Family in Transition, One Year Later – Washington, D.C. Family Photographer

Almost a year ago exactly I traveled to Washington, D.C. to spend some time with Vanessa, JR, Ronnie, and Ellie. Earlier in 2015 this beautiful family began a transition together, as Ellie was loudly and proudly telling the world exactly who she was, and they quickly rallied around her and began to navigate these changes together. I’ve watched and read and learned and applauded this past year as this family has moved to make life better for not only Ellie, but for other kids like her, and for all of us who are part of their world. While this has been a volatile year in American politics, sometimes feeling like a reversal of the progress that had been happening, beautiful people like Vanessa and JR are standing up and speaking out. I’m so, so proud to know them, and so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with them and capture them together, just as they are.

Today is the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Day, and so it felt appropriate to make sure this post was ready for this morning. To all of you who are out, and all of you aren’t ready to be, we’re sending love and hope for the future. Keep going, and we’ll keep working to make the world better for you, and for all of us.

If you’d like to read more about this family, JR wrote a piece for the HRC that was published yesterday. It’s beautiful. I’d also like to direct you to National Coming Out Day and this glossary of terms from the HRC. If you’d like a video, here’s a fantastic one on Trans 101, and Ellie’s family is featured in it. The conversation today is moving quickly, and I know that a lot of this is new to a lot of people. Give these a quick look, and read more around the site to learn more about the people living all around you, in your community, in your home. Let’s all do our part to catch up. ♥