Support and Acceptance? I believe there is one. A lot of parents pull the whole, "Honey, we're completely acception of (insert trans* identity here)" but in actuality, they don't even respect your name or pronouns, or at least try to. Acceptance is not giving a flying frick about whatever your friend/child/parent/etc wants to be, support is helping them achieve their goals in presentation and transition by respecting their name and pronouns, helping them go to therapy, etc. What's your stance?
Acceptance: Okay we are okay with you being whatever just dont shove it in our faces Support: We will try to help you as much as you can because this is who you are. Thats my opinion ^.^
I almost agree with Kittyy. Tolerance: Okay we are okay with you being whatever just dont shove it in our faces Acceptance: Alright, I understand this is who you are, but I don't endorse it. * Support: We will try to help you as much as you can because this is who you are.
Acceptance is being generally okay with it, not kicking you out or forcing you to conform. Support is actively helping you transition/get what you need
Acceptance: "No matter what you'll always be my _original gender_ to me" *Continues using the wrong name and pronouns* Support: *Switches pronouns/name* I wish my mum was support, not acceptance
acceptance: that's fine and we will still treat you the same as before support: we'll help you in whatever you are going to pursue
There is definitely a difference. I think my mom with be accepting of my being trans but I do not think she will support my actually transitioning. This is why I haven't come out to her.
Acceptance is the acknowledgement of what's true and not actively trying to change it but not trying to help either. Support is actively trying to help AND accepting. It's inclusive. Tolerance is not actively trying to sabotage but also not necessarily acknowledge the truth. I would classify Tolerance as deliberately forgetting pronouns and names, Acceptance as forgetting but not deliberately and possibly getting it right sometimes, and suport as actively and correctly using them the majority of the time.
Support is actively trying to help out whomever. Tolerance is actively trying to just accept , not necessarily support. Some people can tolerate gay people, but that doesn't mean that they support them.
I think acceptance is being okay with it and not seeing it as a problem, while support is not only being okay with it, but also helping out with problems related to it.
That sounds more like tolerance. If they accepted you, they would be supportive (i.e. by using correct pronouns, helping you to learn how to act as your respective gender, etc.). Because of how much parents interact with their children (and how much their children depend on them), there is really no middle option for them. But, semantics. I think parents really get attached to they idea that they have a little boy/girl, and they don't want to give those up. They are probably just hoping it is a phase or something. Its selfish and oftentimes bad parenting.
My parents went through all three of these stages. It can take time for them to adjust. At the end of the day they've known you their whole life by your birth name/bio gender. My mum still messes up my name if she's feeling emotional.
