People Are Also the Solution: The Martinez Family's Story
Sarai and Noel Martinez and their children, Alessandra and Alec, came to Colorado looking for community. Their journey here started years earlier, in rural Wisconsin, when the world shut down.
A hard start
"We were living in Wisconsin when COVID hit, and it was very difficult – especially for Alec," recalls Sarai. "He had to start kindergarten virtually, and his outbursts and meltdowns hit an all-time high. At first I chalked it up to the global pandemic. But I was getting more and more worried as his actions and words got progressively worse, and even dangerous."
Alec, who was assigned female at birth, began showing serious signs of depression at just six years old. Sarai and Noel were deeply concerned, and willing to try anything.
"When he began to pull chunks of his hair out, we finally decided to chop it off – like he had been asking. Alec was so young, but he already knew who he was. He liked Legos, math, and our dog Cannoli. And he knew he was a boy."
A light switch flipped
"After we let him cut his hair short, it was as if a light switch was turned on and the outbursts and meltdowns quickly began to fade. And just a few days later Alec came to me and asked if he could 'pretend' to be my son.
I didn't understand what he asked, but as parents, this is the crossroads where we can either choose to love, support, and embrace our children even if we don't know what's happening. Or we can turn away and make them feel more isolated."
Sarai knew her choice immediately. She chose family: "For me, Noel, and Alessandra, it wasn't even a thought – Alec was telling us who he truly is, and we just listened."
Finding community
Supporting Alec was the easy part. Finding support for him in rural Wisconsin was harder.
"I knew I had to find resources for Alec, and I had to connect him with other trans people," Sarai says. "We could love and support Alec as much as possible, but I knew that we would never fully understand his experiences as a transgender person. So, we connected with a group in Madison, and Alec really began to thrive."
Then came the 2022 midterms.
"If Governor Evers lost, I had no doubt that Wisconsin would be the next state to ban gender affirming care for transgender minors. So as a family, we made the very hard decision to leave and move to Colorado — a state that we knew would protect Alec."
As Sarai shared the news with her family, her sister told her about Rocky Mountain Equality and its trans relocation grant.
"I was amazed people had donated to support families like ours – families who had to uproot our lives to protect our children. I applied, was interviewed, and within days, our family was awarded this grant. I was sort of waiting for the 'catch' but there wasn't one. I'm still overwhelmed with gratitude for the love this community has shown my family, and so many others."
Home
Once the family settled in, they attended their first RMEQ event: the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival.
"I got to meet some of the staff in person and thank them for the grant and the great work they continue to do," Sarai remembers. "Since then, Alec and our family have engaged in over 20+ RMEQ events and programming – and I'm attending the Parenting Support Groups. This place really feels like home.
*All names have been changed in this post to protect the identity of the family.
Together, we will always rise. Stories like the Martinez’s' are possible because of donors like you. Make a gift this Colorado Gives Day so every LGBTQ+ kid in Colorado can live authentically and know they're loved just as they are.
