Delighted to welcome the wonderful Zoey Allen to the blog today with a piece about her picture book MY MOMMA ZO, and why it is so important to have books like this on the shelves. Written alongside Kelly Allen, and told from the curious child Molly, this empowering story shows us the warmth and support of family in a time of change – in this case, Zoey’s gender.
Gorgeously illustrated by Tara O’Brien, this uplifting picture book comes out tomorrow! (2nd March).
The Importance of Representation – Zoey Allen
I came out as a transgender woman back in 2019, and up to that point really didn’t know that much about what it was to be transgender. I spent my youth constantly questioning who I was and where I belonged, without anyone to really look up to. Obviously I had my parents, friends and other family members, but for some reason I didn’t see myself in any of them.
There were no real positive role models for me, either in the real world or on TV and in the media, so I just didn’t get who I was supposed to be. For years I questioned myself, fighting with feelings I didn’t understand, pushing them back because I thought they were ‘wrong’, but it just made things worse for me.
I spent many years battling depression, mostly due to my inner conflicts and lack of understanding, and when I finally started truly looking into my feelings and thoughts, and discovered who I really was, there was a true moment of realisation.
Even though it was 2018, there was still nothing out there that showed real trans women happily existing in this world, and it led to me fearing coming out for some time. Every story I came across was filled with loss, hate and prejudice, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. Luckily, when I did speak to my wife at the time, I realised that yes, there would be struggles and adjustments that would need to be made, but me being true to myself and the world was the most important thing I could do.
We began our blog Our Transitional Life in 2019, simply documenting our journey so that maybe others could find some small piece of hope should they go looking, but still, the limit of positivity in the public domain was very apparent.
One day we thought it would be amazing if we could create something that tells our story in a simple way for children and parents so that they would not only have something if they were going through a similar situation, but other non-trans families could use it as a tool to educate and spark conversations about diverse families.
Thus, My Momma Zo was born.
My Momma Zo tells our story from our daughter Molly’s perspective in a very warm and gentle way. Yes we face some struggles, but with love and acceptance, we can overcome anything.
I feel like the world is changing, albeit slowly, there are more and more positive representations of transgender people and families coming through. With mainstream TV shows including transgender storylines in a more positive way, young (and old) trans people now have more role models than ever before.
It’s so important for young people especially to feel represented in the mainstream media world. We are all unique and beautiful in our own way, and if you can see even a glimmer of the person you feel you are in the world, it gives you hope and something to aspire to.
We still have a long way to go until transgender people are truly accepted in society, but hopefully, with more people embracing books like My Momma Zo and the inclusion of transgender people living their lives like any other person being documented on TV and in the media, we will get there.
Get your copy of My Momma Zo here.
