20/20 Special, Transgender Children and their Families

[Kate Thomas]

The following is a from a listserver group that a member of.
Kate Alice

Special 20/20 with Barbara Walters

Tune into ABC's 20/20 for a very special program with
Barbara Walters Friday Night, April 27th, 2007.

This program will portray the true meaning of UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE as Barbara intimately explores the lives of three
incredible families and their transgender children.

These pioneering families are members of a support group for
families of transgender children of all ages sponsored by
PFLAG affiliate TransFamily of Cleveland. This group
currently encompasses nearly 400 families from all over the
United States, Canada, England, and Australia. All three
have children who have been diagnosed by medical
professionals as transgendered, and all are under continuous
observation by professional family therapists and medical
support staff.

Raising a transgender child involves the usual problems of
raising children, with the added burden of trying to
understand what transgender entails - and explaining it to
your family, neighbors, family physician, and school
administrators. There is the constant threat that someone
will attempt to remove your child - or even all your
children - from your home - as has happened to some families
in the recent past. There is the sure knowledge that there
will be questions, comments, and probably harassment by
other children, both in school and at play.

Tune in, watch, and learn how these three families are
coping as they demonstrate the true meaning of unconditional
love for their child.

[zombiesarepeaceful]

W00t. I don't work friday..maybe I'll put it on tv and hide the remote. Force my mom to watch it.

[Kate]

Just bumping the topic to remind everyone this is on tonight (4/27/07)

~Kate~

[Laura Elizabeth Jones]

I thought that the show was really good. Especially when they talked about "Riley", that was a very touching story. The part where she broke down crying....man, that was sad, I almost broke down crying myself. The first story was touching too. My only complaint was that only around 15 minutes went to FtM TS, but it was only an hour show. Hopefully, they will do another show on TSism again in the future.

[Kate]

I thought that the show was really good. Especially when they talked about "Riley", that was a very touching story...

Yes, I thought it was VERY nicely done. And yet, it was heartbreaking too. Riley's story touched me too... much moreso than the others for some reason.

I loved the part about, "What do you tell them when they call you a boy?"

"I tell them to shut up," lol...

What a wonderful and brave young girl. I could learn a thing or two from her

~Kate~

[tinkerbell]

It is 9:20 P.M. here in Utopia.  40 more minutes to go.  I will not miss it!

tink  

[Laura Elizabeth Jones]

Yes, I thought it was VERY nicely done. And yet, it was heartbreaking too. Riley's story touched me too... much moreso than the others for some reason.

I loved the part about, "What do you tell them when they call you a boy?"

"I tell them to shut up," lol...

What a wonderful and brave young girl. I could learn a thing or two from her

Yeah, I felt the same way for some reason, and when she said that I cracked up. 

Edit: Fixed quotes ~ Kate

[Teri Anne]

I thought it was a very good show.  It was especially interesting because it dealt with TS children rather than the usual, adults.  I do wonder about the therapists definitively pronouncing the kids as being TG.  I think a healthier way would be, as one of the parents commented, "we're just going to follow [our child's] lead."

I was confused at one point in the show where the therapist stated that female hormones will not keep these young biologically male children from getting low voices and adams apples.  I thought that when you transition very young as an M2F you could avoid having your voice get low in puberty by taking estrogen and anti-androgens.  Am I incorrect in thinking that?

I knew it would be a hard show, at points, for me to watch.  For some reason, watching a show like this brings up a lot of painful memories and so I look at each show like this as a mixed blessing.  It's hard for me to watch but I tell myself that a larger good is hopefully being accomplished:  that the world will come to understand us or at least tolerate us just a little more. 

Unfortunately, the people who really need to watch this show probably won't.  During my transitioning in 1999, I still have horrid memories of a minister telling a crowd at church how post-op TS's were "butchering their bodies."  Ministers like that feel that what they read in the bible backs up their bigotted positions. 

I don't know what will become of the girl in the middle of the show who cried.  She seemed so sad.  I wish that she could move to another town and get a new start.  But, as we know, news about us is hard to hide.  In telling other parents what their child is, there is always the chance that one of the parents will "spread the word" to everyone in the school and community.

I sometimes feel like I'm an albatross who keeps getting dragged back to the ground by gravity.  But when we're in the air, life seems so right and so free.

Teri Anne

[Traci]

Hey there girlfriend!

You're absolutely right! Testosterone blockers prevent the development of the deep voice. It's only after the vocal chords have formed completely throughout male puberty do males have the permanently formed deep voice. Testosterone blockers do aid in maintaining the voice at the pre-adolescent stage.
It's the adult M2F transsexual who can't lose the voice and needs training and voice therapy.

Traci

[Kate]

Thank you Barbara

A coworker of mine just came back to tell me that she watched the 20/20 program, and how it just broke her heart. Especially Riley's story. Riley's breakdown into tears communicated more about us than all the words in the world I think.

Apparently, her girlfriend had called her to tell her it was on (apparently she and her friend talked about me), so I'm hopeful there was even more interest from friends and relatives of those I've told. And the same for all of you.

The fact that these kids knew from such an early age really made the point with her and her friend. And the pain and torture these kids are feeling being so obvious.

It's encouraging to see shows like this DO have a positive impact.

~Kate~

[RebeccaFog]

I didn't see the show (because I was afraid of asking the SO to change the channel  )

  Unlike us these children have a chance to make their situation known. They have a chance to deal with their conditions openly. I understand that it is still painful to them, but I think they will have better adulthoods because they will not only have a better understanding of themselves, but they will also have had a chance to develop support systems in their lives and to create their own identities.
  The worst thing is lying to yourself and trying to hide it all of the time the way most of us have had to do.


  God bless the little ones.