It is hard to deny your own family and when one of your family comes out as trans for most families it is hard to reject your own son or daughter. Yes, there are religious conservative or bigots who are so transphobic that do cast their child out on the street but most families don’t.
We tend to change family members views on trans people, it moves it from an obscure concept to reality. And it is even more dramatic if the family member is a legislator,
There are a number of legislators who have relatives that are trans; here in Connecticut one of the state legislators announced that he has a transgender cousin when we were passing our law in 2011. He spoke about his cousin who had just transitioned from male to female. He said that he sent his cousin a Christmas card using her female name and received a thank you from her telling him how she cherished the card.
As more people transition it will also mean that more family members also become aware firsthand about transgender us, our struggles and the battles that we face.
We tend to change family members views on trans people, it moves it from an obscure concept to reality. And it is even more dramatic if the family member is a legislator,
Rep. Mike Honda tweets he is 'proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild'Just by reading the comments he will get an idea the discrimination and bigotry she will face.
San Jose Mercury News
By Julia Prodis
POSTED: 02/18/2015
SAN JOSE -- U.S. Rep. Mike Honda announced in a tweet Wednesday that he is "the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild," sparking an immediate outpouring of support for the Democratic congressman -- who said he hopes she "can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied."
Along with the tweet, Honda posted a photo of himself with his arm tightly around his grandchild, who has shoulder-length hair and a sweet smile.
[…]
"It's surprising just to hear a congressperson tweet something like that, but that's the beginning of something new, especially for transgender people who have been going through a lot of discrimination with their gender identity," said Adriana Covarrubias, who was volunteering at the center [San Jose's Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center] Wednesday afternoon. "As a grandparent, he's going to see the things the child is going to go through."
There are a number of legislators who have relatives that are trans; here in Connecticut one of the state legislators announced that he has a transgender cousin when we were passing our law in 2011. He spoke about his cousin who had just transitioned from male to female. He said that he sent his cousin a Christmas card using her female name and received a thank you from her telling him how she cherished the card.
As more people transition it will also mean that more family members also become aware firsthand about transgender us, our struggles and the battles that we face.
Nice post about a nice item about a good grandfather. Too bad you could not resist put aside your personal prejudices and lack of tolerance and felt the need to disparage all religious people and all conservatives (social and/or fiscal) by equating them with bigots.
ReplyDeleteMy sense is that if you want acceptance and tolerance it is often best to demonstrate those characteristics rather than group all with whom you may disagree in the catagory with 'bigots'. I would see a bigot as someon who lacks tolerance of those whose thinking is different than their own.
Pat
Well first off I never painted all Christians, I said the most do not and if you have been following my blog you will know that I am very supportive of religious views.
ReplyDeleteSecond you cannot deny that there are some religious conservatives that have thrown their child out when they told them that they were gay or trans.
And third, the definition of bigot is, "a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions." I am very tolerant of other people views. What I am intolerant of are people who deny me of my basic human rights and to be treated as they treat everyone else. And you cannot deny that there are some parents there that are intolerant of their child when they come out. Just last month a trans girl committed suicide because her parents would not her transition.
I fully accept that you perceive yourself as being a tolerant person. I do follow your writings from time to time and it is your writings that often come across as the positions of a person lacking tolerance. You have a rather Alinsky like practice of creating enemies and then demonizing those perceived enemies.
ReplyDeleteSomeone close to me is an ordained Catholic Deacon and his 'special ministry' is to make the Catholic Church more open and accepting to the LGBT spectrum. He is supported in his ministry by his parish and by the diocese as well.
This Sunday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Teaneck there is a special 10:15 service to make sure that members of the LGBT community feel welcome at that church at all times. St. Paul's is the home base for the Pathways group.
There are some who do not have tolerance and there are occasions where that lack of tolerance is clouded by a religious affiliation but your constant bashing of 'religious conservatives' does little to engender tolerance and it is my position that those who want tolerance from others should practice showing tolerance.
Pat
There is a great number of churches that are very supportive of trans issues including the Lutherans, the Episcopal Church, the Congregational, the Presbyterian Church, and many other religious denominations. I would classify those churches as moderates.
ReplyDeleteYes there are moderates within the Catholic Church but church officials have made very negative comments about trans people and they have tried to block civil rights legislation.
It is not moderates that are trying to pass “religious freedom” laws, nor are the moderates calling non-discrimination bills “bathroom bills,” it is not the moderates that are calling us “pedophiles “ but rather it is the “religious conservatives” that are opposing us.
I don’t how else to make the distinction between those that oppose us and that are neutral or support us. Would it be better if I use “non-affirming” churches?
Tolerance is an interesting word; the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word in part as, “willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own.” Would you describe the civil rights workers of the 60s of being intolerant of segregation? Would you describe the opposed as being intolerant of their oppressor?
I respect other people views, if they don’t believe that my gender identity or sexual orientation is moral that okay with me. I have no problem with that. However, if they tell me that I cannot get married because it is against their moral valves or that I cannot sit down in a public restaurant because they are offended, then I will oppose them.
I enjoyed this discussion and I let you have the last word.