This dad started a swimwear line with his transgender daughter. It’s giving other families hope.

Finding the right swimsuit can be especially fraught for gender-noncomforming kids, advocates say.

“If the swimwear doesn’t fit one’s body and body parts effectively, it can expose someone in a way that feels very, very uncomfortable and distressing,” said Mere Abrams, an educator and social worker who focuses on gender and transgender health.

This can be compounded for young people, who may already struggle with acceptance. Attending a pool party, joining a swim team, going on a family vacation or meeting a physical education requirement can become fraught for trans or nonbinary kids, who may not feel safe or secure participating because of an ill-fitting suit. …

The pair were walking through a children’s clothing section, and Cooper gravitated toward a bright, sparkly dress. Curious, Solomon asked him, “Why do you like that outfit versus a boy outfit?”

“He looked at me and said, ‘Momma, because that one’s beautiful,’ ” Solomon said.

After seeing him persistently pulled toward girls’ clothing and accessories, Solomon googled his behavior, and learned about the high rates of suicide among gender-nonconforming youths. Right then and there, Solomon said, she made a decision.

“I wasn’t going to be my child’s first bully. I was going to see and embrace my feminine boy for all the beautiful things that he is,” she said.

By Anne Branigin, The Lily