PARIS. Baptiste’s depression went on for at least six months, now called Lilie and 8 years old. “In the evening, before going to sleep, he told us that he was thinking about suicide, that he wanted to die. At night, with my wife Chrystelle, we went to see if she was still breathing. It was as if our love was not enough to give meaning to his life. “
Guillaume V., the father, tells the story of his transgender girl over the phone. “One evening, finally, last February, she told us the truth, that she felt like a child imprisoned in the body of a child. She wanted us to call her Lilie. ‘
The family (Guillaume and Chrystelle have two other children, a twin of Lilie and an older sister), lives in Aubignan, an ancient village of 5700 inhabitants, in the South of France near Avignon. And she won a first battle: having recently returned to school, now in third grade, Baptiste will no longer exist, but only Lilie in the register, for the teacher and for the other classmates. «At the beginning in the school administration they were not convinced – continues Guillaume -. They wondered if Lilie was aware of all this or if, on the other hand, she hadn’t been convinced by us and was influenced ».
The school restarted in early September and a psychologist followed the transgender girl for a few days in the classroom, observed her. In the end, the regional school office gave in “but also because we decided to mediate the story”, adds the father.
In the last few months Lilie has decided to grow her blonde curls and pierce her earlobes to wear earrings. But many in France are wondering: isn’t it too early to have a sexual conscience? Is it right to meet her expectations? “We too have asked ourselves many questions and went to consult LGBT associations here in the area – continues Guillaume -. They explained to us that at that age, consciousness does exist from that point of view. And then I said to myself: at eight I knew very well that I was a boy. And my daughter, at that age, knew it was a girl. ” Not only that: today Lilie is much better. And it is the most important thing.
«Here, in our village, the novelty was accepted without problems – continues Guillaume -. In the registry office, however, they refused to change the name. They say it’s too early and we have to wait. We will fight ». Lilie’s brother and sister also welcomed the novelty naturally, beyond what the parents could have expected. Meanwhile, the story is viral on social media, “where apparently there are those who encourage us and others who criticize us, even with violence”. It is enough for Guillaume to have found his little girl’s smile again. That night, when she was reborn as Lilie, she didn’t say, “I want to be a baby.” But only: “I am a child.”
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