Mum supports her trans son with adorable photo shoot

A mum has put together an adorable photo shoot to celebrate her transgender son.

Heather Lundberg Green, from the US, shared the ‘It’s a boy’ photos of a different kind on Facebook in honour of her son Adrian’s 20th birthday, and to highlight how proud she is of him coming out as transgender.

“Just as I have celebrated many other milestones in his life this one seemed natural to honor as well,” Heather tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

“I hoped that it would move [family and friends] to share it, so that people could see that it is perfectly acceptable to surround a transition with joy and love, instead of the typical ostracizing and dysphoria that occurs.

“I wanted to prove to Adrian that there is support for him beyond what he saw.”

The photos, which have since gone viral, show Adrian popping pink balloons, and throwing blue confetti. He posed with mum Heather, and his brother Lucas, 17, who was the first person Adrian confided in.

“When your child comes out as trans, the best thing to do is create a photoshoot to celebrate the fact that he silently and bravely stepped out of the race that he never wanted to be in, found his own lane,” she wrote in the post.

“You are without a doubt the most fascinating human I know and I will always be your biggest fan. I love you, I honor who you are and I respect your courage to be unapologetically you!”

Heather revealed when Adrian first told her he was transitioning, she wasn’t sure exactly how to show her support.

“I have always had many friends in the LGBTQ community and still I wasn’t sure what steps I should take as his mother, or even what an appropriate response was outside of ‘I still love you’,” she tells us.

“How do I tell people, how do I say this is my son and I’m proud that he has the courage to live his truth, how do I set the tone in our corner of the universe for his journey to be as smooth as possible.”

She said Adrian was on board with the idea of the photo shoot straight away.

“He was. I’m his Mom, he has always looked to me to guide him. When I suggested it he lit up, laughed shyly, and said ‘OK, it sounds like fun’. It was, we had a blast,” Heather says.

“I am 100 per cent aware that ‘outing’ him on this level can also be dangerous because of all of the hate in the world, but what I have observed is that this simple gesture of creating a Facebook post has strengthened Adrian’s resolve and empowered him beyond anything I could have predicted.”

The post has since been shared over 15,000 times and people from all over the world are sharing their support for Adrian and congratulating Heather on the great idea.

“This is everything. What an awesome celebration,” one person commented.

“Amazing mamma raising a beautiful family! Your boys are lucky to have you,” another wrote.

“Best mom EVER,” was another comment.

Heather stressed she wanted to make sure her son had the encouragement and support he needed on this journey, especially after it was revealed the suicide rates among transgender people were extremely high.

A study recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed more than half of transgender male teens who participated in the survey and 29.9 percent of transgender female teens reported attempting suicide in their lifetime.

“Being trans just statistically increased his risk of suicide,” Heather tells us.

“Transgender people who are rejected by their families or lack social support are much more likely to both consider suicide, and to attempt it.

“The photoshoot showed my son that not only am I not ashamed, I’m exceedingly proud of him.”

If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

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