I’m too young to remember Bruce Jenner’s Olympic glory days. To be honest, I knew him more from his role on Keeping up with the Kardashians than I did from his athletic accomplishments. Still, it was a bit of a shock to watch his Diane Sawyer interview in which he revealed that for “all intents and purposes” he was really a she. Not long after, the world was introduced to Caitlyn Jenner, and all hell broke loose.
All of a sudden, it was all anyone could talk about – and talk
about it they did. There was a lot of
positivity being directed her way. She’s
courageous. She’s saving lives. She’s beautiful. There was also a lot of hate speech being
directed towards her. People started
saying she shouldn’t be allowed around her grandchildren. She started being subjected to comments about
how she looks, rather than what her message is. There were even those who
thought she shouldn’t be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY
Awards. The discussion became not about how brave Caitlyn had been to come
forth and tell her story, but how many other brave individuals there are in the
world, which may deserve the award more.
I’ve started watching a new show on TLC called I am Jazz, about a transgendered girl
who is starting high school. I’ve only
seen one episode so far, but it’s already apparent that Jazz being
transgendered means she faces certain challenges. What bathroom will she use at
school? What should she wear to a pool
party? Should she increase her levels of
hormone blockers to prevent puberty from setting in? Teenage years can be hard enough, without all
this added pressure. Not to mention the bullying and harassment she faces. In
fact, while the show was taping, in front of Jazz’ mother, two teenage boys
openly called her a freak. It made me sad to realize it’s often what drives
transgendered youth to take their own lives.
So, I’m interested to know what you think! “Do you think all this talk about
transgendered issues, helps or hurts our country? Would you allow your child to live openly as
transgendered while they were still a minor?”
Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 29th, 2015.
I can't say if it hurts or helps our country. Everyone is different... everyone gets help/hurt in their own way. However I would not allow my child to live a transgender lifestyle by any means. At the end of the day if thats what they want I can't stop them but you can believe I'm gonna keep my child from that type of exposure as much as possible. It will be hard now a days though... unfortunately... I really don't care what other people do and I'm the furthest thing from a Bible thumper and I sin everyday but in MY opinion.. to say you're transgender is to say God made a mistake and if you can honestly say GOD made a mistake you got bigger problems buddy...
ReplyDeleteI think it's amusing how people assume people choosing to live their lives certain ways is "going against god". If there's a god, you think it'd be able to stop any sort of thought in regards to people wanting to transition, or be gay, etc. Why would it make life more difficult for these people? Why would they even have these desires a majority of people don't have? Or is it part of god's plan that they express who they are and become who they think they should be. Perhaps having the courage to transition or come out is a trial in it's own right, and one people should be proud of. In my understanding of the bible and what Jesus said, you're supposed to love and accept people, even if you don't understand their situation. But I digress.
DeleteTransgender people should be able to express their identity and dress, act, use the bathroom, as they see fit. It should be no different than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteWhen the conversation turns to children, the issues are more complicated. When I was in elementary, middle, and high school I was the target of bullying, so I know how vicious children can be. In a perfect world I'd say that children who identify as transgender should be allowed to live as they see themselves, however when I consider if it were MY child in that situation, I'd want to protect them from the derision of their peers as much as possible. Ultimately though, I think it is important for trans children to be able to express themselves freely. I'd be there for them, whatever happened.
I'd say inadvertently by creating mass hysteria over everything the country is hurting itself.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that being said, transgendered people finding the courage to brave the waters of discrimination is going to subject generations of people brought up under political culture thinking that "normal" is the only "right" way to live,
to significant culture shock.
But, that's a small price to pay weighed against the lives of countless bullied and tortured.
If it preserves their sense of self-worth and saves lives, Go For It!
For those whom it is for, the message is loud and clear, You Deserve Love Too.
I am honestly and completely against it, no one is perfect and to know these things happen today is not surprising but disappointing. I am a believer in Christ and it is written that these things will happen and there are consequences behind it. To further give my opinion I wouldn't treat them as if they are outsiders but I don't agree with it. My children in the future and how will this affect them, I will do my best to teach them the right way of the Bible and how we were created to be the way God made us.
ReplyDeleteI honestly feel like, its their life. They are making the choice to do it....But! I have a religious feel to it. I feel that they shouldn't do it. God made you a man/or woman because that's what he new you should be/ and what he wanted you to be. You shouldn't think that you would be better at another gender. The grass isn't greener on the other side. And you are still you no matter what gender you "will be".
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the kids, ehh. I feel like family is family. Kim & Kourtney (as an example) if they don't want their kids around that then they can deside that. They can take the kids away from "grandpa/grandma". To teach kids tho, 5teach them the right way. God's way for them.
Its good to have support on your life choices, but this one I can honestly say I would never be apart of. I think its wrong. It will come back to bite them in the butt. I will still be kind and be a friend even tho I do not agree with it.
I don't know if all the talk about his hurts or helps, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so everyone is going to have something good or bad to say about anything. I think people are brave who go through this because they face so many challenges everyday. I think as parents we should teach our children to be who they are and not be afraid to be different. So if they decide to change their life then they should. We should support them through all of their decisions even when we don't always agree with them. My parents have supported me with all of my choices that I have ever made, nothing like this, but even when I knew my parents did not agree or like the choice I was making, they would always support me and stand by my side even if things went wrong.
ReplyDeleteI feel like people are to worried about what everyone else is doing, when instead, they should be focused on themselves. No one is better than another person. If people do not agree with others choices then fine, keep it to yourself, focus on being a better person instead of complaining about what type of person someone else is.
Bri McGee
I think people should do whatever they want to do. I understand what it is like to be bullied and judged just becauseof the way i look (Afrian American). They have some much courage to do what they are doing and stand up to those who call them " freaks" and say " I don't care what you think. this is my life i an going to live it and i don't care what your opinon is." To those who worry about the children of transgenders need to mind their own freaking bisuness. it's not their kids and if they are not related then they need to just back off. They have no right to say things like that. They don't know the person or the family.
ReplyDeleteI support gays and transgenders. They should be who they want to be. I once thought that was part of the "American Dream" be whatever you want to be, right? It doesn't matter what a person looks like. It's their personality that really counts. People have no right to judge until they have judged themselves.
I believe talking about transgendered issues help our country. Everyone needs to know about how hard it is and they need to know that young transgenders are needing just as much respect and comfort as anyone else. Talking about it would also help other who are hiding know that they are not alone. Those who would be against them need to know that they are just as human as anyone else and should be treated all the same. Its someones life that we are talking about and we should be able to support them.
ReplyDeleteI would allow my child to be transgender because if they are more comfortable that way then I will be there for them. I won't let others tell them what they feel or should be. People should not worry about the way a child looks. Just let your child know that you will help guide them to where they may lead.
Honestly, I'm not sure if they really help or hurt our country. We all know it's there and feel a mass majority has accepted these things that others may not have been accustomed to way back when, but needless to say even if we do not agree we should still love and accept our peers and people for who they are. As far as my child, I'm not necessarily sure that I would be overwhelmed with joy that they chose this route, but I would always love them nonetheless, and support them in everything they do, regardless if I agree with it or not.
ReplyDeleteMacy Wilson
Overall yes it's good that this is something people are talking about. I'm not sure that the media, or those awful celebrity magazine pushing this story as they are is as helpful as people simply talking about it and discussing it, but it's definitely good it's becoming more common that people are more accepting of trans people. I definitely think the news isn't doing this issue any good, because I don't think learning about this issue from the news would have impacted my views at all. What I can say worked and made me understand was just having someone who cared deeply enough about these issues to actually discuss it with me. Throwing ideas at people without allowing for any discourse doesn't change anyone's opinions or allow them to think.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's pretty fucked up that people can get up in arms about anyone choosing what to wear or how to change their own body. People have a fucked up idea of what makes a "man" a man or a "woman"a woman anyway. I hope the more we talk about trans issues, the more we can realize how ridiculous our labels are. I think I'm in a different boat than most people there are, I've got friends who have been transitioning since I've known them, some who I knew before they started. It changes how you think, and that's not a bad thing.
(William) Travis McIntosh
I don't think talk about transgender Is hurting our country. I think the way the media portrays it makes it looks like does. I would not allow my son to do such a thing because it all boils down to how the child is brought up. Once my child leaves my home then they are allowed to do whatever, but until then it's my rules!
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not know if it does or doesn't hurt our country. It's what they want to be in life so let them be. If my child was a minor I would rather prefer them to wait when they are living on their own because going through Middle School and High School was hard enough. People are more prone to bully your child than when you go to college. When you go to college people care but not as much as it is in Middle and High School. It is there choice in life and if they feel like they were suppose to be different that's fine. They aren't hurting anyone when they chose to do this. Also transgender shouldn't go around and push it down peoples throats about what they should or shouldn't believe. So it works both ways and that's it.
ReplyDeleteI think that having such vast coverage of these issues is having a negative impact on our country; and I disagree with the whole Caitlyn Jenner transformation. God created him a specific way how can you congratulate him on wanting to be something that he's not. In a lot of ways, by doing this some people are saying that God made a mistake and God doesn't made mistakes. I don't know what the struggles are for people who feel this way, it's not something that I am super familiar with; It is something that I don't agree with and I wouldn't raise my children as such because that is what I believe. Others may disagree but I hold strongly to what I believe in, this is definitely a controversial issue and is something that could be argued for a long time but at the end of the day, most people have already made up their minds on how they view this issue and there's really no use in 'beating the dead horse' about it.
ReplyDeleteI think this talk about transgendered issues will help people in our country become more open-minded. Society always has expectations and the idea that we should all fit into assigned social roles. God created us all the same with equal rights but that doesn’t mean we have to believe in the same rules and ethics; it’s okay to be different. I grew up in an Islamic community where being any kind of different is a complete No-Go, but I’m open minded enough to accept the feelings of others and not judge a person by their gender/sexual preference.
ReplyDeleteI will love my child no matter what; I will be supportive and understanding if they decided to live their life as a transgendered person or a homosexual.
I definitely think that talking about transgender issues helps our country. By talking about these issues, it allows people to become more educated on the topic since many base their opinions off of preconceived notions. If I were to have a child that wanted to transition as a minor, I would support them 100%. The challenges and criticism that my child would likely have to face would be hard enough as it is, and I would never want them to feel like they couldn't be who they truly are in their own home. As a Christian I find it interesting that others are so against the concept of being transgender. At the end of the day, being a Christian is about accepting others and loving them for who they are as a person. It is not your job to judge others or make them feel like they are wrong for expressing themselves in the way that makes them happiest in life.
ReplyDeleteI think everybody has their own opinion about transgenders, so they can do whatever they want. So, it doesn't really help or hurt the country to talk about it. No, I wouldn't let my child be a transgender as a minor. I wouldn't care if they wanted to be transgender I just don't want them to be bullied.
ReplyDeleteTo those that say that you wouldn't support your child if they came out as trans is to basically say that you control them, and to remove their humanity and equate them to an object in your control. You don't own your children, they are not your property. They are a human being, and letting them discover who they are is something that they have the right to. If you plan on having kids, you have to plan for the possibility that they might be transgendered, that is just how it is now a days. If you are not ready to love your child and let them be who they are, how they feel, and let them take up an identity that they relate to, then don't bother having kids. If you want something in your life to micromanage, buy the latest Sims game.
ReplyDeletePersonally growing up as a transgender child was not an easy task. The entire situation could have been handled much better if I had the love and support from my family..instead I was bible thumped. I was told I was an abomination which lead to self loathing and depression. I was aware at the early age of five that I wasn't my assigned gender, and told my mom. At first she ignored it and pushed it in the back of her mind. Then again around the age of ten or eleven I told my mom I hated my life and I wish I was a girl. She cried because she was so concerned about where she went wrong. The first time I ever heard of a transperson was on Ugly Betty, and that drove home my feelings. I knew what I was, what I wanted to be, from that moment on. When I was a sophomore in high school I decided to come out as trans and dress the way I felt comfortable. My parents and immediate family did not approve and where not accepting. My father said if he saw me dress like a woman he would kill me. My mom told me I wasn't aloud to dress like that in her house while I lived their. So I basically lived a double life because I would sneak and wear makeup to school. When it was time for semi formal and prom my senior year I was told I couldn't get ready in my own house. My mom also didnt take any pictures of me but she did of my brother and his date and put them on Facebook while I was left in the cold. Now as a Jr. in college my mom and I have a better relationship and she is more accepting but still has a long way to go. The fact still remains that I still was tarnished and effected by my childhood and will alway have an intrinsic questioning of if I'm good enough.
This is why I think it is important that these issues are getting some coverage, why the transcommunity is starting to have people in the spotlight, to focus on these issues. This is why it is important to be open and and accepting of your children and support them in their life decisions.
It's very hard to say what I would do if my child wanted to change sexes while still in High School. I would accept them for who they are, but health issues come in to play when discussing puberty. How safe is it to block those hormones? If it was my daughter transitioning into a man, how will her periods and other female organs that are developing be affected? How would it affect their health in the long term if they do not go through the natural puberty of their born gender. Harassment would be another large factor to consider. I do not have children at this time and maybe by the time I do bullying differences of people will not be around, but I doubt it. I think the state of mind the child is in, enough to know that they were born a gender that they aren't will say a lot. I hope to be as supportive as possible as a parent. The thing all parents want is to have happy healthy children, and a child cannot be happy when they are not able to be themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that people are heated up about it all. It's one of those subjects people avoid to stay comfortable and therefore don't know much about, so some time in the spotlight will inevitably warrant change, and hopefully allow people to understand it more.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that people are heated up about it all. It's one of those subjects people avoid to stay comfortable and therefore don't know much about, so some time in the spotlight will inevitably warrant change, and hopefully allow people to understand it more.
ReplyDeleteI think that I would not mind if my child came out as transgender in school. Myself came out in high school as a lesbian. I thought it would be hard for others to accept me but it was the complete opposite they actually admired me for being myself. I tell anybody as well as my kids, nobody can live your life for you so enjoy it like it was your last. Don't just people by the way they feel because you never know what is going on inside them. When children mostly feel neglected they will pull away and I have known some that have committed suicide. It's hard to except their life as is and with others bashing them they feel alone.
ReplyDeleteI do think it hurts are country and makes as look bad as a whole. where judging others by their choices of their sexuality. Its basically saying where not very excepting people in this country. Id definitely let my child live openly to a Transgender as a minor. I want them to be themselves as children and as adults. Because let face it, it don't matter your age its not something easy to deal with especially living in this country.
ReplyDeleteTalking about others and bullying does hurt society as whole. Criticism is the cause of many crimes, and deaths. I wouldn't let my young child walk around as a transgender but I would allow my son to be gay. It might not make sense but it does to me. As an parent and adult you dress and teach your child what you believe in. Stereotyping has been around for centrals ;man and woman. I wouldn't buy my son girl clothing nor dress him feminine even if asked. He can decide that on his own when hes an adult. Not saying that I wouldn't accept it, but I'm not going to allow my son to be a transgender as a minor. Males dressing up as females is crossing the line in my opinion. Being gay is already disobeying my beliefs in my spiritual world to begin with. Just as i support gay pride but I don't support gay marriage. There should be limits to sexuality standards according to religion.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is so sensitive to me. Being a part of the gay community, I truly feel like self love is key. if you feel in your heart of hearts that your true self is that of a woman/man, BE WHO YOU ARE. There is so much change in this world happening lately. Gay Marriage, A Black president and potentially a female president on the way. I feel like it's absolutely acceptable for transgenders to live a comfortable life amongst society without being shamed for it. Now, if my child had come to me and said, "I feel like I'm truly a man/woman.", then I'd have no choice but to accept that part of them, because I couldn't live with myself knowing that my child isn't happy being in their body. So I would accept it, and let them be them.
ReplyDelete