Keywords:
advocacy, discrimination, parenting, trans, trans advocacy
advocacy, discrimination, parenting, trans, trans advocacy
Transcript
Alex: There’s certainly a feeling like um, we wouldn’t have to do this if our child were not transgender. But at the same time you think, well then, who’s going to, right? Like you can say, “Oh it wouldn’t be as important to me, if it didn’t affect me directly?” To think, oh why? Why would it not be as important to you?
Jessica: Like for so many little, tiny, ridiculous reasons. Like even myself, like people treated me like crap when I was little, for just silly things that shouldn’t have been true. So I really like, I really empathize with her, and it terrifies me what it’s going to be like for her. Because I know older trans people and they’re really poor, and they’re really discriminated against all the time. And it’s terrible. I know it can be different for her, but I feel like, you know, unless, I feel really passionate about doing it, I feel like if I have a voice, that I should. I feel burdened by the outside world.
Tara & Jonathon: Right.
Jessica: But not by my family structure, not by any, any conflicts they make.
Jonathon: I think to some extent, the amount of time and effort we invest in, well that and everything in the family. Like we could be dealing with this, or we could be soccer parents-
Tara: Well said.
Jonathon: Who are you know, super invested in that.
Alex: It’s not a burden, it’s like a responsibility.
Jonathon: It’s what we do!
Alex: Like a duty for our child.
Jessica: Yeah, and we could not. But we could do so much more.
Alex: Like we never advocated for ourselves like this.
Tara: Right.
Jessica: No.
Alex: And we got looks from people too, you know? But it never really mattered to us until it was our child.
Jessica: Like I won’t even hold her hand in public. If I see an older lady, I don’t want to like, make that uncomfortable for her, so I pull my hand from her.
Alex: Right. So it’s not uncomfortable for some random old lady.
Jessica: But when it comes to my trans kid, like it’s just so black and white to me. Like she should be allowed, this is her right.
Alex: I’m not going to make her hide.
Alex: There’s certainly a feeling like um, we wouldn’t have to do this if our child were not transgender. But at the same time you think, well then, who’s going to, right? Like you can say, “Oh it wouldn’t be as important to me, if it didn’t affect me directly?” To think, oh why? Why would it not be as important to you?
Jessica: Like for so many little, tiny, ridiculous reasons. Like even myself, like people treated me like crap when I was little, for just silly things that shouldn’t have been true. So I really like, I really empathize with her, and it terrifies me what it’s going to be like for her. Because I know older trans people and they’re really poor, and they’re really discriminated against all the time. And it’s terrible. I know it can be different for her, but I feel like, you know, unless, I feel really passionate about doing it, I feel like if I have a voice, that I should. I feel burdened by the outside world.
Tara & Jonathon: Right.
Jessica: But not by my family structure, not by any, any conflicts they make.
Jonathon: I think to some extent, the amount of time and effort we invest in, well that and everything in the family. Like we could be dealing with this, or we could be soccer parents-
Tara: Well said.
Jonathon: Who are you know, super invested in that.
Alex: It’s not a burden, it’s like a responsibility.
Jonathon: It’s what we do!
Alex: Like a duty for our child.
Jessica: Yeah, and we could not. But we could do so much more.
Alex: Like we never advocated for ourselves like this.
Tara: Right.
Jessica: No.
Alex: And we got looks from people too, you know? But it never really mattered to us until it was our child.
Jessica: Like I won’t even hold her hand in public. If I see an older lady, I don’t want to like, make that uncomfortable for her, so I pull my hand from her.
Alex: Right. So it’s not uncomfortable for some random old lady.
Jessica: But when it comes to my trans kid, like it’s just so black and white to me. Like she should be allowed, this is her right.
Alex: I’m not going to make her hide.