Transgendered student told she will not be coming back next year

[joeglow3]

In Omaha, there was a 2nd grader who went to a Catholic grade school as a boy for 3 years. Her parents wanted to enroll her has a girl next year and the school sent a letter saying she would not be allowed to attend next year.

I just heard this last Friday on a local radio show (her mother was a guest), but have seen ZERO media coverage beyond this. What does it take for the mainstream media to pick up on these issues?

[hedgehog]

1. Whatever the excuse, that is just plain wrong of the school.

[ThomCat]

2. I would love to know more about this situation.

Good for the parents for supporting the child's gender identity. If the child is self-identifying as a girl and the parents are supporting this then this is wonderful. It is so rare for parents to even be aware, much less supportive.

But unfortunately the school is going to get a whole lot of support for what they are doing. Parents of young children are going to be very defensive about their kids being exposed to any kind of gender or sexual identity issues, even tangentially.

And, as a private school, they are going to have a right to determine who can attend and who can't. LGBT kids aren't protected from discrimination in any way. :(

I'll bet there is a hell of a story going on here.

[Warpy]

3. Is she crazy? They're doing her child a favor!

Do you know what those animals known as school children will do to a kid who was a boy last year but who shows up as a girl this year?

Some people just aren't thinking things through here.

Kids need the geographical cure sometimes. This is one of them.

Sure, their motives are awful. However, the kid wouldn't last long if they did let her come back.

[enlightenment]

5. I agree.

Particularly at such a young age. They'll eat her alive. Even adult transgenders sometimes move from the city where they were living during their reassignment, just to make a completely new start.

I applaud her parents' support, but it would be far better for the child to start a new school with her new identity.

[HereSince1628]

6. I can't imagine a transendered person would want to be catholic any longer?

The Vatican issued a confidential document to the heads of religious orders in 2003, stating that gender reassignment surgery does not change the sex of a person. The document barred Catholics who underwent sex-change operations from getting married in the church or entering the priesthood or religious life. The document also gave religious superiors the authority to expel a priest, brother or sister from a religious order if they had already undergone the procedure.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. First off, she's 7-years-old, I don't think she's making any decisions based on Vatican declarations

Secondly, many Catholics pretty much just ignore whatever the hell the Vatican spouts off about.

[YOY]

8. According to some DUers Catholics run hand and hand with Talibornagains.

I don't think most of those DUers are or ever were Catholic. Hell, I'm an Agnostic-former-Catholic myself and I can't bring myself to hate the church with a fraction of the ire some folks have here.

Like you insinuated. Most Catholics are not RW nut jobs who lock step with Papal declarations. Not the ones I was raised with...maybe a few but not even a strong percentage.

[YOY]

9. Kids at my Catholic grade school kickced the shit out of me on a daily basis.

and THAT was just because I was chubby and shy...

[Warpy]

10. I was undersized, shy and smart

They kicked the crap out of me harder in public school, but at least public school didn't have priests coming in every few days telling me it was my duty to die over nothing.

[Zenlitened]

11. That's a genuine concern, I agree. But...

... there's another aspect to this that's often overlooked.

This girl is trying to embrace her identity, not create a new one. There is value in continuity: She, like any TS person, has a right to maintain ownership of her own past if she chooses.

Again, I understand your point, and I can appreciate that you'd be concerned for her safety. I am too!

I also realize that we're talking about a 7-year-old here... so all my talk of her "owning" her history and identity might seem a bit high-falutin' to say the least.

But I just wanted to make the point. Some of the TS people I've known carry around a world of hurt, in part because a piece of their own personal narrative had to go missing, had to be "disappeared" when they transitioned.

Maybe this girl will feel a little bit more whole, more able to say "I am me" when all is said and done.

Though the school, unfortunately, is doing what it can to make the experience as painful and alienating as possible. Often, to me, it seems that's what religion is for. :(

[bunnies]

4. Private schools are free to discriminate.

Its their "right".

[joeglow3]

12. Good to see the mainstream media is FINALLY picking this up

http://www.ketv.com/news/19474067/detail.html

[joeglow3]

13. For those who want to hear the mother

http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=ScottVoorhees.xml

Look for the item titled "Transgender Child - Church Issue"

NOTE: Yes, I know the host is conservative, but I grew up with him, so I tolerate it.



http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=TomBeckaShow.xml

Look for the item titled "May 14th 2009 Six o'clock hour"

Tom Becka is a bit more middle of the road.