Raising a transgender 9 year old

[QuietContraryMary]

www.autostraddle.com/like-the-other-kids-raising-my-trans-child-in-a-cissexist-world-439567/

" I’m super queer, and my co-parent is a trans woman, "

"My child came out as transgender when she was in preschool. She’s nine now. "

"the kids moved to the splash pad area of the playground."

Just get wet in your clothes!” I yell to my kid.

“But it will be uncomfortable! Can I take my shirt off like the other kids? Please?”

“No, because those kids are boys, and you are a girl,"

"My child is standing on the shoulders of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Jazz Jennings, and everyone else that has fought so hard for a world where a preschooler can realize she is transgender, be supported by her school’s policies, and have the resources she needs. "

"I’ve mostly vanquished that voice in my head that says I’m not good enough because I’m not straight, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone. I call her Brenda, after Katya Zamolodchikova’s negative voice. "

[note: Katya Zamolodchikova is a drag character played by an Irish American from Florida, on RuPaul's drag race]

"During a talk with the principal, she casually said “All kids mimic their parents, and that’s fine.” Ice ran down my spine; I knew she was revealing that she thinks my kid is only trans because her mama is"

"When I met my child’s first grade teacher, she said that she thinks it’s best to just let my child “be gender neutral” — why make her choose? She went on to explain that she didn’t think such labels were “helpful for childhood development.” My head swirled with this casual condemnation of my parenting and my child’s gender. This teacher had clearly never heard about the struggles agender and genderqueer people go through, either"

"When she says “I wear dresses because I’m a girl,” she’s speaking about her own experiences as a transgender child. “Boys can wear dresses, too, honey,” could seem like I’m saying that wearing dresses isn’t enough for her to be considered a girl."

Catherine Kelly is a social justice organizer, parent, and a queer/bi femme. When not writing, parenting, or bartending, she's usually riding her bike somewhere to eat.

(sorry I have no possible words that could do this justice.)

There is not enough swearing in the world to capture my response to that...

likewise
that and the yoni article.....I'm not often at a loss for words but....

What is queer/bi? I thought everything was queer as a catch all term?

Also bi is transphobic, no? There are seven billion genders, after all.

My child came out as transgender when she was in preschool

vegan cat

That first grade teacher tried, bless her, to wind back the total commitment to the ideology for the benefit of the child.

transgender in preschool? Nope. I’m not on board with that.

Well done tha principal too. I wanted to be just like my parents when I was young. But of course a preschooler coming out as transgender must be them knowing their real gendered soul rather than the learning by imitating that they will be doing in basically every other area of their life.

My 9yo female child runs around in the splash park with no top on. Why wouldn't she? My 11yo one doesn't, but that's her choice.

That's just very sad, poor child.

During a talk with the principal, she casually said “All kids mimic their parents, and that’s fine.”

I’m getting sidetracked wondering whether that’s true.

“When she says “I wear dresses because I’m a girl,” she’s speaking about her own experiences as a transgender child. “Boys can wear dresses, too, honey,” could seem like I’m saying that wearing dresses isn’t enough for her to be considered a girl."”

Lots to notice there.

my daughter wears a shirt in the splash pad

do you think catherine was too prudish to talk about the key physical difference between their child and 9 year old girls? a shirt is not going to cover up the fact that Catherine's child has a penis.

Lost for words.

She is saying that because her child has a penis, that her child is obliged to act out the most effete sort of female stereotype at all times, because the worst thing that could possibly happen is that someone thinks her child has a penis. I think that is what she is saying?

" I knew she was revealing that she thinks my kid is only trans because her mama is""

I didn't quite follow this, who is the 'trans mama' here? Is 'Catherine' a transwoman, and not the uterus-owner? Or does Catherine merely 'identify' as trans, without actually being trans? Or is the transwoman co-parent the 'mama', perhaps Catherine has some other epithet?

“They were all straight as fuck” sneers woman in heterosexual relationship. Wonder if she asked or just assumed their sexuality.

Sorry to say this but transgender doesn't exist...nature gives you a gender and you can't change that....a male is a biochemical system and every chromosome is either male or female ..a female can't have a penis and a male can't have a vagina...men are 35% stronger than women....it's chemical impossible to be transgender....a man that wants to become a woman can never know period hormonal discomfort and pain... Also he can never know how a woman thinks because a woman has high levels of estrogen and progesterone...these have a direct affect on the brain and how a woman thinks...a man has many more times testerone this also has a direct affect on the brain and thinking...for these reasons I do not believe transgender can ever exist ...you can't change nature...I don't believe in genetically modified food and I don't believe in transgender both for the same reason...

This has to be a parody, surely?

• co parent a TW but apparently no link at all to boy's decision to 'come out' as trans when a very young child

-author confidently states that her child's teachers are 'straight as fuck' (did she just assume their sexuality?)

• even weirder, she suggests that the teachers' sexuality is relevant to their professional understanding of child development

When my child started kindergarten at her public school, the staff there were really excited to implement their new professional development. They were eager to give my child interventions, such as an in-school therapist. They used all the proper language. They were committed to welcoming my child. And they were all straight as fuck. They were honestly so into themselves and how prepared they were to be an ally to my child that it was hard for me to point out just how wrong they were.

You see this sort of 'us and them' tone all over antivax and unschooling sites.

Saying they were straight as fuck is actually bigotry....the very groups that claim discrimination have to learn not to discriminate themselves

From what I can gather the author is in a heterosexual relationship and has a very traditional concept of gender, but identifies as ‘progressive’.

dear oh dear. Let him ne a gay boy ffs.

I have no words.

Well, two: child abuse.

I assume this is the USA. Its no wonder US medical insurance is so prohibitively expensive when delusione like this are medicaliaed.

Build it and they will come.

That poor fucking child. Trans preschoolers FFS. Ruining brand new lives.