MUM'S MESSAGE: 'HOW I SUPPORTED MY TRANSGENDER CHILD'

LYNDSAY BROWN HAD NO IDEA WHAT OLIVIA WAS GOING THROUGH UNTIL A GAME REVEALED HER TRUTH

- Courtney Greatrex

When Lyndsay Brown’s child came out as transgender, it was a moment filled with relief.

For years Lyndsay had known Olivia, now 17, struggled with anxiety and depression.

But it wasn’t until a childhood game revealed Olivia was struggling with gender identity, did the family truly understand what was troubling her.

Lyndsay, from Sydney, NSW, was previously the mother to twin boys. But now, she’s the proud parent of one son, Stirling, and daughter, Olivia, who has become an inspiring transgender campaigner.

“People ask me and I say I have a girl and a boy,” the mum tells New Idea. “In the beginning, I struggled with that shift. Now in my mind, I have a daughter and I am so proud of her.”

From the age of 10, Olivia, who went by another name before her gender transition, suffered severely from mental illness.

“Our children were born 17 years ago both male, and twins and they had a pretty normal childhood,” explains Lyndsay, 53. “When they were about 10, one of them started becoming really depressed, anxious and upset. We couldn’t work out what was wrong – we tried medication, psychologists, everything.”

The answer came when the twins were 13. Stirling told Lyndsay that during a game, his sibling asked: ‘Would you rather be a man or a woman?’ and said they’d prefer to be a woman.