An 11-year-old transgender girl is ‘living her best life’ her mother insisted as the pair soaked up the applause at Orlando’s Come Out With Pride Festival on Saturday.
Dempsey Jara became the youngest grand marshal in the event’s history as she paraded in an open top car through the streets of the Florida city at one of the world’s biggest Pride events.
Wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a floral gown, she blew kisses to the crowd while clutching a puppy wrapped in blue bow, as her parents beamed in the back seat.
‘She’s just always gravitated toward girl things, girls’ toys,’ schoolteacher mom Jaime Jara, 45, told the Orlando Sentinel.
‘She’d say, ‘I’m a girl in my heart and my brain’. She’s been on this journey since she was five and she’s living her best life.’
Supporters cheered Dempsey through the streets of Orlando at the city’s Come Out With Pride Festival with her beaming parents seated in front
The 11-year-old from Long Island, New York, took pride of place as the youngest grand marshal in the event’s 18-year history
Dempsey’s parents Dennis and Jaime have documented her transition on an Instagram page
Florida has pushed back on the trans movement under Governor Rod DeSantis who has banned gender-affirming care for children and branded sex change operations ‘mutilation’.
‘I mean they’re trying to do sex change operations on minors, giving them puberty blockers and doing things that are irreversible to them,’ the Republican governor said last year.
The state has also banned school lessons about gender identity or sexual orientation for children in younger grades, through the so-called the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
But an estimated 200,000 people turned out to the Orlando event and Dempsey who arrived from her home in Long Island, New York, insisted she would continue ‘standing tall in my identity’.
‘Being transgender is not about a choice,’ she told reporters.
‘It’s about being true to myself. It’s about embracing who I am even when the world tries to tell me otherwise.
‘It’s about standing tall in my identity even when it’s really hard.’
Democrat politicians joined the parade including Florida representative Maxwell Frost who sang and danced on one of the carnival floats.
‘Being transgender is not about a choice,’ she told reporters, ‘it’s about being true to myself’
The 11-year-old has become a fierce advocate for social justice with the support of her parents
‘Our former pediatrician told us that Dempsey was just going through a phase wearing dresses and said ‘transgenderism’ isn’t real,’ mother Jaime said.
‘This event is important because right now across the state there is a lot of hate but today is about love in the ‘City Beautiful’ Orlando, where we love each other no matter what, with music and everything,’ he told local broadcaster WESH who covered the event.
The broadcaster too was equally enthusiastic with presenters Michelle Imperato and Michelle Meredith raving over Dempsey’s appearance.
‘There she is with the sunglasses blowing kisses,’ Imperato told viewers.
‘Isn’t she sweet with an adorable little dog with her too.
‘They’ve been in TV shows and she’s just been sharing her story and just hoping to inspire other little kids you know to live their truth and be who they want to be.
‘And her parents have been setting a remarkable example for other parents.’
Four years ago Dempsey’s parents told AlertContent.com they had been accused of ‘child abuse’ for supporting her in her transition.
‘Our former pediatrician told us that Dempsey was just going through a phase wearing dresses and said ‘transgenderism’ isn’t real,’ Jaime said.
‘She later talked about our family behind our backs referring to us as ‘freaks’.
‘We’ve had some amazing responses as well though; a gas station clerk saw Dempsey with her dress and short slicked back hair and called her little Lady Diana.
‘Afterwards, when I showed Dempsey pictures of the late Princess Diana, she beamed for an entire week.’
The family from Long Island changed Dempsey’s birth certificate in 2019 to reflect her gender change and they have set up an Instagram page to document her development.
‘Dempsey has been gender non-conforming since the age of eighteen months old, basically since she was able to express herself. She always gravitated to dolls, dresses and sparkly objects,’ Jaime said
‘Knowing that these items were what she wanted, we bought them because we knew how happy they made her.’
‘Once I began sharing our daughter’s journey publicly, I started receiving a flood of messages and calls from friends, acquaintances and absolute strangers in similar situations asking for help and guidance with their transgender or gender non-conforming children, Jamie said. ‘This continues to present day.
‘I feel that in a small way I am doing my part helping the very marginalized transgender community. Being a parent is never easy, it takes everything you have, pretty much every single day.
‘She would always draw herself as a girl with long blonde hair. She would ask for dolls and princess dresses as gifts for holidays,’ Jamie said
Dempsey’s parents first thought it was a phase that she would be more interested in feminine toys and clothing
Parents have accused Jaime and Dennis of child abuse for the way they are raising their daughter and have attacked Jaime for ‘brainwashing’ her
‘Dempsey has really blossomed and come full circle since socially transitioning; she is happy, thriving and overall pretty comfortable with herself,’ Jamie said
Supportive: The mom has since created an Instagram account to better inform the public about her daughter
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has signed six anti-LGBT bills into law this year including a ban on gender-affirming care for minors
‘Having a transgender child, who has the odds stacked against them in every arena of life, makes it even harder.
‘Unfortunately, I have also been harassed and verbally attacked by parents who say that I am abusing my daughter and that my children should be removed from our home.
‘A lot of people have commented that Dempsey is lucky to have me as her mom. I feel just the opposite. I feel lucky to have Dempsey as my child.
‘She teaches me new things every day and has changed my perspective on so many things, many of which are about compassion and acceptance.’