The parents of a biological female say they are “so proud” of her for deciding she was TransSpecies at the age of four.

“We love her so much. We’re so proud of her and the choice that she’s made,” said Chad Arnaqueur, father of Stormy, a four-year-old biological female who told her parents she “felt like a pony” at the age of four.

Arnaqueur and his wife, Sierra, say they are fully supportive of Stormy’s decision and are aiding her in transitioning from human to equine. On an episode of San Francisco Channel 6’s Bay People Spotlight Mr. Arnaqueur says he was skeptical of children who claim to be TransSpecies until he experienced it with his own daughter.

“Four years ago, if I’d heard this story from somebody else, I wouldn’t of believed it. I mean that absolutely sincerely, I wouldn’t of believed it,” Arnaqueur said.

“I thought it was all made up. I thought it wasn’t real. I thought the whole thing was made up by parents… I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it, and I’ve learned about it. I absolutely support what Stormy is doing,” he continued, “She is really no different than any transgender child and must be fully affirmed in her identity, no matter her age or what medical procedures will need to be pursued.”

“And that’s the thing, isn’t it? As a society, we tend to want to put people into a girl or a boy box that just fits with what we know… it makes sense. It makes us feel comfortable. But that’s not reality, actually, is it? For lots of children,” host Holly Zalamero said in response to Mr. Arnaqueur.

Zalamero pointed out that the whole movement of “otherkin” in adults has been covered before.

Eric, who identifies as a werewolf … believes around half of otherkins identify because of spiritual reasons, while for the others it’s neurological. “By neurological reasons, I mean that it is an identity that is wired into the brain from birth.”

“I was never a normal child, per se, Eric explains. “I used to insist I was a dog to my parents when I was younger.” This went on until he was around ten, and he realized his friends didn’t feel the same way about their bodies as he did.

Zalamero asked Sierra Arnaqueur about reports that Stormy had once asked about being Black like her best friend in preschool. Sierra dismissed the claim, “That was just a passing fancy. As we explained to Stormy, race is immutable.”

Arnaqueur says he hopes his child’s TransSpecies story will help more people realize that body and selfhood are “not the same thing.” The interview was cut short as the Arnaqueurs explained they were booked to fly to Los Angeles to meet with producers about a mini-series for Stormy prior to driving up the California coastline to take a meeting with Oprah Winfrey.

featured image original photoshop composite by Darleen Click