Mother Revamps Her Tattoo for Transgender Son

Getting a tattoo to represent a family member, friend, or even a celebrity is a permanent way to commemorate that person in an artistic way that will last a lifetime. And while getting a tattoo for a boyfriend or girlfriend is still largely taboo (or at least cautioned against), getting a tattoo for a child is an entirely different story. Whether the tattoo is just of their name or a detailed photo-realistic portrait, you are essentially capturing the spirit of your child in a tattoo that you will wear on your body forever. Getting a tattoo of a child is a great way to preserve the youth of a son or daughter as they grow older, but this wasn’t exactly a good thing for mom Lindsay Peace of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Peace is a mother to three young boys and is the wife of Canadian tattoo artist, Steve Peace. Lindsay has color portraits, each done by her husband, for each of her sons on her arms, but until recently it was hard to tell that one of the tattoos depicted 15-year-old son Ace.

“People would say, ‘Oh, who is on your arm?'” Peace told the Calgary Metro News. Lindsay goes on to say that she would often joke that her tattoo depicted a neighbor. Yet in fact, the tattoo of a smiling girl with pigtails once accurately depicted her 15-year-old son Ace, because as a child, Ace presented himself as female.

Living life as someone who is transgender is difficult for anyone, especially for a teenager like Ace. Ace and his family were forced to acknowledge his transition every time someone would comment on the mystery girl in the tattoo and at his 9th-grade graduation, Ace asked if his mother would get the tattoo removed. But his father, the tattoo artist behind the girl with the pigtails, had a plan which he deemed an “easy fix.”

Instead of having the tattoo removed or covered up entirely, Steve gave his wife’s tattoo a mini makeover, which transformed the little girl into a little boy. The artist replaced the pink dress with a blue t-shirt and shorts, got rid of the purple bow and added a sling shot, and most importantly, let the pigtails be a thing of the past. The tattoo now represents Ace’s true identity and shows the incredible support of the 15-year-old’s loving parents. Steve and Lindsay Peace say that they have always been extremely supportive of their son Ace and that they would have done anything to make their son happy. While tattoos may seem to be just artistic marks on the skin, the Peace family proves that tattoos have the ability to bring a family closer together.