US couple share story of five-year-old transgender son

A couple from California have created a touching home video to share the story of their transgender son. Watch it below.

Jeff and Hillary Whittington’s son, Ryland, was born a girl but began transitioning into a boy at the age of just five.

Ryland told his parents “I am a boy” as soon as he learned to speak, and often asked, “Why did God make me like this?”.

After doing extensive research online, his parents came to the conclusion that Ryland was transgender. They cut his hair, redecorated his bedroom and began referring to him as a boy.

The family were honoured for their decision to embrace Ryland’s gender at the sixth annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast in San Diego earlier this month (May 22), the New York Daily News reports.

During his acceptance speech, Ryland’s father explained that the family were inspired by LGBT activist Milk, saying one of the most important aspects of his legacy was “to encourage people to come out”.

“This is our coming out… this is us making our voices heard,” he added.

Their son then joined his parents on stage, telling the audience at the event: “My name is Ryland Michael Whittington. I am a transgender kid.”

Watch the touching video about Ryland’s transition below:

[youtube height=”350″ width=”665″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAHCqnux2fk[/youtube]