New Castle mom relates struggles endured by transgendered son

YOUNGSTOWN

The Rev. Debra Flint remembered a statement her 3- or 4-year-old daughter, Ellen, made that caught her off-guard.

“She was curled up someplace in the house crying and said one morning, ‘I think I want to be a boy,’” the New Castle, Pa., woman recalled.

That desire grew as Ellen Flint grew. But the perceived stigma of wanting to be a member of the opposite sex meant a lot of fear and depression for her, the Rev. Ms. Flint explained during a presentation Tuesday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 323 Wick Ave.

Hosting the free, 90-minute gathering was Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays’ Youngstown area chapter.

Ms. Flint, who’s also a social worker, noted that Ellen had transformative surgery at age 20 and became a man named Aaron.

As a result, he experienced many difficulties, including shunning by relatives and her former husband, and contemplating suicide.

Read more of his story, and where he is today, in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.