Jessica Walton penned a children’s story about a child and his depressed toy bear, who had an important message to tell him:

“Oh no, even the swing isn’t working. What’s wrong, Thomas? Talk to me!”

“If I tell you,” said Thomas, “you might not be my friend anymore.”

Yes, that’s right, Walton has penned a children’s story about a trans teddy bear.

“For families with a trans parent or family member, having a picture book that helps them have discussions about gender identity and the trans experience is important,” she said. “We’ve heard from parents who haven’t come out to their kids as trans yet, who plan to use this book to help them have that first conversation. I’m always moved by these stories, because these families are my family and those kids are me. I hope my book will say to the kids in those families, ‘things like names might change, and your parent or family member might wear something different too, but the love between you and that family member won’t change.’ For families where the parent or family member is already out, this book is about representation and celebration.”

From earlier in the article:

“My son’s grandma is not a taboo subject to be discussed when he’s older, and her gender identity is not confusing or inappropriate,” Walton told The Huffington Post.

Slay, Walton. Slaaay.

-Shiv