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In Memoir, Mother And Trans Son 'Pick Up The Pieces' Of Relationship

Donald Collins first told his mom he was transgender when he was a senior in high school. His mother wasn’t totally sure what the word transgender even meant. From there, they began a difficult emotional journey as Donald began his transition.

This hour, we sit down with Donald and his mother, Mary Collins. They have written about their experience in the book At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces. We ask them how they rebuilt their relationship and what lessons they hope to share with other families .

Have you or a loved one come out as transgender? We want to hear from you.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

  • Mary Collins - a writer and professor of nonfiction writing at Central Connecticut State University
  • Donald Collins - a 26-year old graduate student living in California, and a trans advocate an educator

Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

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Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.


SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities.
Visit ctpublic.org/latinos/we-are-connecticut for more stories and resources.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca dar a conocer historias latinas y elevar nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Para más información sobre nuestro esfuerzo por conectar con las comunidades latinas, visita  ctpublic.org/latinos/somos-ct