From  | | |  | How one parent is trying to create
a safe space for their trans child | | In a few days, bouquets will start to arrive at homes across the country as families honor the mothers in their lives. In classic Mother's Day form, many will be showered with kisses, Hallmark cards and heart-shaped pancakes. But for some, the national holiday arrives during a fraught and frightening period as an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ bills sweep the nation — many of which target transgender children and their families. | | As a mother to a trans nonbinary child, writer Sandy Jorgenson is "bone-tired and terrified" of the uptick in anti-trans rhetoric. "I've been called a child abuser countless times for loving and accepting my trans child," Jorgenson writes. | | A message from McKinsey & Company |  | Mind the (generation) gap. Are you part of Gen Z, or interested in what matters to Zs because you work with or manage them? Don't miss McKinsey's new weekly newsletter, Mind the Gap. You'll get curated reads on today's hot topics, from mental health to inclusion at work, inflation's effect on young consumers, and beyond. Check it out. | | | | | | But through these challenges, Jorgenson has tried to create a safe space for M, their 9-year-old whom they describe as "a happy, well-adjusted kid who can do an expert cartwheel and who'll happily play Roblox until their eyeballs have turned into tiny TVs." | |  | | To give readers a glimpse of what motherhood looks like for parents such as Jorgenson, the writer reflected on their efforts to affirm, uplift and protect M amid a rise in anti-trans rhetoric. "I am doing everything in my power to protect my child from harm, and I know I'm doing it well," Jorgenson writes. "The proof is in seeing exactly how confident and self-assured M is. There's so much peace in that." | | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | | (Washington Post illustration; iStock) | 01.Last week, a top Food and Drug Administration official pledged not to delay the rollout of coronavirus vaccines for the youngest children and said at least one of the two shots under review could become available as soon as June. Read more in The Washington Post. 02.Google says you can now tell the company to stop showing you ads about pregnancy and parenting, dating or weight loss. The search engine giant has come under fire for targeting people with family or body-related ads they'd rather not see. 03.Country music icon Naomi Judd has died near Nashville at age 76. Her daughters, singer Wynonna Judd and actress Ashley Judd, released a statement Saturday saying, "We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness," without specifying the precise date or cause of death. | | | | | | (iStock; Washington Post illustration) | | We're in the midst of prom season, a beloved high school tradition that was largely upended by the pandemic for many students. While some finally got their prom re-dos, others might have opted for more creative ways to mark the occasion — such as hosting their own themed party or another activity. For an upcoming story, we want to hear about your prom do-over, whether it happened during the pandemic or years ago. Click here to tell us about it. | | | | | | | A story to make you smile | | | Tracey Meares never doubted that she was the top student at her Illinois high school in 1984. She had the highest-weighted grade-point average in her senior class. But unlike previous star pupils who were named valedictorians, she didn't get the title — which would have made her the first Black student at her school to earn that distinction. Instead, she was named "top student" alongside a White peer. "It was obvious that it had to have something to do with race," Meares said. Nearly 40 years later, though, Meares, 55, was awarded the long-deserved designation. On April 16, the superintendent of Springfield Public School District 186 presented her with a certificate and valedictorian medal before an audience of 350 people, including her family. It was a shock to Meares, who had no idea she would be receiving the belated honor. "I'm really gratified that my parents got to see it happen," she said. Read more from Sydney Page in The Post. | | | | | But before we part, some recs | |  | Nicole DungcaInvestigative reporter, The Washington PostYou co-host Broken Doors, a new Post podcast series about no-knock warrants. What surprised you in your reporting?
My co-host, Jenn Abelson, and I saw so many police departments and officers who deployed these kinds of warrants frequently — seemingly as the rule, rather than the exception. And sometimes they even had the wrong address, or were breaking into homes with children or elderly people inside. A lot of people who listen to our series will be shocked about how often these can be approved and how quickly they can be carried out. What drew you to the podcast format?
I have always loved reading great journalism, but hearing someone's voice brings such a different element to your stories. It's one thing to read about a person talking about someone they love or describing one of the most harrowing moments of their lives — it's another thing to actually hear them laugh or hear their voice tremble. As a Californian living in D.C., what are your favorite ways to take in the outdoors here?
I use my annual U.S. National Parks Service pass to go to Shenandoah whenever I need to leave the city. Always buy that parks pass! And once this podcast is done next week, I can't wait to take my bike out a lot more. | | | | | | |
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