Being a Brother Means Being an Ally

As a straight ally and an older brother to a trans sister, he keeps coming back to camp because he wants to keep being supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community.  Joining his supportive family, he didn’t believe he would ever really be active in the queer community until his sibling needed his support. Now, he participants and learns whenever and wherever he can, learning more how to be a good big brother.

While this podcast is centered around queer voices, we hope that this story from the perspective of a protective older brother presents a portrait of what it means to be a supportive family and what it looks like to affirm queer people even while in the process of learning. 

Find out more about us by visiting our website, kindomcommunity.org. There you can find information about kin•dom camp and consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kindomcommunity to keep up with all the important information.

Transcript

music  0:00  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build, let's build a place we can go”]

Narrator  0:09  

Thank you for tuning into kin•dom campfire chats, a podcast of kin•dom community. This podcast features the voices of LGBTQIA+ persons, both youth participants and adult staff, who attended kin•dom camp in Texas in the summer of 2024. We asked the camp participants to think of a question that they wished someone would ask them about their life journey. With a friend, and in their own words, the campers tell their stories of struggle, love, support, and a community found. We invite you to listen with an open mind and an open heart. 

music  0:09  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "This is the place”]

speaker 1  0:56  

Why do you keep going in life?

speaker 2  1:00  

I don't exactly know at this point. I'm kind of like, lost on that part. There's so many things I've been through, like with injuries, with, well, supporting my sister. I guess that's the reason I'm here and just support my sister. I don't-I'm not exactly-I'm straight, but, but, yeah, I think I came to this camp because it's interesting, it's fun, it's open. But as for the reason I keep on going, I just find it that if I'd stop, it wouldn't like I wouldn't be accepting of that, per se.

speaker 1  1:53  

So for you, you're supporting your sister. Is she here?

speaker 2  1:55  

No, she is seven. She is so excited to come once she can. But I just, like, was kind of shocked when, because growing up, I wasn't introduced with the fact, of course, I knew there were gay people, queer people. I knew what it was, but I had never actually been in close enough contact with it, until my sister, who was born a boy, came out, or not really came out, but started acting like a girl, wanting to be a girl, even to the fact where they would like disdain the fact that they were born a boy, they wanted to be born a girl, which was a weird transition, but my family came to accept it. I came to accept it. Even our friends and family, we were, like, not so close, but it was a new experience for me, not one I had, like, really much experience in which is why was kind of unsettling for me. But yeah.

speaker 1  3:06  

How did her coming out, I guess, change how you saw the community? If it did.

speaker 2  3:13  

I before thought that I wouldn't ever come into contact with it, that I was not part of it. I would never be a part of it. I wouldn't even be an ally to it. I didn't really care for it at the time, not negatively, but I just thought, hey, it's not something that involves me, so why get involved? 

speaker 1  3:34  

And has that changed since then?

speaker 2  3:36  

A good amount. I have gone to many pride parades. Drag. My sister is very good friends with Sailor Moon, one of her biggest fans, and went to Christmas with them, actually, not too long ago, which was fun, and I just feel a lot different. Like if I look in the past, I would never expect me to be so different now, just being the fact that I'm actually part of the community now as an ally. More the fact that sometimes in public, some people recognize that not they were and they have boy features, but they're pretty, they look pretty feminine, and I respect the fact I respect their new name. I respect everything. I respect their transition. Like, it took a while for me to memorize as their new name, and like, 'Oh, it's a change,' but it was one I was willing to make and just protecting my little sister. I knew that regardless they're family, so I can't have any disrespect towards them or hate or whatnot.

music  4:52  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build”]

Baylee  4:58  

Hi y'all, it's Baylee. I'm the Creative Director of kin•dom community. I’d like to talk a little bit more about kin•dom camp and how you can get involved. kin•dom camp is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 to 17 to feel safe and free to show up as their full selves. Campers will have the chance to experience traditional camp activities and recreation, plus some specialized programming to incorporate LGBTQIA+ history and culture. More information can be found on our website kindomcommunity.org/camp. If you have any questions you can't find the answers to, you can email us at kindomcamp@gmail.com. Thanks for listening to kin•dom campfire chats. We are proud to be a safe space for these campers, and we are even more proud of them for sharing their stories. We hope you'll keep gathering around the campfire with us as we celebrate all of the stories that make us this kin•dom community.