up to his family that he identified as a girl.
He was not yet aware that her mother, who was supportive of his coming out from the very beginning, was also experiencing a gender identity struggle.
But in 2015, Corey received a special gift from his mom and it was something he has been waiting for three years.
Erica gave Corey his first estrogen hormone replacement therapy so that he could fully transition into a girl.
Some 18 months later, Erica revealed to her child that she would also be transitioning to Eric.
As it turns out, Eric has been struggling with the fact that he felt he’s actually a boy trapped inside the body of a girl since childhood.
He told Tara Brown of “60 Minutes Australia” that he used to wish to have breast cancer in his younger years if only so that he could undergo a mastectomy.
The dad also said that he did not enjoy getting pregnant then.
But it was Corey who gave him the courage to finally come to terms with his true self.
Eric admitted he felt relief after revealing that he wants to transition.
At the same time, however, the new dad said that he still has fears, especially for his children and his family because he doesn’t know what their future will be.
But Eric’s husband, Les Maison, is not going anywhere.
He’s planning to stay married to his wife even after Eric has gotten a double mastectomy.
Les told the press that he married the person, not the appearance.
His wife is happy as Eric and he feels that Eric has always been the same person inside.
Meanwhile, Corey said that also had a lot of worries before he told his parents about his decision to transition.
He thought they would no longer like him as a girl when he only really wanted them to be proud of his authentic self.
Now that there are out in the open as dad and daughter, Eric feels blessed that he and Corey can support each other through their journey.
The pair truly understands each other on a deeper level because they are going through the same thing.
The only biggest regret Eric has is that he could have learned about transgenderism and reconciled with his gender identity confusion earlier.
With her dad by her side, Corey has also been emboldened to support and fight for other people struggling with gender issues, especially on social media.
He bonded with the pop group High Dive Heart to share part of her story in the campaign called #IAmAMisfit.
