On Transitioning Transgender Youth II - The Other Side Of The Coin

by: Autumn Sandeen

Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM EDT

And, it's more of the political correct bull crap -- that you don't want to tell a kid he's a freak [*with lisp*] 'cause it might hurt his feelings.[*end lisp*] If my son -- God forbid -- if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes. I would throw a shoe at him because y'know what? Boys don't wear high heels.

--Rob Williams Arnie States of Rob, Arnie, and Dawn In The Morning™

Leave it to morning talk radio to advocate violence against transgender elementary aged youth; making the physical health of gender variant youth fodder for violence. Not since the National Association For Research & Therapy Of Homosexuality's (NARTH's) Dr. Joseph Berger advocated violence against gender variant youth (alternate documentation: Pink News and the Los Angeles Times) have we seen such heinous public comment made against trans and other gender variant youth.

What NARTH's Dr. Joseph Berger wrote about gender variant youth in 2006 was this:

I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex - but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings.

On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary.

It is a mistake for various interfering, ignorant, and biased busybodies to try to "counsel" the other children into accepting the abnormal. It is very healthy to be able to draw the line between what is healthy and what is sick.

Even Exodus International condemned Dr. Berger for this comment.

Enter Rob Williams of the Sacramento based Rob, Arnie, and Dawn In The Morning™ show, heard on Sacramento's KRXQ 98.5 and Reno's KDOT Rock 104.5.

In a whole segment that's devoted to transgender youth, Rob Williams begins by going off on "gay marriage", berating peanut allergies, to repeatedly calling transgender adults "freaks" and "drama queens", to calling transyouth "freaks" and "losers", to calling all trans people (including trans youth) "liars" -- and then suggesting violence against any male child who expresses gender variance from the male norms. To say the least, It's an pretty interesting segment to listen to. The whole segment is here:

Here's a second excerpt to the 36-minute segment (the first excerpt is the one at the top of this Pam's House Blend diary):

Sometimes you need to tell people that you're wrong, you're evil, you're a drama queen, and you need to get over life. What you describe Dawn is every person all the time throughout their life "I need attention. I need to be loved for who I am." You know who you are? You're a dude 'cause you got the plumbing. And, that's what most of us see, and that's why we call them freaks and weirdoes.

And a third excerpt:

...we're talking about the drama queens.

And, on the issue of research, some things you don't research to look at and go 'This is a bridge too far. This is a weird person who is demanding attention.' And, when it's a child, all it takes is a hug -- maybe some tough love -- or anything in between, when your little boy said [*with whining, sarcastic voice*] "Mommy, I wanna walk around in a dress," [*end whining/sarcasm*] ya' tell 'em no, because that's not what boys do. But, that's not what we're doing in this culture.

Again, this is a segment that Williams is making these comments on is on transyouth.

[Below the fold, comparing what TransYouth Family Advocate's Kim Pearson says to what Rob Williams says, and how to contact the radio stations Rob Williams is broadcast upon.]

So, going back to the first On Transitioning Transgender Youth from yesterday morning, where I quoted an excerpt of TYFA's Kim Pearson, talking about suicidal trans youth:

The biggest concern people have -- and even some of the "experts" ... -- but the experts will say that there are risks involved in letting a child that young transition. And, my answer to that is that there are equal risks involved in not letting a child that young transition.

I've always raised my kids under the guideline of "What's the worst case scenario? What's the worst thing that could happen?" The worst thing that could happen with transitioning a 5-year-old -- a miserable, suicidal 5-year-old -- transitioning them, and the question is "What if they change their minds?"

And my answer is "What if they do?"

You haven't really changed anything except their hairstyle and their clothes and the name that you call them and the pronouns. So, if they change their mind, you change it back. It'll be uncomfortable; it'll be embarrassing -- but you know what? That's more about you -- the parent -- than about the child. And, what have you done for that child except send tell them -- you've sent a very strong message -- I love you NO MATTER WHAT.

So, you've kept their self esteem intact.

Kim was making these comments regarding suicidal trans youth -- particularly, a suicidal 5-year-old trans youth. Frankly, even if I wasn't trans, I would much rather have Kim Pearson as a Mom than Rob Williams as a Dad.

I don't have to tell you about LGBT youth who committed suicide recently. I don't have to remind folk about Lawrence King. I probably do have to remind folk about the Commentary like Rob Williams' commentary -- his epithet and slur ridden terminology regarding transyouth, where he talked about committing violence in relationship to trans youth -- contributes to the unsafe atmosphere for the youth in our schools.

Contact information for the two radio stations that broadcast Rob, Arnie, and Dawn In The Morning™ is below (select the image to open a PDF document with selectable links).

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Further reading:
* Los Angeles Times (via the transgendernews archive): 'Ex-Gay' Group Draws Fire From Allies
* View From (Ab)Normal Heights: The "Necessary Boundary" That May Be Established By "Ridicule" May Later Involve Violence And Homicide
* NPR: Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences (Audio)

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Related:
* Harsh Realities For Transgender Students
* Transyouth: Going From Treating "Very Serious Suicide Attempts" To "Cooperating With Psychosis"

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