Transgender journalist Erin Reed and Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) began their relationship over video chat, but when Zephyr flew to visit Reed for the first time, Reed had one message: “I love you, but my child has to love you, too.” In an interview with LGBTQ Nation, Reed said she made sure Zephyr knew that she and her son, Andy, were a package deal.

Reed became a parent in a previous relationship, and Andy was about six years old when she and Zephyr met online through their advocacy work. Their first in-person visit, in conjunction with a conference Zephyr was attending in the DC area near Reed’s home, was only supposed to last a day. Instead, Zephyr stayed for two weeks.

Related

Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s mom came out during the AIDS crisis. It made her the politician she is today.
“I just remember thinking to myself, if the government isn’t investing in research to help cure this thing… I’m the opposite of whatever is doing that.”

As Zephyr was preparing to leave, Andy told Reed he wished she could stay. She had suspected they would get along, but “underestimated how much they would click,” she said.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“It was better than anything I could have ever dreamed,” Reed said. Zephyr immediately called her employer. She had intended to leave the job soon anyway, because she was about to start a new role as Montana’s first trans state representative, but she expedited her departure, telling them, “I need to spend some time with these two,” Reed relayed, adding that Andy “instantaneously accepted her into the family.”

“She’s great with him,” Reed affirmed. Zephyr, a former athlete, teaches him things like “how to kick a soccer ball or get out of a wrestling lock.” At other times, they all read together or make up stories where each person picks up where the last left off. Reed noted that Zephyr is “probably a little bit stricter than I am, which is kind of funny, and yet he still loves her for it.”