Community rallies behind 6-year-old transgender girl

Oh noes! Not another transgender thread!

Mount Horeb, WI -- Mount Horeb Primary Center, a public elementary school where a 6-year-old student had just transitioned from a boy to a girl. School staff said they sought to read the children's book. I Am Jazz to the girl’s classmates to help them understand what was happening to a fellow student, and to help the girl feel safe and accepted. LINK


The girl’s transition started a year ago after her parents and teachers noticed she was displaying signs of anxiety and depression. The girl and her family have not been named publicly for privacy reasons. After discussing it with the girl’s parents, the school planned a reading and discussion of the book I Am Jazz — the true story of transgender teen Jazz Jennings — to help the students understand their classmate’s transition.

Jazz Jennings

The school sent home a letter to parents on Nov. 19th with their intention to read the book to "foster respect and support" among the children giving the option for parents to have their children opt out of the reading


A day later the school received an angry and threatening 5-page letter from the Florida-based conservative religious group Liberty Counsel demanding the school cancel the reading or face legal action for violating "parental constitutional rights" calling being transgender "a psychological and moral disorder" claiming students will be subjected to "propaganda having no basis in science or reality."


Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed the Liberty Counsel as a hate group due to their anti-LGBT rhetoric. In spite of this and fearing lawsuits, the school cancelled the reading.

BUT... after the cancellation, the local community took a stand to support the girl in their own way. A reading of the book I am Jazz was scheduled to take place at the public library where initial hopes were for 15 people. In a community of 7000, six hundred people packed the library expressing support for the local family and their transgender child. An additional reading of the book was held at Mount Horeb High School where over 200 students also turned out in support.

Packed crowd at public library reading

Over 200 students at Mount Horeb High School Reading


Additional links:
In response to controversy, hundreds pack Mount Horeb library for reading of transgender book

Community support follows cancellation of Mount Horeb School reading of transgender book

School Board President, Mary Seidl comments:

I am not comfortable commenting on the district’s handling of the issue up to this point. As for the community’s response to the controversy, she expressed admiration in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “I think it’s incredibly inspiring when you have community members who will come together and support students and keep students at the center of the work,” said Seidl, a school psychologist in the Madison School District. Seidl expects the board will address the issue from a policy standpoint at Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting. She declined to speculate on the nature of any policy proposals, saying the agenda has not been set.

Now before the regular gang that comes in here bashing transgender people and children, you know who you are, keep in mind this child isn't making a political statement or rebelling against society. This is not about sex or sexuality or mental illness. At the center of all this is a loving family in a difficult situation and a child that just wants to be accepted, included and not bullied.

Before all your heads explode, please consider this article from the Wisconsin State Journal: As transgender youth make news, doctors say it is not a fad but a previously hidden issue

None of the controversy around the reading of this book and the school board's policy changes the fact that transgender children exist as does the need for a safe and welcoming environment where the focus is on education and learning. I have a special place in my heart for trans kids and want only for them to be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.

a reply to: Freija

I call bull#e . Really 6 years old . Get back to me when HE is 20 .

“If a pre-puberty child changes his or her mind, there is no harm done,” Oriel said. “If it truly is a phase — and again, most are not — it’s completely reversible at that age. At some level, we have to trust each other as parents that we’re trying to do the best for our kids and be respectful of that.”

Everyone rallies around , good for you . Yep crap .

This is absolutely disgusting, that kids parents need to be sent to prison and the child put into protective custody.

This world has finally gone to complete and utter #..

a reply to: Freija
Ok well, I'm just going to go on record and say I do not believe in the idea of transgenders and believe the West has become too liberal in certain aspects, but how could this young girl understand such a thing? She is but a child.

originally posted by: hutch622
I call bull#e . Really 6 years old . Get back to me when HE is 20 .

So, were you 20 before you knew if you were a boy or a girl? I'm guessing that by 6 years old, you had that pretty well figured out? Amiright?

"Trans kids".

Pretty much sums up the whole issue for me. There should be no such term.

a reply to: Freija

Not what i said , i said get back to me . But nice try .

originally posted by: Poppcocked
This is absolutely disgusting, that kids parents need to be sent to prison and the child put into protective custody.

This world has finally gone to complete and utter #..

Hi Boo Boo! I expected you here and thanks for not letting me down. So do you think this some recent phenomenon or that such a thing didn't happen in the past. Newsflash - not a new thing and the world is still here.

originally posted by: SlowNail
"Trans kids".

Pretty much sums up the whole issue for me. There should be no such term.

Well, what would suggest we call them then? Just because you don't like the language doesn't mean that they don't exist. They do. They're real. Denial doesn't do a whole lot to make their lives any better.

originally posted by: hutch622
Not what i said , i said get back to me . But nice try .

You insinuated that a 6 year old is not aware of their own sense of being a boy or girl and I asked if you had that figured out when you were six. Didn't you? If you do any sort of reading on child development you'd know that a child's awareness of gender differences begins at around age three and usually by around age four, awareness of their own gender if pretty fairly rooted.

This child may change their mind but those that are persistent and adamant in their sense of being the wrong gender usually don't.

a reply to: Freija
I'm unsure how ignorant you really are, should I forget this response (which was not to me by the way)? I agree, a 6 year old knows not what its sexuality is and ultimately that is what transgenderism is about, though in my opinion again it does not exist as you are what you are born. If you think you're otherwise you are homosexual (something I do not rage against). But what disturbs me more than anything, is that this is accepted by society. She is a child. Sorry he? Because I'm confused honestly. When you say no to everything as a society or government, that is wrong. We have rights. But equally when you just let everything go, then people go and do these things. Maybe I want to be a hawk. Who knows, maybe one day with genetic engineering it'll be possible. I'm going to say this again, because regardless of what else I've typed up, this is my main point: She is but a CHILD.

a reply to: Freija

He , most probably will change his mind , but a bunch of people jumping around saying good for you your a girl certainly isnt going make it easy for HIM to change his mind . Why is this on main stream media . Why am i discussing this . And i thought terrorists were a threat . I am done .

a reply to: hutch622
Society is a threat.

There is only one thing coming to my mind:
The transition doesn't really solve the problem.

They don’t want you to know: regret 20 percent, attempted suicides 41 percent, mental illness 60-90 percent among transgendered population.

link

The unhappiness continues. Last month, Jenner used the occasion of accepting the ESPY award for courage to tell the world that 41 percent of transgenders attempt suicide. We can debate all day long the various reasons why trans-people have regret and attempt suicide because the reasons are many and diverse. But no debate is needed in the face of the evidence that, for some, changing genders causes unhappiness and ends in suicide.
Come on, Carol, it’s time to stop perpetuating the misinformation that transgender regret is rare.

Bruce Jenner and Diane Sawyer could benefit from a history lesson. I know, because I suffered through “sex change” surgery and lived as a woman for eight years. The surgery fixed nothing—it only masked and exacerbated deeper psychological problems.

link

Making such an irreversible decision for a 6 y/o is criminal in my opinion. As it's more and more obvious that transition doesn't really "improve" these people's life we should stop pushing this dangerous and insane trend on small children.

originally posted by: Tiamat384
Ok well, I'm just going to go on record and say I do not believe in the idea of transgenders and believe the West has become too liberal in certain aspects, but how could this young girl understand such a thing? She is but a child.

Transgender people and children are not ideas, they are people and children that have existed throughout all of history long before your labeling them as liberal or part of some progressive agenda.

Yes, she is a child but aren't most children aware of being boys or girls? This girl just happened to be born with a male body that does not match her sense of self as being a girl. There is strong evidence this is biological although the cause hasn't been 100% identified as such. Regardless, you have a child in a dire and very uncomfortable position that only wants to do what makes her feel right and feel happy. Why should anyone deny this child the right to self-actualize and be the person they feel themselves to be?

She was just born with an abnormally large clitoris...and...well...testicles. Nothing a very long, expensive, painful series of surgical procedures and hormone treatments can't repair.

a reply to: Freija
Being a transgender is an idea. It is a new idea that came about from people being given too much freedom to be what they want to be. Self-actualize? Let's see if she survives and if as an adult she is able to provide for shelter, food and water. This is NOT self-actualization. Why deny? Because she is a child who can not know what she wants at this time and because she is unaware of the consequences and is thereby in my opinion unfit for such a decision legally.

a reply to: Freija

These subjects are always much more highly complicated for the families involved, I'm certain there are parents who would never let that happen to a child of theirs - but eventually find themselves doing the once unthinkable. There must be enormous emotional stresses for the child and folks to deal with. Under those circumstances we could all find ourselves with a change of heart I'm sure. You may remain resolute that your son is your son and put your foot down, but that child may grow up resenting him his whole life and have become transgendered in front of an adult audience, which may in fact be harder to deal with. Kids can sometimes be pretty quick to get over these things and still manage to have fun in the playground.

So I'm not sure how I feel about the story without actually KNOWING the girl so I will leave it there rather than cast my thoughts upon this child. (Just think, in a few years she will possibly find this on ATS, g'day I hope the right choice was made for you ).

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to you Freija for a very well put together thread.

originally posted by: WhiteHat
There is only one thing coming to my mind:
The transition doesn't really solve the problem.

Making such an irreversible decision for a 6 y/o is criminal in my opinion. As it's more and more obvious that transition doesn't really "improve" these people's life we should stop pushing this dangerous and insane trend on small children.

Aw geez. Quoting conservative right wing websites doesn't get you very far in my book. I'm not even going to drag out links in rebuttal because it simply isn't worth my time. I am well studied in this field and know a hit piece when I see one.

Allowing a 6 year old child to live and be known as the gender they feel themselves to be is in no way "irreversible". Even at puberty, if puberty blocking drugs are prescribed, they are also completely reversible. This is not an agenda pushed by parents. Most parents are completely aghast, confused and very distressed when their child is insistent persistently and continuously adamant that their gender, of being a boy or girl is not in alignment with the sex they were assigned by a doctor at birth. Most parents also do everything in their power to reinforce gender typical behavior and do not want their children to have to deal with this problem.

But, it happens. When presented with a child that becomes severely depressed and anxious over this, what would you suggest they to? Try and beat it out of their son or daughter? Yeah, that's effective about as much as it would have been for your parents trying to force you to live as a gender you didn't feel was yours. Allowing a child to transition is often a last ditch effort to bring a child some relief and happiness. What is so wrong about that?

.... this fruitcake has nuts .


their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened .Romans 1;18