4 Corners tonight

[Jenny07]

To all Aussie members don't forget to watch 4 corners tonight as it is about young TS in Oz.
Seems to be gaining traction here but I am sure it will hurt as I will be able to relate to it all and lament what could have been.

J

[Cindy]

Some ofd it was filmed at the ANZPATH conference and there is some good news in it as well!

Ahhh, I ended up on the cutting floor so my staggeringly awesome TV presence will have to wait.

[immortal gypsy]

Do they put it on the Web?  My aerial is still busted so I don't have a tv right now

[Cindy]

Yes they have it on iview and they are going to use twitter for questions (or so I was told).

For info:
From: Catherine Scott [mailto:Scott.Catherine@abc.net.au]
Sent: Thursday, 13 November 2014 2:15 PM
To: 'cscott@tig.com.au'
Subject: 'Being Me' a Four Corners program about transgender kids this Mon night Nov 17

Hi there,

Four Corners has an upcoming program about transgender kids that I thought you might be interested in. Please see a brief synopsis below.

Synopsis
In a compelling ABC documentary, Four Corners follows 11 year old Isabelle through her journey to come out as a transgender girl. The program talks to Isabelle, her parents, and doctors about her challenges and the medical treatments available to help Isabelle. We see her at primary school and talk to her principal about her transition from a boy to a girl and how the small country community has reacted. Four Corners also explores the changing legal and medical landscape for transgender kids.

We welcome your input before, on the evening and post broadcast and hope our program will play a small role in a very important discussion around transgender kids and their futures.

You can watch a brief excerpt from the program here:

Post

.

We'll be posting more videos and info on our facebook page over the next few days in the lead up to the program so please do check in again on Saturday and Monday!

We'd love it if you could share these videos and information with your community on Facebook or through enews on your website. We also invite you to join the conversation on twitter at @4corners or #4corners.

Our press release is attached and there is also more information available on our website: http://www.abc.net.au/4cor.../stories/2014/11/13/4127631.htm

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Any ideas on how to get the word out would also be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Catherine Scott
Producer Four Corners
0405 338186

[Cindy]

The tears are streaming down my face.

Watch this if you can

[BreezyB]

Thanks girls I'll definetly be watchng this.

[Jenny07]

Just finished watching it and it was well done and put it in the right light.
Very brave children.
However it had many trigger for me as I came out to my mum at 4 years old. She knew and would have done something.
She died before I was 10 and I had a homophobic father. Opportunity was lost forever and I had to survive.

I could really feel for the young children as how important it is for them to be themselves. Something I was unable to do until recently.

J

[helen2010]

Great show

[EchelonHunt]

I may be watching this with my mother tonight, it depends if she wants to watch it though.

Just reading the blurb for the episode gives me mixed feelings.

One, I am happy for her.

Two, I feel betrayed by how the system has treated me in WA and I wonder where in Oz this was filmed?

There needs to be more education for those who are suffering as children. When I was 12-17, I didn't know what transgender was, I didn't know how I could describe my feelings that ate away at my mind over the years. All I knew at 15-17 that my breasts and reproductive organs were wrong, I didn't want them there - but of course, that doesn't necessarily translate to, "I'm not a girl, I'm a boy.", does it now? 

I assumed turning of legal age at 18 that I would be allowed to transition and start HRT. At the time, I had seen many people online get their letter for hormones within 3-6 months in the US, some longer, some shorter. I had to wait four years. Four years might not be much to some people as I'm aware older folks have waited or struggled with their identity for much longer than I, but it was a lot for the younger me, who had been suffering depression and suicidal thoughts since puberty began at the age of 12-13.

Two gender psychiatrists I saw in the Perth area who were the one of the few who had years experience in the field, they both followed the strict guidelines of only allowing the individual to have hormones when they reach the age of 21, when the decision-making part of the brain finishes developing. Getting a second opinion from another psychiatrist who diagnosed me with gender dysphoria evidently wasn't suffice enough to allow me to start HRT earlier than 21. What really upset me was someone I knew was allowed HRT as soon as they turned 18, I felt cheated but I had to remind myself that they probably knew themselves earlier than I did.

I know a lot of this is probably immensely off-topic but I'm not going to apologize for it. I will watch it, I'm happy for her but I'm still bitter at how I've been treated in the past by health professionals. It's great there's been changes happening now and that people are quick to help transgender kids, it's wonderful and I hope it continues in a positive manner.

[Cindy]

I cried for my lost childhood.

If only Michelle had been around when I needed her.

I sent an email to her and I'm talking to her tomorrow night.

Page BTW is as marvelous lovely man as he came across. He was in agony when doing that interview but kept going.

[Jenny07]

Cindy

You were not alone in shedding tears.
Say hello for all of us.

I wish the same to.

Hugs J

[rosinstraya]

A lot of mixed emotions.

I was really happy that these very brave (argh!) people were standing tall and telling their stories. Even happier that that the two girls had such wonderful, loving and supportive parents.

But I also remembered my own very difficult emotional times at those ages and how a lot of my emotional core got flattened through (variously) loss of a parent, having the other parent bedridden for a year, one sibling attempting suicide and another going to jail. And just the assumption that everything is screwed and you can't do anything to sort out that "noise" in your head, the noise that knows you are a girl.

It was really pleasing that the show was telling stories and was not "oh look, how very strange!" exploitation.. I hope it really can help change a few minds for the better.