An Open Letter to the Transphobic Girl Scout

http://jezebel.com/5875957/an-open-letter-to-the-transphobic-girl-scout

This letter is a response to Taylor, the 14-year-old girl who called for a boycott of Girl Scout cookies because the Scouts allow transgender members. You can watch her video here.

Dear Taylor,

I wish we could sit down and talk. I'd like to think you would be willing to have a conversation with someone who honestly wants to find common ground. I've watched your video, and it really moved me. You delivered your message with skill, grace, and emotion –- I wish my high school students were as comfortable speaking in front of an audience as you clearly are.

That said, a lot of what was in your video was hurtful to me. I'm not sure if you meant to hurt my feelings, or the feelings of people like me, but your video was painful for me to see. Because I'm a transgender woman. That means that I was born in the body of a boy, but realized I was actually a girl. I've been on hormones for a few years now, to help my body match my mind. And a lot of the things you said about what it means to be transgender didn't match my experience, or the experience of other trans people I know.

This is not going to be popular, but here goes. I saw the video in question several times. No where does she attack transgenders,say that they will go to hell, or anything remotely similar.She merely thinks that people who are biologically boys should not be in a girls organization where they would be sleeping together. And while a child of seven is certainly no threat, as she points out, the Girl Scouts include girls through 12th grade, meaning 18 year olds.So you would end up eventually with a bunch of adolescent  boys(in terms of sex equipment),none of whom, of course, who would have had SRS yet, probably most not even on hormones, sleeping in the same tent with adolescent girls.Let's be honest with ourselves, that is potentially a very dangerous situation,and it is understandable that parents would be alarmed about the prospect.We shouldn't become  paranoid and lash out at every honest critic and sceptic who may have a valid point about something,or you will merely reinforce the opinion of those that say that we are merely crazy,and that GID doesn't exist.

  CindyLou:
  A report that I read about the Israeli Kibbutz (Jewish communes), says that coed dorming of children causes no adverse effects on those children.  They sleep in the same dorm, shower together, play together.  When the child gets to a certain stage of development, they go to the bachelor dorms.  When they marry, it is someone from outside the Kibbutz.  Rarely they marry someone from within their Kibbutz. 
  I agree in that those transgender MtF kids going through male adolescence should then drop out.  The ones on puberty blockers, another story.  The GSA should make certain rules involving the guidelines that a transgender child must go through.  These may include: Treatment of GID from a physician; and/or letter from a licensed therapist, indicating GID and the child is going full time; plus some other things. 
  Joelene

I don't necessarily concede that a trans-girl of, say, 16, is as motivated to assume the male-role in a sexual encounter (consensual or otherwise) as a cis-male of the same age would be.

Ultimately, there would be little difference  in the situation and a troop in which one or more of the members was a lesbian.

Quote from: Tammy Hope on February 05, 2012, 06:21:33 PM
I don't necessarily concede that a trans-girl of, say, 16, is as motivated to assume the male-role in a sexual encounter (consensual or otherwise) as a cis-male of the same age would be.

Ultimately, there would be little difference  in the situation and a troop in which one or more of the members was a lesbian.

Yes! It seems as if the largest argument against including a "boy" (emphasis on the scare quotes) in the Girl Scouts is the possibility of sex or rape. It baffles me how it doesn't occur to them that those things can happen among cis girls.