BBC Young Reporter: 'I witnessed transphobia towards my mum'

Oscar said it was important to their family that they continued to enjoy their lives and support each other

Sick, scared and on the verge of tears. That's how you feel when someone you love is being discriminated for who they are.

Growing up I've witnessed transphobia towards my mum, year after year, and for some of the worst instances, I was too young to comprehend what was happening.

The fact that I wasn't there to understand or help when I was younger frustrates me, because like so many others who have had similar experiences, mum was alone.

These incidents weren't frequent, but they didn't have to be to have an impact on us as a family. Sometimes I found myself looking out for anyone who could have been targeting my mum.

This can make you become paranoid out of fear and protection for a loved one and that, for anyone, is not ok.

What we have experienced as a family has been horrible, but it was important to us that we continued to enjoy our lives, to stick together and support each other.

Oscar said he was frustrated he couldn't do more to help his mum when he was younger

This was something reflected during my time at secondary school.

The atmosphere at my school was a welcoming one, but not knowing anyone, coupled with my situation, made me incredibly nervous.

However, thanks to the support from the school and my head of house, I never had anything to worry about.

'Daunting for Mum'

Another place we were welcomed was by my family's favourite football team, Norwich City, thanks to the club's official LGBT+ group, Proud Canaries.

Much like how starting secondary school was tough for me, going to our first football match together was daunting for my Mum. It was very easy for us to make negative assumptions about what it would be like.

On our first visit, we got to meet Di Cunningham from Proud Canaries, and she was incredibly helpful and put any worries we had to rest. She also put us in contact with the football team's supporter liaison officer who since then has looked after us at home and away games making sure that we feel safe and comfortable.

Since our first time going to the matches, it quickly became apparent that not only was it safe, but we also absolutely loved it.

We still go to matches as a family and never let anyone stop us having a good time.

Nowadays it's not often that we get transphobic discrimination, the world is increasingly changing, more people are becoming more and more accepting. It's always getting better.

Christine said: "We've been fortunate enough to discover caring support from people"

'Helped me through'

I spoke to my Mum, Christine, looking back on how far we've come together.

She said: "Oscar was a fantastic support and helped me through some difficult situations, sometimes just by being there and giving me confidence whenever it was lacking.

"We've been fortunate enough to discover caring support from people, that has made our lives considerably more comfortable.

"When we have needed to speak up about an incident, more support and action has been taken and that shows how much change we're witnessing, much of which is due to the much more accepting attitude of young people today."

Oscar wants others who may have has similar experiences to be "proud of who they are"

What I witnessed growing up really opened my eyes to not only transphobia, but discrimination in all of its awful forms.

My teachers and Di Cunningham have given me a great insight into how much more people now care, but there is still work to be done.

I think that the most crucial thing is to have confidence in yourself and your family and know that you should be proud of who you are.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article help and advice is available here.

You can find stories by other young people on the BBC Young Reporter website.