A mum has revealed how her three-year-old trans daughter tried to cut off her penis in a desperate attempt to be her “true self”.
Mum-of-two Jess Bratton said the shocking incident five years ago made her realise how her doll-loving son Logan wasn’t going through an experimental phase, but instead identified as a female.
Logan had always had an interest in girls’ clothes and make up, and had always been keen to see how her mum and younger sister dressed.
Jess had assumed it was merely a stage that every child went through.
But when she saw Logan trying to cut off her penis with some scissors she decided to look into the possibility that her child was trans.
Jess, 25, recalled: “I was in the kitchen making dinner, with my back to Logan’s bedroom door. She was chattering away to her dolls but suddenly went silent.
“I shouted her name and got no response, so seconds later I went into her room and caught her sitting on the bed with her trousers down, holding a pair of scissors to her bits.
“I gasped loudly, which made her jump, and quickly took the scissors off her.
“Then I just held her in my arms and we both cried.
“Afterwards I explained that cutting herself would really hurt and that because she wanted to do something so drastic, we would have to talk to a doctor.
“That day made me realise the severity of the situation. It wasn’t just a phase; my little boy really did want to be a girl.”
Jess couldn’t bear to see Logan unhappy, and she knew things would have to change.
She approached her family GP in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, to explain the scissors episode and that Logan no longer wanted to wear boys’ clothes.
The doctor suggested that Logan’s yearning to be a girl could still be a phase, but said she was too young for counselling.
Jess said: “My GP said there wasn’t really anything we could do but requested I keep a close eye on Logan in the meantime.
“Before this, I had tried to encourage Logan to dress in boys’ clothing and play with boys’ toys, but after the scare I decided to welcome her wish to change.”
Not long before the incident, Jess had given birth to her youngest child Lylah, now six, with Logan doting on her little sister from the start.
Logan soon began wearing more cropped tops and dresses, rather than the boys’ clothes she had been dressed in before.
Jess, a healthcare assistant for residents with mental health and dementia, said: “When Logan was just one, she was wearing tea towels on her head, wishing for long hair.
“As soon as she was old enough, she started asking to do my hair and make-up. She was just so interested in me – as well as her sister when she was born.
“As Lylah got older, the pair of them became more like sisters than brother and sister, and Logan’s desire to be a girl never went away. In fact, it only got stronger.
“When Logan was six, she started talking about having a sex change.
“She told me she didn’t want her bits and kept saying she wanted a ‘Mary’ like me and her sister! I told her that when she was a little older, the doctors would be able to help her.”
Jess, who is separated from Logan’s father, is relieved that the reaction from family and friends has been positive.
She said: “Logan has a strong support network and luckily, has only had good things said to her.
“At the beginning there was the odd person telling me to ‘nip it in the bud’ and to stop her wearing girls’ clothes, but I wasn’t too worried.
“I knew it was normal for kids to try new things or experiment.
“There were times when I really tried to get her to be a boy, encouraging her to play football with other boys at the park, but she refused.
“She wouldn’t even entertain it and still won’t – and I don’t want to force her.”
On the 8th March, during the country’s third lockdown, Jess made the brave decision to allow Logan to return to school wearing a girls’ uniform.
Recollecting the day, Jess said: “While she couldn’t stop smiling, I was a nervous wreck! I was so worried about her getting bullied.
“I spoke to a few parents from the school and Logan’s teacher about it beforehand, and they were all so positive.