LGBTQ Families Speak Out
  • Home
  • About
    • About the Project
    • About the Team
  • Videos
    • Toronto Area >
      • Alec
      • Bev
      • Catherine & Nazbah
      • Dale
      • Garrett
      • Ian, Ben, & Alexis
      • Jae & Daya
      • Jess & Evan
      • Karleen
      • Kevin & Mohan
      • Kiran
      • Lara
      • Mary
      • Nicole & Mita
      • Ruby & Wendy
      • Sarah
      • Skinner Family >
        • Skinner Parents
        • Stella & Jess
        • Stella
        • Skinner Kids
      • Victoria
    • London Area >
      • Zena & Pa
    • Ottawa Area >
      • Dawn
      • Michael & Ernst
    • Sudbury Area >
      • Brenda & Nim
      • Allie & Melissa
      • Anna
      • Dan & Chantale
      • Robin
      • Syn
      • Tobie & Andréa
      • Vincent
    • Themes >
      • Activism
      • Advice for Teachers
      • Allyship
      • Bullying
      • Community: people, resources and programs
      • Curriculum
      • Early Years & Elementary School
      • Family Structures
      • Gender Identity & Expression
      • High School
      • Indigeneity
      • Intersectionality
      • Law, Policy, & Human Rights
      • Politics of "Out"ness
      • Pride
      • Race
      • Religion
      • School Culture
      • Teacher Education
  • Out At School
    • Out at School, An Introduction
    • Out at School, Toronto Pride, 2019
    • Out At School Audio Play, 2021
  • Publications

Dawn: Safe Space for Trans Kids*

7/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Keywords:
support, trans, safe space, friends
*When Tara contacted Dawn to ask her if she approved of the way Tara used her words in a chapter in Tara’s book, Teaching Gender and Sexuality at School, out in early 2019, Dawn gave Tara an update of how her family was doing. Since her interview in November 2016, Dawn has gained full custody of her children. Her daughters have switched schools, and the new school accepts her younger daughter as trans. Dawn says it was a non-issue for the school. Dawn’s younger daughter uses her chosen name and the girls' washroom at school. None of the other children know she’s trans. Overall, Dawn says, school is a much safer place now for both her daughters.

​
Transcript

Dawn: Well, Around the Rainbow at Family Services has been a huge support, and Beck who works there is probably saving so many kids lives in the city, maybe without even knowing about it. Just by keeping a safe space, they have a playgroup for queer and trans parents and queer and trans kids. And, they have a youth group which “child’s name” can go to when she’s older. Oops I said the name, that she can go to when she’s older. And then they have a parents group which is one night a month. And they started over the summer doing a trans youth swim night. Which was really amazing because she hadn’t been wanting to go swimming at a public pool in a while, and then after going just once in the safe space, then now she’s back swimming in public pools again and using the girls’ change room, and it’s become much less of a big deal.

​So, it’s not possible to say enough about having safe spaces for trans kids, and it’s also benefitted the siblings too, like and the parents just to be able to see different types of families and to feel like you’re not the only one. And I think Beck at Family Services is probably one of the first people that I talked to, and really like all of that work that’s happening in the city, it’s really, really amazing. And also we see Dr. Feder at CHEO, and that’s helpful that it’s in the city, like it’s actually here, we don’t have to travel. So, I’m really thankful that we live in Ottawa and not you know, some remote place where there isn’t any of these services. Because I think it’s made a really big difference in her quality of life to be able to meet a lot of other kids, and she has a lot of other friends that are in close age to her that we see, so that’s definitely a positive that needs to stay going on in the city. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Transcripts

    Transcripts are available for each video clip.  Click on "read more" under each video for access.

    Tags

    All
    Acceptance
    Activism
    Advice
    Advocacy
    Advocacy: Self
    Advocacy: Trans
    Allies
    Arts
    Assumptions
    Books
    Bullying
    Catholic School
    Celebration
    Coming Out
    Community
    Community Resources
    Consent
    Conversion Therapy
    Disability
    Discrimination
    Diversity
    Education
    Equity
    Family: Chosen
    Family Dynamics
    Family Life
    Family Planning
    Family Structure
    Family Structure: Multi Parent
    Family Structure: Poly
    French
    Friends
    Gender Identity & Expression
    Gender Neutral Bathrooms
    Gender Transition
    GSA
    Healthcare
    Heteronormativity
    Homophobia
    Human Rights
    Identity
    Identity: Names & Pronouns
    Identity: Non Binary
    Identity: Trans
    Inclusive Language
    Inclusivity
    Indigenous Culture & Teachings
    Intersectionality
    Legal Issues
    Love
    Marginalized Communities
    Mental Health
    Mother's & Father's Day
    Parenting
    Participant: Kiran
    Participants: Alec
    Participants: Allie & Melissa
    Participants: Anna
    Participants: Bev
    Participants: Brenda & Nim
    Participants: Catherine & Nazbah
    Participants: Dale
    Participants: Dan & Chantale
    Participants: Dawn
    Participants: Garrett
    Participants: Ian Ben Alexis
    Participants: Jae & Daya
    Participants: Jess & Evan
    Participants: Karleen
    Participants: Kevin & Mohan
    Participants: Lara
    Participants: Mary
    Participants: Michael & Ernst
    Participants: Nicole & Mita
    Participants: Robin
    Participants: Ruby & Wendy
    Participants: Sarah
    Participants: Skinner Family
    Participants: Skinner Kids
    Participants: Skinner Parents
    Participants: Stella
    Participants: Stella & Jess
    Participants: Syn
    Participants: Tobie & Andrea
    Participants: Victoria
    Participants: Vincent
    Participants: Zena & Pa
    Policy
    Positive Space
    Poverty
    Power & Privilege
    Pride
    Professional Development
    Race & Racism
    Religion
    Representation
    Resistance
    Resources
    Role Model
    Rural
    Safety
    School Administration
    School: Alternative
    School Culture
    School: Curriculum
    School: Grades 7:12
    School: PreK Grade 6
    School: Sex Ed
    Support
    Teachers & Teaching
    Transphobia
    Visibility

Proudly powered by Weebly