It was shaping up to be one of those Fridays on which I would have no inspiration to write anything. Then, completely by accident as I perused some of my favorite blogs, inspiration struck. And hard. This is going to be quick because I am not in any way qualified to talk about the transgender experience, so in place of the time you would usually take to read a full diary, take the seven minutes to watch the video below. Follow me below the fold...
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From the Daily Mail:
When Jeff and Hillary Whittington, of San Diego, got the news in 2007 that they were having a daughter, the couple had no idea that in a few years' time they will be raising a son instead.
Last Thursday, the family were honored at the 6th annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, accepting the Inspiration Award after presenting a stirring video showing their daughter Ryland's female-to-male transition.
The six-year-old dressed in a smart suit and tie, his hair cut short, stood next to a podium and read his prepared remarks from a sheet of paper, declaring to the audience: 'My name is Ryland Whittington. I am transgender kid.'
And here's the video. Have some Kleenex handy.
Two things stuck out to me. First, that statistic: 41 percent of transgender people attempt suicide, compared to the national average of 4.6 percent. Second, that quote from the Whittingtons:
We signed up as parents with no strings attached...
That 41 percent of transgender people see no other relief to their pain than through suicide speaks volumes about us as a collective. Were every parent to take the "no strings attached" philosophy that
should be common sense...well, it would certainly be a
step toward a better society, for transgender people and all of us.
TOP PHOTOS
May 29, 2014
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