You can do that with Alzheimer's patients (my Father had it). There's no point in challenging them. But for the rest of it, keep it simple. The truth of reality (not "Your truth) is the information you need to make the right decision. I learned that from my Dad and my business mentor. Both of them insisted on hearing the bad news or whatever it was (sounds like The Godfather). Making decisions without facts is a sure bad decision.
That being said, I'm not sure a transgender person will ever feel fully normal. They know how they were born. They know how many people view them. My son in law is now a transgender woman. I haven't been able to break through on a one on one because I married his mother. Her Dad passed away in 2014 and it's a bit awkward still though I'm getting hugs and all of that. I'm not trying to be the new Dad. I just sit back, throw out a few jokes and let my wife handle the questions about careers and the usual stuff a parent talks about with their kid. But I'd love to hear about how she is feeling about life. She's been very lucky at work because they know she is transgender. We live in Austin and by reputation, should be a safe harbor but she is enraged by Abbott et al and wants to move to Portland, much to my wife's chagrin. So something is driving her on the inside and she needs shelter.
I think she will always feel that way unless she goes off the grid. She's not the activist type (which we were slightly worried about; My wife votes for Trump and is Catholic so this has not been easy, but she loves her new daughter and would throw herself in front of a train to save her, so there's that) and does not draw attention to herself (zero social media footprint). So when we go out to dinner, there's been no problem at all. Of course, that's in downtown Austin and not in some of the more red-neck places in our state. My wife is 100% Latina and her Father is an old school Mexicano and it's starting to filter out that he's not really down with the transgender transformation. But he bites his lip. It's awkward for everyone and that's why it's difficult to imagine them being in a place where nobody gives it a thought. That's the mythical safe place they want and like many Liberals, they hate those they blame for not allowing the world to be all about peace, love and flowers.
Well, it will never be like that. The 60's proved that. I can't imagine waking up obsessing about the world not being like that. You have to accept reality and learn how to adapt to it. Because to declare some sort of utopian sanctuary is to draw in the anarchists and not all apparent hippie flower lovers are nice wonderful people.
