A Fairy Tale: No Pun Intended

(I am transgender, female-to-male. I have already transitioned at my high school several months ago, and have recently come out to my extremely religious and homo/transphobic parents. My younger siblings, however, are extremely supportive, since they all like me reasonably well already, and my parents haven’t had time to tell them how evil transgendered people are yet. I’m trying to explain the situation to them in a way that doesn’t step on my parents’ toes too much, but also is the truth, since I never lie to my younger siblings about anything.)

Me: “It’s actually pretty simple. I’m just a boy, that’s all. I feel like a boy, and I’m more comfortable being a boy and having other people talk to me like I’m a boy. I just don’t have a body that looks like most boys’ bodies.”

Sister: “I bet Mom hates that though.”

Me: “Well, yeah, but—”

Sister: “That’s because Mom doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Well, she believes in the fake ones that are all sweet and airy-fairy, but not the ones that are…” *she puts her hands up in a monster pose* “DARK and REAL!”

Me: “That is the best way to say it, ever.”

(That is exactly the way that I’ve thought of the differences between my parents and me ever since!)