Father of Four Wins over the Internet with Inspiring Speech about His Transgender Daughter

A father of four appeared before the Missouri State House to speak up for his transgender daughter in the wake of the ban against trans-athletes in some states.

One man from Missouri, Brandon Boulware, won over the internet with his inspiring story about his transgender daughter while testifying against the ban on trans-athletes.

Boulware, who described himself as a father of four, a husband, a business lawyer, a Christian, and the son of a Methodist minister, gave his speech while appearing before the Missouri State House.

The clip, in which he detailed some of the ordeals faced by the transgender community in the society, has since made the round on YouTube, garnering over four million views.

While the father of four had come to accept his daughter’s gender and personality, to the point of standing up for her rights, he wasn’t always that supportive. He admitted:

“I did not let her play with girl toys. I forced my daughter to wear boy clothes and get short haircuts and play on boys’ sports teams.”

Boulware attributed his previous lack of understanding to his intention to protect his trans-daughter, her sister, and his two sons from being teased. Going further, he admitted he did it partly to protect himself as well from certain brow-raising questions.

As the years went by, the Missouri business attorney realized that forcing his daughter to deny her identity and live up to certain expectations only made her miserable.

The law would apply to students from kindergarten through college, to ensure the integrity of girls and women in sports.

Their fortunes changed one fateful day when his refusal to let his daughter hang out at the neighbor’s house prompted her to ask if she could do so if she changed into male clothing.

At that moment, it dawned on the man that his good intentions led his child to grow up equating being good to being someone else.

He decided then to let his daughter be herself and embrace her feminism without condemnation, and her life transformed. Boulware concluded his emotional speech with an appeal, saying:

“I ask you, please don’t take that away from my daughter or the countless others like her who are out there. Let them have their childhoods. Let them be who they are.”

The Missouri native’s plea comes in the wake of the anti-transgender bill, HJR 53, passed by Missouri lawmakers and other states to ban trans youth athletes from participating in school sports.

The HJR 53 bill threatens the rights of Boulware’s daughter, who now participates in female volleyball, and other transgender athletes to enjoy the sports they loved. Sadly, the bill has been passed in several states across the country.

Last month, Leslie Rutledge, the Arkansas Attorney General, went under fire for proposing a bill to ban trans-females from partaking in women’s school sports teams in the states.

The law would apply to students from kindergarten through college to ensure the integrity of girls and women in sports.

Despite her good intentions and those of others passing similar bills, one can’t help but wonder if the end justifies such freedom-robbing means.