Keywords:
trans advocacy, parenting, support, outness, trans, advocacy
trans advocacy, parenting, support, outness, trans, advocacy
*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: And, there are a lot of really awesome youth in Ottawa that I’ve met through Around the Rainbow, that they are 15, 16, 17, that are gender-non-conforming, that are advocating within their schools and advocating within Ottawa. And, I think that’s sort of where that change is going to come from. It’s going to be a combination of the youth, and the - like the youth that have been supported by their parents are going to become very strong leaders, and then also the parents of the trans kids are also advocating, and those two groups of people will work together and help people that are more marginalized that didn’t have a chance to come forward and talk, because maybe nobody supported them when they were a child, and then things are going to get changed that way. That’s what I would think. Because the young people are very, they live in a different world where this stuff is not a big deal. And I think those people are going to become the leaders, maybe not in one year. And then, when my child is going to high school, I don’t even think these things are going to be as big of an issue. Because the people whose kids are young now, are the ones who are pushing the way for trans rights I guess, whereas gay and lesbian people, when I was in high school, that wasn’t even being talked about. I knew like one, two kids in my whole high school of like 1,000 people that were openly gay. And I’m sure, now, looking back on it, there were a lot more than just those two kids, but nobody knew it. And, it’s the same way now, like a lot of the school, okay well there’s one trans kid right now, but even my kid said that she’s not the only one in the school, and that somebody, one of the kids has talked to her about it. And, I think that’s how it happens, one person is brave enough and then other people will look to that person as the leader, and then everybody kind of works together.
Transcript
Dawn: And, there are a lot of really awesome youth in Ottawa that I’ve met through Around the Rainbow, that they are 15, 16, 17, that are gender-non-conforming, that are advocating within their schools and advocating within Ottawa. And, I think that’s sort of where that change is going to come from. It’s going to be a combination of the youth, and the - like the youth that have been supported by their parents are going to become very strong leaders, and then also the parents of the trans kids are also advocating, and those two groups of people will work together and help people that are more marginalized that didn’t have a chance to come forward and talk, because maybe nobody supported them when they were a child, and then things are going to get changed that way. That’s what I would think. Because the young people are very, they live in a different world where this stuff is not a big deal. And I think those people are going to become the leaders, maybe not in one year. And then, when my child is going to high school, I don’t even think these things are going to be as big of an issue. Because the people whose kids are young now, are the ones who are pushing the way for trans rights I guess, whereas gay and lesbian people, when I was in high school, that wasn’t even being talked about. I knew like one, two kids in my whole high school of like 1,000 people that were openly gay. And I’m sure, now, looking back on it, there were a lot more than just those two kids, but nobody knew it. And, it’s the same way now, like a lot of the school, okay well there’s one trans kid right now, but even my kid said that she’s not the only one in the school, and that somebody, one of the kids has talked to her about it. And, I think that’s how it happens, one person is brave enough and then other people will look to that person as the leader, and then everybody kind of works together.