Coco, Age 14, Utah, from the series Are You Ok?
sheet: 19 15/16 × 16 in. (50.6 × 40.6 cm)
Duration: 1 minutes, 54 seconds
Interview Text
Coco, Age 14, Utah, 2022
Coco: I think the laws are stupid. Like, really stupid. One time one of my teachers brought it up, and this one kid said "Well what if they fake it so they can win sports?" but I personally don’t think someone would want to change their whole life, their whole identity and have to go through so much just to win something as stupid as sports. It makes me angry because politicians will never know what so many people go through. They think it’s some silly little thing but it’s really such a big thing. It makes me feel like I’m an alien or something that’s not supposed to exist, and illegal.
Mom: Something Coco sees me doing all the time is battling ignorance with education. The more science-based facts and the more articles that I can share, the better . You can scream at ignorant people till you’re blue in the face, and it’s just not going to get anywhere but if you start throwing education and facts, then some do start to listen.
I get really angry. I hate the ignorance of certain people. But then there’s the one person who you can sit down and have a conversation with, and maybe you change that one person’s view. Being a parent, of course, I want to go out and fight everybody and I have to wrangle it in, I have to pull my cat claws in, because that’s not going to help. The biggest weapon we have is our minds. Coco is very, very smart. He’s always been above grade level. I tell him that is your biggest tool and weapon, that’s how we go forward. It’s been an honor, right alongside this kid, fighting for what’s right.
Coco: It’s probably just fear because people think that different is supposed to be scary. They hear one thing, and they just follow the crowd, spreading misinformation, and then it grows into this big thing which I think is what’s really going on. This one politician, he probably said something, and then the next one said "OK yeah I’ll go with that too."
Mom: It became the basis for getting politicians elected. People are scared of these kids? Well then let me support this bill and I’ll get more votes. It really angers us.
Coco: I think that trans people, and LGBTQ people in general, really need a lot more representation and awareness since Utah is a red state. Sharing my story can help anyone else that’s out there feel comforted because they know that there are other people like them. I’d like to be an activist, but I don’t know if I am.
Mom: I definitely think he is! He always speaks his mind, and he’s never one to back down, no matter what it costs him. He always sticks up for what’s right.
Coco: Honestly, just don’t listen to people who think being trans is wrong or bad, because you’re your own person and if they don’t accept you, then they’re not worth your time and you shouldn’t associate with them. Just get rid of them! Get them out of your life.
Sister: It’s a very scary world out there for trans and non-binary folk. I have hope that these stories will someday reach a politician, and they’ll listen, they’ll actually listen to these beautiful stories of people blossoming into who they are. I have hope that one day trans and LGBTQ people will feel safe in the world without the fear of hatred toward them.
Mom: We all get pretty emotional about this stuff. I look forward to the day when it’s not a fight, when these people can say "This is what I am. This is who I am." I wish we didn’t need the activism and the fighting. I just don’t understand why acceptance is so hard for people to wrap their minds around. I’m so proud of this kid, and all my kids. They have never backed down. I am very glad that they felt they can come to me with anything. I’m so proud of who I raised.
