Mio figlio in rosa. “Ti senti maschio o femmina?” “Io mi sento io.”

Camilla is 46 years old, lives with three children aged 14 to 8 and a dog. Hers is a ‘normal’ family, with the particularity that Federico, the second son, biologically male, since he was one and a half years old has expressed the desire and the need to be (also) a girl: he wants to wear pink skirts and clothes and frills and sequins, he prefers the company of female friends, in the games he identifies with the heroins and not with Spider-Man. And Camilla has decided not to hinder him, to listen, to indulge him. Because in this way Federico is happier. She began to read up, research, find stories similar to hers on the Internet. She discovered that gender dysphoria exists, and there are transgender children, gender fluid children, gender smoothie, non-binary, and still others. In short, there are many ways in which the atypical developments of gender identity are channeled, and Federico follows his. With determination and sensitivity, and a good dose of irony, Camilla tells the story of Federico, 9 years old, a serene and aware child, with long hair and pink nail polish. She recounts the daily life of her family, school and swimming pool, shopping at the deli, the birthday parties, the pressures of the social context. She tells of her doubts and fears, her continuous questioning and trying to understand. It is all somewhat complicated, but one thing is certain: it is not the non-compliant person who must adapt, it is not the parents who have to concede the child to protect him, but it is the others who must learn to know, understand and welcome.