Light From Uncommon Stars

by Ryka Aoki

The boy had been with his cousins in the yard—they were playing in Spanish, calling him a name and laughing because he didn’t know what it meant. His mother burst outside with a horrified expression on her face. She shouted something at his cousins, pulled him inside the house, then soon after shoved him into their car. It was long ago, after returning from a Thanksgiving with his mother’s family. His mother was arguing with her sister over the phone. His father was raging, yelling that in his house, he would understand every word spoken, and that they would never go over there again. The boy was in his room, practicing his violin, trying not to be afraid of the loud voices, trying to send his parents every good thing that his music teacher had said about his playing. And then, the boy’s father kicked his door open. He lunged toward the boy, and reached for his violin—

Why would Katrina's own flashback misgender her?