meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
How To! with Mike Pesca

How To Stand Up for Your Kid When Society Won't

How To! with Mike Pesca

Peach Fish Projects

Education, How To

4.32K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Karin always thought of herself as the mom of two boys—that is, until last year when her oldest child told her they were nonbinary, meaning they don't identify as either male or female. Karin loves her kid deeply, but she's struggling to get used to their new name and pronouns, especially because her town—and husband—aren't very accepting. On this episode of How To!, we bring in Lisa DelCol, a fellow mom of a nonbinary child and former president of PFLAG Oklahoma City, to help Karin come to terms with her child's gender identity. Parents are going to make mistakes along the way, Lisa says, but it's important to share what you learn with others. The more you advocate for them, the more accepting the world becomes.

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi everyone, I'm Susie Weiss, and I've noticed there's just simply not enough podcasts in the world. So I'm launching my own. Let's go. Let's go, baby. Second Thought is a weekly show about pop culture. The stuff everyone's been binging, arguing about, obsessing over. Here's the thing about heated rivalry. I mean, even the most devoted swifties, I think we can agree, not our best work. We'll be hosting thoughtful conversations with culture's most important figures. Talk about genius.

0:22.6

Talk about generational talent.

0:23.7

Coming to headphones near you

0:24.8

on April 17th with a first guest you won't want to miss. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

0:30.6

What specifically do you think it is that you're struggling with? I'm struggling with the name

0:36.6

change. You know, when you're pregnant, you spend nine months, like, coming up with names.

0:43.3

I got an ultrasound.

0:44.3

I knew I was having a boy coming through all those baby books, picking the perfect name.

0:49.3

I really liked the name, Kevin.

0:51.3

And I saw myself as the mother of two boys, so I feel like I have to

0:55.9

change my identity now, too.

0:59.8

Welcome to how to. I'm Charles Duhigg. Not long ago, we heard from a listener named Karen,

1:06.2

who lives in Pennsylvania. And before we start, if you could just introduce yourself the same way that you might

1:12.5

introduce yourself to a stranger or if you met someone new and wanted to tell them who you

1:16.4

are.

1:17.4

The only problem is that's one of my questions is I don't know how to introduce myself anymore.

1:24.8

The reason this is so hard for Karen is because a while back, one of her kids, who's 21 years old, told her that they identify as non-binary, which means that their gender identity falls outside how we've historically defined male and female.

1:38.3

I thought that Kevin was totally typical boy, always had a girlfriend, just I played video games, all the stereotypes that I would have thought for boys.

1:50.5

I saw, so this came as a complete shock to me.

1:53.9

And are you close with your kids?

1:56.9

Yes, yes, very close.

1:58.7

I mean, I gave up, you know, I stayed home with them. I did everything for them.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Peach Fish Projects, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Peach Fish Projects and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.