by Carla Grant

Eliot: Mom, did you know that gender reassignment surgery is covered by Alberta Health & Wellness?

Carla: Oh? I don’t think I knew that.

For a time, Carla avoids the obviously massive conversations that this matter-of-fact statement implies. Things are changing, though, and it is increasingly evident that Eliot is not only autistic, but is also an Uncommon Girl. Carla begins to shepherd Eliot down an unfamiliar path riddled with dismissive medical consultations and mental health referrals to clinics with epic wait-lists.

Eliot transitions to Ella–a cross between a Hitchcock leading lady and a hooker, with ambitions of being a trophy wife. This extreme persona is one of many to emerge over the following months. Her parents attempt to set limits but Ella, in a typically teenage way, resists anything she deems as trying to squelch her true feminine self.

Ella is “outed” repeatedly by teachers she trusted, and stops attending school. Carla’s rage morphs into a motivating sense of injustice and she writes a privacy complaint to the Commissioner pursuing an order confirming that outing students is not only a bad idea–it is also illegal. Her persistent phone calls and inquiries result in a lawyer orchestrating a precedent setting Human Rights Complaint. Both of these pursuits are eventually victorious and Ella becomes the first male-to-female transgender minor in Alberta to have her gender marker amended.

​

The family begins to embrace and celebrate small and large victories that continue to occur. Carla and Ella are not superheroes, they are just a couple of Uncommon Girls determined to leave a bumpy road a little smoother for the next travelers.