Helping Trans Kids Out of the Shadows
by Jacob Anderson-Minshall
2008-03-19
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=17797 (http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=17797)
"How does a 14-year-old shoot a 15-year-old in the back of the head because he's wearing high heels?" trans activist Jenn Burleton mused about the recent murder of southern California teen. "More than any other source of childhood abuse, teasing, and bullying—femininity in male children kills."
Dedicated to preventing another causalty, the founder and executive director of TransActive Education & Advocacy ( transactiveonline.org ) , a Portland, Ore.-based organization, works with parents and schools to support transgender and gender-variant children.
"This work is not just for trans kids," she insists. "Because all children are victims of gender expression oppression."