My Mother’s a Man???

Mum came home On one Sunday night This is not mum This is a man I miss my mum Bet I’m confused All my life

She’s held my hand Helped me with life Now I’m lost For the woman I knew is now astray

I long for my mother Oh this lonely day For I don’t know What being a woman is

Lara

* * *

Dear Diary,

I had a fight with dad saying “you don’t know how it is,” and he’s just come home as a woman… I know I said what I said but I think he took it a bit too far. Now everyone thinks my dad has run away and my mum is a lesbian. This is shocking for everyone and now I have to go to school.

Send help

Manto xx

p.s. future me please tell me it gets better.

Anonymous

Dear Diary,

I don’t understand life right now. I was having what I thought was a normal day when suddenly an odd looking man with a beard and short hair came into the house. For protection I took a pan and whacked him in the head. Was I going to die? Was he here to take me or kill me? After a while the man sat me down and told me he wasn’t going to kill me. So I asked who are you? He told me that he was my father. I was shocked at first but happy that now mamma and pappa are home. But then he told me something that really shook my world. My pappa is also my mamma! What sorcery is this? Do the gods hate me? Why? What did I do? My life is overrrr!

Manto

Anonymous

* * *

Dear Diary,

I came here this afternoon to find a woman weeping outside the house. She says she is Dad, but was turned into a woman. I refused to believe this – surely this is impossible? – and searched for Dad all over the house, but he was gone. The woman insists she is my parent, and I should call her ‘mum.’

She is scared, knowing now she has less freedoms, and should find a man to marry soon, so we can afford to live. We are scared – as a single parent family we are now vulnerable.

I hope she can feel happy as a woman. I will miss having a dad, but I look forward to having a Mum who might understand me more.

Manto.

Anonymous

* * *

Dear diary,

Papa is now a mama, soooo krap krap. I am so distressed my mama is also dad. I phear se iz becoming depressed now. This is awful. Kill me.

Papa and mama? Oimoi! Mama and papa! They will all make phun of me at skool! Oimoi! Papaaaaaa!

– Manto

Anonymous

Courtesy of a group of 17-18 year old 6th Formers