This past week has been very difficult for me. I shared a thoughtful op-ed piece on my Facebook feed about gender fluidity and pronouns. I received lots of supportive and positive comments from my FB family. Then, I got a comment that stopped me cold. A cousin, who I had just recently reconnected with on FB posted this long comment spouting anti-trans rhetoric and referencing TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminism). She recommended I read a crazy-pants book called Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. I asked Thing 1 if they had heard about this book. They sent me a link to a Psychology Today article about the book – https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/political-minds/202012/new-book-irreversible-damage-is-full-misinformation.
I was so stunned by this post from my cousin. She was someone who had been a big part of my life when I was in college and always a positive influence. I suggested that we have a private discussion about the topic rather than in public on FB. We emailed back and forth a couple of times. I suggested some resources from the other side of the issue to give her some balance. The responses got shorter and sharper as the correspondence progressed. She was obviously not interested in learning anything and she was pretty insulting to me about Thing 1.
Today, I wrote her a final email saying that “your beliefs are forcing me to choose between our relationship and Thing 1. I choose Thing 1. Goodbye.” It hurts to have to lose someone that has been important to me, but ultimately, I feel very empowered. I refuse to keep someone in my life who can be so cruel to people, especially children, who are just trying to live as their authentic self.
So, on to something positive! I recently discovered the book I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas.
While it was published back in 2014, it was new to me. What a fantastic picture book and so inspiring! A true story, Jazz figured out at the age of two that she had “a girl’s brain in a boy’s body”. Her family (parents, older siblings) were all confused until a doctor introduced the concept of transgender to them. At that point, Jazz’s family became completely supportive of her choices, firm in their belief that Jazz knew herself better than anyone else.
“The story balances this acceptance with honest acknowledgement of others’ ongoing confusion and intermittent cruelty, and it briefly addresses Jazz’s exclusion from girls’ soccer in her state. Ultimately, Jazz’s self-acceptance, bolstered by her family’s support and advocacy, acts as a beacon for readers, trans- and cisgender alike.”(Kirkus Review)
And this was only the beginning for Jazz! Her parents, Greg & Jeanette Jennings, along with Jazz and another family, founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation in 2007.
The TKPRF “is committed to the premise that Gender Dysphoria is something a child can’t control and it is society that needs to change, not them. Families need to support their children and be encouraged to allow them to grow-up free of gender roles.”
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life.
UK National Health Service definition
Now, 19, Jazz is the star of GLAAD Award winning TLC series, “I Am Jazz”. She has appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters, been interviewed by Oprah, met former President Barak Obama at the White House, and is the recipient of a vast array of well-deserved awards. She is a YouTuber, spokesmodel, television personality, an HRC youth Ambassador, author, and LGBTQ rights activist. She constantly travels the country advocating for the rights of the transgender community. A true shining star in our rainbow sky!
For more information on TKPRF and Jazz Jennings, check out the website and follow them on social media: TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, Jazz Jennings, and @TKPRF.
Marti Johns 