Brandon Tensley, Capital B

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Editor’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of this discussion, Capital B has chosen not to use last names to protect the families’ safety.

WASHINGTON — Milissa’s parents initially didn’t embrace her identity when she came out as transgender about 10 years ago, when she was still a preteen. Instead, they told her to love herself for the “man” she was, adding a layer of confusion to an already messy time in the lives of most adolescents.

“They were accepting [only] of the child they wanted me to be,” Milissa, 20, said. “I didn’t know who this ‘son’ was they were talking about, and it all felt so unkind because I needed them to be loving. I always had somebody telling me that my parents are so lovely, and

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