Are Things Looking Up?

In the course of the past few days, I have come across two articles that I would like to share with you. There are so many great resources out there for people who want to learn more. Sometimes it can all be quite overwhelming. The thing I like about these two articles are that they are both on the shorter end, which I find to be more suitable, especially when sharing with someone who isn’t familiar with the transgender world.

I like the way both read. The first is on using the correct term- transgender. And the second is about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s child, John. If you have read much in the news about anything trans, you have probably noticed that so many of these pieces, while being informative, sometimes border on being sensationalistic, well, okay…..some are blatantly sensationalistic. The two links I shared don’t give me that feeling.

In the Times piece, I especially like the reference to mistakenly using “transgendered” and correcting it. I hope you will give it a read.

Why It’s Best to Avoid the Word “Transgendered”

I read this next one this morning. It’s nothing new-just about Brad and Angelina’s child, who goes by John. In one of the groups I’m in online, some people expressed criticism by perceived pronoun misuse. In response to that I have to say that I have read nothing that suggests that John, Brad or Angelina have asked for male pronouns to be used. I admire that they are matter-of-fact and letting John figure things out. I think this is one of the better articles written about younger children and gender identity. Hey, if it takes Brad and Angelina to help people be more accepting, I say go for it!

Angelina Jolie’s daughter ‘wants to be called John’. How should parents react to children questioning gender roles?

Seeing these two pieces so close together has to make me wonder. Is the trend slowly shifting? Are we finally reaching a point where we can find respectful, informative articles on this topic without making it out to be some freak show thing? I want to believe so. I know it’s possible. It just requires people to be more compassionate and open-minded.

What do you think?

Have a good Friday and a good weekend!

K

Writer’s Quote Wednesday- 12/17/14

I chose this quote from Dr. Seuss for a few reasons. First of all, it hangs in our house as a reminder to all of us to be ourselves and not put on pretenses. In the past few years, as we realized that not all of our family and friends would be accepting of the changes that were taking place in our family, we truly understood and appreciated the importance of those people who are REAL with us. It wasn’t just my son, Kris, who was transitioning, but all of us. I feel like Kris gave us all strength to be who we really are. I hoped that I taught my kids to stand up for what and who they believe in, but it wasn’t until we were faced with less than supportive relatives and friends that I saw them completely embody the concept. In regard to writing, it’s so vital to find your voice and let it shine through in your words. You need to write for yourself and your words will find the right people. I’ve always related quite strongly to this quote. Dr. Seuss was so much more than that guy who wrote “The Cat in the Hat”.

Thank you to Silver Threading for hosting Writer’s Quote Wednesday! Please head over to her blog to check out all the quotes  other bloggers are sharing and take a look at her blog, too. You are going to want to read her cool posts about The Swamp Fairy.