One of my grandkids, now age 16, is beginning transition.

This is not something being done casually or without a lot of discussion and counseling. The first step is hormone therapy, which has begun.

A couple vignettes.

We were meeting with one of the admissions folks during our college tour last summer. The conversation was going as one would expect until my grandkid looked at the admissions person and said "I'm in the process of transitioning from female to male. Will that be a problem on this campus?" Simple, straightforward question, no fuzz on it and no hesitation about asking.

We were driving along and I asked "When I was 10 or so, I found out for sure that I had a very different interest in girls than I did in boys. Did you feel the same?" Answer, "Yes." no fuzz on it. Later conversation was based on this agreement.

We were attending one of the frosh football games back in '22. I watched the opposing team put a very tall, strapping young fellow opposite grandkid on extra points*; grandkid was playing guard**. Strapping fellow knocked grandkid upon his (preferred pronoun) ass repeatedly in valiant, but unsuccessful, attempts to block the kick. No hesitation on grandkid's part about going in for the next extra point. Or the next.

*Beginning with the second extra point attempt. Grandkid's presence on the field had been noted.

**He (preferred pronoun) was moved to center for the 2023 season. I believe, but do not know, that he is getting a bit more playing time.