STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — At age 17, Melinda Amadeo Spierer’s child, Nate Shalev, who was assigned female at birth, told her they were dating “a girl.”
Spierer, a retired school teacher, confessed it took some time for her to digest. In fact, at first, Spierer skirted around the issue. There was only superficial chatter with her child about their identity as queer.
Today, Shalev, now 33, identifies as transgender, uses the pronouns they/them and is married to their wife, Carmel. Shalev also has dedicated their life’s work to helping companies become inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community as an inclusivity expert who conducts interactive workshops and lectures around the country.
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