Debi Jackson, the mother of a 6-year-old transgender girl named A.J., gave a speech about her daughter several months ago at Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City. A video of the speech has gone viral with more than 200,000 views, and was shared in an article from the Huffington Post and in a tweet from Ricky Martin.
In her speech, Debi talks about her process of accepting that A.J. is transgender, and supporting her in living life as the girl she knows she is. At 3-years-old, A.J. began asking to wear girls' clothes, and eventually told her parents that she is a girl. Debi realized they couldn't hold A.J. back any longer, as she was showing signs of depression and refusing to leave the house in boys' clothes.
"The day I let her to go school in girl clothes, she was happier than I had seen in a very long time. The kids were great, and the teachers were awesome," said Debi. "But then the kids went home and told their parents, and they weren't so great after that. Adult bigotry had influenced them."
The last part of Debi's speech addressed the hurtful comments she has heard upon telling people that her daughter is transgender. Debi wiped away tears as she spoke about those who claim that God does not love transgender people.
"My God taught us to love one another," said Debi. "My daughter is a girl in her heart. She knows it. God knows it. And that's good enough for me."
Watch the full video of Debi Jackson's speech below.