My parents erased me from their lives years ago. I sat by myself at my sister’s Navy ceremony… until one of her officers looked straight at me and asked, “Ma’am… SEAL commander?”…018

something like that. She basically just floats around.”

My father heard her. My mother heard her. My brother heard her.

Not one of them corrected her.

At Caitlyn’s engagement celebration in the VFW hall, the guest attendant couldn’t locate my name. She gave me a blank sticker and a marker. I wrote ERIN in one

corner and pressed it against my dress.