I apologize in advance but I don’t watch The Walking Dead so I don’t know many of the characters. However, I do like to recognize awesome people doing awesome things so that’s what brought me to Khary Payton who plays Ezekiel on the show. Khary and his wife, Stacy Reed Payton, share two children, Karter and Maya. I don’t have ages but Stacy and Khary have been together for a little over a decade, so I imagine they fall somewhere around 10 or younger. Karter is the older of the two and on Monday, Karter made a very big decision, he asked his parents to let the world know that he identified as a boy. Khary posted the adorable IG photo of Karter giving us the thumbs up below with this caption:
This my kid. One of the most happy, well-adjusted individuals I’ve ever known. My son, Karter. Karter with a K because it reminded him of my name. He chose it. You see, he was born female but has always identified as a boy. He thought it would be cool if I announced it on social media. I told him that there would be so many supporters but also a lot of jerks who would be harsh. He said, “Yeah, I know about trolls, daddy. I can handle trolls.” 😅 Man, there is nothing more beautiful than watching your child feel the joy of exploring what it means to be true to themselves. This is his journey, and I am here for it. I hope you all have the opportunity to feel the unquenchable love that I am feeling right now.
Stacy also posted a photo of Karter to IG with the caption:
I am overjoyed to introduce you to my son, Karter. When he was born we thought he was a girl. We were mistaken. He is a boy. A smart, funny, brave, loving, magnificent boy. Karter is so confident in who he is and was thrilled for me to let everyone know that he’s finally living as his true self. As a boy. As my son. As Karter. I am so incredibly proud of him and feel blessed every single day to be his mama.
On Stacy’s post, Khary replied “This is awesome.We got this.” It’s incredible. I’m moved by the amount of love and support jumping off the page for their boy. I particularly like how Stacy worded it, “When he was born we thought he was a girl. We were mistaken. He is a boy.” What’s even more heartening is Karter’s confidence and strength that will help him take on the trolls. I end up saying the same thing in these situations, but it is always true when I say it: these kids will benefit so much in life being allowed to live their truths out loud as early as possible. So I applaud all the Paytons, Karter, Khary, Stacy and Maya, for creating a supportive and loving home for their family.
The more we see parents proudly embracing their kids as they are, the more kids everywhere will feel free and be able to live their true selves. Parents like Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Colin Mochrie, Charlize Theron, Cynthia Nixon, Warren Beatty and Annette Benning, Cher and now the Paytons are blazing a trail that prove invaluable for future parents of transgender children. Since I am a parent who has benefited from all the LGBTQ trailblazers who allowed my child to never live in secret, I thank you. I cannot tell you how much better you made our lives by waging these battles before we got here.
Photo credit: Instagram and WENN/Avalon
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmb25oaYZ3e9OhnJivkaG4qrrGmJuemZSUwLWt0ZiioZmirqyxrditpqeXoKTAtb%2B%2BmpmoraSUtaq%2Fvq2pmqajnLKvsMSrlqynnmQ%3D