Don't know if this has been posted here before, but I just saw this today...thoughts?
Living a Transgender Childhood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epDPui27QZQ#)
I think it was very good in most ways but they played up the supposed "doubts". I didn't think that much re: the girl's statements about being a boy inside etc. I thought they were typical "trans" doubts, which any therapist will tell you are totally normal. I felt she was checking to see if her mom's love/support was "conditional". She was worried that it was.
Also I don't know how many 9 year olds they would ever put on estrogen (or testosterone). I thought that blockers were the treatment of choice, not even that controversial and don't have very many bad side effects (certainly not like the numerous psych drugs she was on). Mom was very clear what the odds were for the kid untreated.
Transitioning this young may be unusual but it is definitely not unheard of. There is a 9 year old trans boy here where I live. But he is still the only one I know of here.
--Jay
Quote from: aleon515 on April 12, 2013, 07:19:57 PM
I think it was very good in most ways but they played up the supposed "doubts". I didn't think that much re: the girl's statements about being a boy inside etc. I thought they were typical "trans" doubts, which any therapist will tell you are totally normal. I felt she was checking to see if her mom's love/support was "conditional". She was worried that it was.
Also I don't know how many 9 year olds they would ever put on estrogen (or testosterone). I thought that blockers were the treatment of choice, not even that controversial and don't have very many bad side effects (certainly not like the numerous psych drugs she was on). Mom was very clear what the odds were for the kid untreated.
Transitioning this young may be unusual but it is definitely not unheard of. There is a 9 year old trans boy here where I live. But he is still the only one I know of here.
--Jay
Well, being a made-in-the-US "documentary", they had to put in some kind of drama. ;) I felt that it was pretty well balanced, considering what other channels *
cough*
FOX *
cough* might have put out there...
Watching this, I have to say...I laughed, I cried, I am hoping for the best for young Josie.
I should say as someone who spends way way too much time on youtube and has a youtube channel, that I have seen many videos of trans kids (both ways), so I am very familiar with her as her parents as they are very out. I am very happy for her and think she (and her parents) are awesome. It's not the best or worst video of its kind that I have seen. I think Dr Phil is the worst and I don't like the ones where they misgender the kids. They consistently gendered her correctly I think getting a bit mixed up pre-transition which is highly understandable, imo.
I shudder to imagine what Fox would do with this. But Dr. Phil was pretty awful. He interviewed an "expert" who believed in knocking the trans out of the kids and a religious zealot who had similar opinions. There are so many great people he could have interviewed.
--Jay
What do I think? I'm envious. Happy for her, too. But mostly envious. A little of how she's being supported by great people, but a lot because she has a personality extraverted and strong enough to insist and go through with her desires so young. How I wish I had been more insisting than asking for the permission to be a girl and then think it was impossible because they said no.
I really wish there was much more support for transgendered people. It takes a lot of strength to stand up for oneself. It takes a lot of strength to go against your parents telling you you're a guy, and your father that tells you transsexuals are gross. And few if any children are capable of that without lots of support, and the near-nonexistent support angers me a little in that sense. I know they're afraid of pushing a child into a mistake, but doing nothing and letting trans children rot in their corner IS pushing a child into a mistake, too.
I look forward to parents becoming more aware of the issue and able to discern it, and seek help when it shows up. And for the help to be sought to be present.
That was nice, was nice to see her supported by her family fully & getting access to treatment early so she wont have to suffer through puberty.
I envious, makes me think. But I am really happy for her.
I think it's nice how supportive her parents are being... But not sure if it's a good idea making a documentary about it. I personally would never want to be on like a trans documentary because I'd feel like I could never live a normal life after because of people knowing I'm trans..
I don't know how old any of you are that are posting. But I think that times have changed allowing kids with great parents to do this. We have a few transguys here who transitioned relatively early (late teens) but I think most of us at Susans transitioned later 30s, 40s or even 50s and 60s. I just think that the times are totally different for this. I "came out" at 7. But there was no kind of seriousness in my parents about this. I think a lot of us had similar stories.
I just think there will be more and more kids that will do this. At this point, I know of *one* child who came out (FTM), I mean know people that know him and this sort of thing.
--Jay
It's great that these kids are able to articulate their feelings so well, and it's fantastic they have so much understanding and support from their parents. But I cringe at how hard this exposure will make for them to have normal 'stealth' lives like they should be able to. Their lives are now an open slather for anyone to see now they've been plastered all over the net as Trans kids. People seeing them on tv will forget the facts, but the net won't forget. How are they going to get through high school, uni etc. Even everything we say about them here will be cemented into search engines for years to come.
Quote from: AusBelle on April 18, 2013, 04:06:14 AM
It's great that these kids are able to articulate their feelings so well, and it's fantastic they have so much understanding and support from their parents. But I cringe at how hard this exposure will make for them to have normal 'stealth' lives like they should be able to. Their lives are now an open slather for anyone to see now they've been plastered all over the net as Trans kids. People seeing them on tv will forget the facts, but the net won't forget. How are they going to get through high school, uni etc. Even everything we say about them here will be cemented into search engines for years to come.
Well, that's the current reality, isn't it?
The trick is to not withdraw back into our shell, but to redefine how we, as people, respond to such open information.
Back in the day, rumors could, and did, harm people's lives...because people assume so much, and stereotypes ruled the times. Perhaps by providing videos like this, and others, and on the *good* talk shows (radio and TV), we will learn to not judge others just because they're different...that we're all different, and have things good and bad, which have made us what we are today.
And
we could learn to accept that, and interact with people as they are, and not as how we'd like them to be.
Just my thoughts, anyway.
Have you all seen Jazz? I think she might be 11-12 year old mtf person. She is was maybe the youngest person to come out as trans that I have heard of. They have been very open about their experiences. Well for her, it has been awesome. SHe has won several awards as an activist and has spoken publicly. Now all kids can't do this. Btw, the ftm kid here (NM), has also won some awards as well, and has been on local tv. I think he got some kind of award with the Gymnastics Association as has been allowed to compete as a boy.
But obviously there is a balance and some kids would not welcome the public spotlight.
BTW, there are so many videos of Jazz it would be hard to select, so just go to youtube.
--Jay
We have to thank Her and her parents for their courage! Story of Josie and Jazz saved my life. More people should tell their stories in public, so our perception in public eye will change. We are outcast, freaks at best. People make their own definitions of things they do not understand, but it should be different. We should create those definitions and tell it to others, otherwise people will turn our lives into misery.