Today we are honored to have Jodie Patterson on The Mag. Jodie is a social activist, entrepreneur, writer, and author of The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation. She has been lauded for her activist work by Hillary Clinton, The Advocate, Family Circle, Essence, Cosmopolitan, and Yahoo!, among others. She sits on the board of a number of gender/family/human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, and is a sought-after public speaker addressing a wide range of audiences about identity, gender, beauty, and entrepreneurship. Patterson was appointed by the United Nations as a Champion of Change and, perhaps most impressively, she is a former circus acrobat who performed in the Big Apple Circus. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she co-parents her five children with love, education, and family solidarity.

We were very lucky to connect with Jodie to talk about her human rights work, her tips for parents during quarantine and some of her favorite books. Before we jump into her answers, here is a an amazing video to familiarize yourself with her story. This short doc featuring her family shows the true definition of a mother’s love and how Jodie supported her transgender son and his journey.

Can you share a little about the Human Rights Campaign Foundation? How can readers get involved?

The Human Rights Campaign is our largest LGBT organization with 3.3 million members and supporters. We are a political organization that uses its strength to help elect pro equality candidates, lobby for fair and just legislation and lobby against wrongful acts. We also run programs that touch every day lives - people like my family - helping to change hearts and minds around the world. Our programs reach grade schools, places of worship, teens, historically Black colleges, parents of transgender kids, the deep south, and global communities who need protection from LGBT hatred. My family has been fortified, informed, supported and protected by the work HRC does every day. I’m now Chair of the Board of HRC’s foundation.

As a mom of five managing your own business, what are three tips/wise words you have for parents feeling under pressure in quarantine?

My biggest advice is to be imaginative. What was, what is and what can be are all very different. We can use this time to create new systems for our families, be creative and find new ways to approach life. For me, I still want much of the same things for my kids - education, happiness, health, an engaged sense of belonging. But because of the COVID pandemic, our day-to-day has become much different. Now, everyday, we’re on top of each other, 6 people in one house. In response, I’ve created a new approach that gives us all freedom with less imposed structure (that’s really different from the way I did things just a few months ago).

These days I set up only three anchors a day: Wake up at 8:30am, family dinner at 7:30pm and bedtime at 11:30pm. I allow the kids to fill in the rest of the day with a rhythm that feels good to them. The “fill ins” are non- negotiable, but how and when they “fill in” is up to them to determine. School, exercise, relaxation, healthy eating, tidying their rooms, helping clean the kitchen... these are the things they must fill in. So far, so good. They’re still doing well in school and making time for family. They exercise and find time to laugh and commune. I will say that if I see anything slipping, school grades, attitude, respect for one another, I jump in real quick.

What are three of your favorite kids books that are LGBTQAI friendly?

I’ve just finished a children’s book that comes out at the end of 2020 Born Ready: the True Story of a Boy Named Penelope (Random House). It’s my son’s perspective of how he was able to help our community understand and support who he is.

I also really like Julian Is A Mermaid for its subtly and beauty.

And finally, where can we find you?

o Website: jodiepatterson.com
o Instagram: @jodiepatterson

Check out additional interviews featuring Jodie here and here.