Usually I keep quiet on such topics but I’m becoming increasingly concerned by the amount of hate coming at people like me from the very party I have supported for years.
We’re not after you kids!!! In fact I pray that you never have a child that is transgender and has to go through the absolute hell I have. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
But it does happen. It can and does happen to children, I know. I was a child that had to hide and cower in fear for my very life whenever some bully or even adult and in one instance even a family member found out about me.
I don’t want any kid to get beat up on the bus like I did because other kids found out I preferred to play with girls toys and that I liked boys. I don’t want any kid to want to end their own life like I did because I hated my body and knew there was nothing I could do about it. I don’t want any kid to be left out and marginalized because they are too effeminate for a boy. I don’t want any kid to be ostracized and made fun of because they don’t want to play with girls’ toys and would rather climb trees and play with Tonka trucks. I don’t want any kid to lay in bed at night and cry, praying that God would cause them to be in an accident that would require their private parts to be removed.
And you know what else I don’t want? I don’t want any school telling kids that they can just pick their gender based on their mood at any given time. I don’t want schools even talking about sexuality until and if or when their parents want them to be exposed to such education.
I don’t want a fetishist using the excuse of being transgender as a means to prey on others or enter private places that would facilitate their perversion or bring harm to another adult or God forbid, a child.
I don’t want any parent to have to go through the absolute heartbreak of finding out their child is not the son or daughter they thought they had. I don’t want any parent to have to live in constant fear for their child’s safety. No parent should have to lay awake at night worrying that their child may take their own life because they hate their bodies.
What I want is for everyone to understand that any child that is suffering from gender Identity disorder didn’t choose it. It’s not the parents fault. It’s not some propaganda that made them this way, it is how they were born.
You can’t preach it out of them, you can’t counsel it out of them and you certainly can’t beat it out of them. These children did not choose to be this way any more than a child would choose to have autism, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. If it were a choice no one would choose any of these.
I’ll tell you what I do want. I want parents to teach their kids compassion for those who are different. I want schools to reinforce respect for others who are not like everyone else. I want all kids to feel safe and loved. I want all kids to grow up completely normal and not be forced to believe they are something they cannot be. This goes for the non-trans kids too. I want every kid to be who they are on the outside as much as they are on the inside. I want trained and experienced mental health professionals that can discern true gender identity disorder from just the hormonal confusion that comes with being a kid without trying to convince the child to feel one way or the other. I want health care professionals to have the knowledge and skills that will help these kids navigate life until they are mature enough to make permanent changes. I want kids to be as comfortable in their own bodies as they can be until such time as they can make informed decisions and fully understand the consequences. I want parents to be able to provide this care without fear that their children are going to be ripped from their homes and forced into “reeducation” homes. I want kids to feel safe at home and not have to worry that they are going to be abused or kicked out for not being what their parents expected them to be.
Being transgender is hard enough without all the angst that comes with being a growing human being.
You can argue all you want about kids not being able to decipher who they are and who they like but ask yourself this question. How did you know what you were without anyone telling you? How did you know who you are attracted to without outside influence convincing you as to what was appropriate?
Our only agenda is just to live and not be touted as the latest boogeyman for whatever group wants to stir up fear for their own gain.
Yes, there are predators. Yes there are perverts and pedophiles that would use gender identity as a ploy for their own sexual gratification. This definitely requires everyone to be self aware and watch your children but don’t rush to judgment just based on your own prejudices.
Most people like me just want to live as normal of a life as possible. We just want to find love. We just want to pursue liberty and happiness. We’re not asking for preferential treatment, we just want to be treated equally. Nothing more, nothing less.