A transgender dad and daughter from Detroit are revealing their incredible journeys as they transition from mom and son.
Corey Maison, 15, first told her parents she identified as a girl four years ago, but it was not until last year she learned that her mother also struggled with her gender identity. The pair are now leaning on each other as they transition together.
The teen has chronicled their transitions on her Instagram account, and the two sat down for an interview with Australia’s “60 Minutes” to talk about the experience.
“I wanted to make my parents proud of who I am, but I thought that they would not like me,” Corey said about coming out as transgender.
Eric Maison, who used to go by Erica, said that he was emboldened by his daughter’s decision. He wrestled with different emotions while deciding whether to transition.
“The first feeling was relief, the second was terror,” he said. “Fear for what my future would hold, fear for how my family and children would, fear for what the rest of my life was going to look like.”
Eric Maison has since undergone a double mastectomy. He said he plans to stay together with his husband, Les, who supports his transition.
“I fell in love with the person. She was beautiful as a woman, but equally beautiful on the inside,” Les Maison said. “As long as Eric is happy with the appearance, Eric will be happy with what’s in her brain – or his brain.”
The recently transitioned dad of five said he regrets not coming to terms with his gender identity earlier.
“The only regret I have is not being educated sooner about what transgenderism was, so I could do it sooner,” Eric Maison said.