Trans rights in my Ducktales fanfic? It's more likely than you think.
If you read this chapter before I edited it, way back in September you might have read my BS introduction saying that I was cisgender and that's just not true at all. I'm nonbinary, and I am so happy to have realized that. Idk all of the time what I'm supposed to be but I know more than anything that I am not cis and I owe it to my growing identity to write more characters who are not cis. So I'm really glad I started here, and I recommend checking out Join The Club because in this 2021 edited version of Dewey and The Turtles Huey absolutely is genderfluid and that's brought up in Join The Club. I'm still really nervous that I didn't write this as well as I could but I'm learning and I have nothing but love for my trans brothers and sisters and my nonbinary siblings.
Also, this edit is Louyd positive, it wasn't before but then I really started shipping them so in this edit I'm sticking closer to the headcanons I have in Fall From Grace (somebody go comment on Fall From Grace please), not entirely but somewhat, and the OC I had Louie with but haven't really mentioned yet is going to be respectfully written out. Sorry, Shiloh.
Anyway, enjoy!
"Dad?" Donatello knocked on the open door frame before entering Dewey's room.
"Hey, Donnie, what's up? You okay?"
"Hey, can you, uh, can you not call me Donnie anymore?"
"Oh, okay, Donatello…"
"Thanks. I actually was wondering if, no that sounds wrong, I want to go by DJ. I'm going to start going by DJ." DJ usually wasn't the most assertive so Dewey always liked hearing his actual opinions on things, rather than echoes of what his twin thought.
"DJ is an excellent nickname, Donatello Joshua "DJ" Duck. Has a nice ring to it." DJ blushed and smiled, keeping his head down.
"Thanks, dad. You're the best." It was Dewey's turn to blush and smile. Since Mikey was still doing punishment chores and Raph was still grounded, him being the best wasn't the overwhelming opinion in this house. Little Leo would parrot whichever his brothers spoke the loudest so even his little angel was giving him the stink eye now and then. DJ wasn't like that. DJ was always kind.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Sometimes Dewey worried that he didn't give DJ enough attention. Raph and Mikey were the troublemakers, Leo was the baby, and DJ sometimes got lost in the mix despite being as creative and wonderful as the others.
DJ looked up, still a little red in the face.
"Um… Actually…"
"You can tell me anything, son," Dewey promised.
"Daughter-" DJ blurted, "I think I want to go by she/her. Maybe they/them. But I'd like to be called your daughter. Is… Is that okay?"
Dewey had been DJ's dad all her life. Her birth mother had been homeless and had left the twins with Dewey out of desperation. He'd tried to help their mother as best as he could, but things hadn't worked out for the woman. He knew, however, how people ended up in that situation. Many of them wound up homeless because they came out as LGBTQ+ to an uncaring family who rejected them for being themselves. Dewey would not let that happen to his daughter.
"Of course that's okay. I raised you to be yourself. If you feel like a girl then that's what we'll go with. And if that changes, that's okay too. I'm proud to call you my daughter. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, dad." She wrapped an arm around him, a few tears in her eyes.
"Do your brothers know?"
DJ nodded, "Although they didn't know I was going to bring it up to you today."
"Is there anything you need to feel more comfortable? New clothes? New room decor? Are you still okay with sharing a room with Mikey?"
"Uh, I don't know if I need anything, but, oh! Can I grow out my hair?"
"Of course you can."
"Awesome." Dewey stood up and gave her a proper hug. DJ let out a little sob.
"I love you, DJ. I always will, no matter what. We all will." DJ hugged him a little tighter.
"Thanks, dad. I was really nervous about this…"
"I know this can be really scary, sweetheart, feeling accepted as yourself. But we're all here for you."
"Right, thanks. I need a bit more time to think about what I need, is that okay?"
"Absolutely. Let me know whenever."
"I'm gonna go tell Mikey that I told you." She seemed a lot happier than she had been for a while, which made Dewey overjoyed.
"Do you want me to tell our relatives your name and pronouns?"
"Do you think they'd understand?"
"Of course they will. They love you and will always accept you."
"Okay… You can tell them if you want." DJ still seemed a bit nervous, but she held her head high as she left.
"It will be okay," Dewey promised quietly, before dialing up his mom.
"Hey, mom!"
"What's up, Dewey? Are the kids okay?" Della had taken her position as his mom very seriously but she took her position as grandmom even more seriously.
"The kids are great, actually. But I wanted to tell you something about one of the twins."
"Yeah? Did something happen?"
"Donatello goes DJ now and uses she/her pronouns."
"That's great! I'm glad she's figuring herself out."
"Me too. I love you, mom."
"Love you too. Tell DJ I love her. Tell all of them, obviously, but DJ especially."
"I will. I have to tell everyone else, but I wanted you to know first. You've been here for me and the others as we figured ourselves out, and I couldn't be more grateful for that."
"Of course, Dewey. I love all of you, no matter how you choose to identify." When his siblings were all falling for people, Dewey had felt like an outsider in his own house. Della had been the one who told him about asexuality and promised that it was okay. And so, it had been okay. And now he could give that to his children.
"I'm telling Uncle Donald next, then Huey, Louie, and Webby."
"I'm sure they'll all understand." Dewey knew how accepting his family was when it came to issues of gender and sexuality. They had all had to figure themselves out at one point or another.
"Yeah, I bet they will."
"I'll talk to you later, kiddo."
"Mom, I'm not a kid."
"You'll always be my kid."
Calling his uncle was easy, calling Huey and Louie was… Interesting. He knew they would both have opinions and suggestions, helpful and not so helpful. Louie and Huey always thought they knew everything when it came to parenting, despite both having fewer kids than him.
"Hey, Huey? I have some news."
"Oh, gosh, you've adopted another kid haven't you?"
"Sort of yes and sort of no. I do have a daughter now, but that's because Donatello is going by DJ now and uses she/her pronouns. I'm really proud of her."
"That's great for her! You're going to have to work on not using her deadname and you're going to want to look into therapy so that she can be approved for puberty blockers and gender-affirming procedures when the time comes."
Dewey felt a little sheepish. Huey was right, and Huey would know, having a complex relationship with gender themself, as they'd realized they were genderfluid around the same age DJ was now. Huey just hadn't changed their name.
"Yeah. I'm definitely going to keep working on it. I want to do whatever I can to make her comfortable. I guess I'm still wrapping my head around it, I just found out today, so it's going to take some time to make a complete switch."
"It'll take time, but you did it for me. I know you can do it for her."
"Thanks, Huey. You're a good sibling."
"You are too. And a good dad."
"I uh, I have to call Louie and then Webby, but we'll talk more later. I know you'll be a big help with all this."
"Good luck! I know they'll understand."
"I'm sure they will." Dewey hung up and dialed his younger brother, who picked up right away.
"Hey, Dewey, something up? Do you need help tracking down Raphael again?"
"No, I'm not calling about Raph."
"Do you need help tracking down Mikey?"
"Donnie," Dewey blurted.
"You need help tracking down Donnie? That doesn't make sense."
"No, Donnie didn't run away, but uh, Donnie goes by DJ, now, and uses she/her pronouns."
"Oh, yeah, I guessed that ages ago."
"You, what?"
"For sure. She's not your stereotypical girly girl, but I definitely got the vibe that something was up and that she wasn't comfortable the way she was before."
"I feel like such a bad dad, never noticing that."
"Uncles get to notice these things because we don't spend all our time around them. It's like how you could never notice how rank your clothes smelled sometimes because you were always wearing them."
"Hey!" Dewey laughed, but he felt a little better.
"Anyways, give DJ a hug for me and tell her that we're all proud to finally get to know her."
"Thanks, Louie. I've got to call Webby, but we'll talk soon."
"Are you going to call me for any reason other than one of your kids running off?"
"Isn't that what I just did?" Dewey laughed, "But I'm serious, dude. I'll be in touch, you and Boyd can come over, Mo and Leo can play."
"Sounds amazing," Louie agreed. They talked a little more and then hung up. Two siblings down, one to go.
"Hey, Dewey, can you talk quietly? I'm holding Benny and she's asleep and I don't want her to wake up," Webby said in a whisper.
"Of course," Dewey whispered in response, "how's Benny?"
"She's crazy, per usual. But I love her to bits." Dewey could imagine his sister smiling down at her 3-month-old, who was a real cutie-patootie.
"How's Lena?"
"Exhausted. She's been taking the night shifts, so I decided I'd give her a little reprieve and she's been napping for like, forever. What'd you want to talk about?"
"I just wanted to let you know there's another girl in the family. Donatello came out to me today as DJ and wants to use she/her pronouns."
"That's amazing!" Webby squealed, before lowering her voice, "Ah, almost woke up Benny. But I'm really glad that DJ realized that, and I'm glad Benny is going to have another female cousin."
"Now there are almost as many girls as boys," Dewey said thoughtfully, "Scarlet, Emerald, Benny, and now DJ."
"I know that's probably a lot for you to get used to, Dewey."
"It is, but I'm really happy that DJ could come to me. I just wish she had told me sooner. I never want any of my kids thinking they can't tell me something important."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about. They all love you, and they know that you love them."
"That's never going to change, no matter what."