Posts Tagged ‘transgender’

Um, You’re Welcome?

Thursday, June 1st, 2017

Photo by DodgertonSkillhause at Morguefile.comA while back, I ran into a fellow parent at the grocery store.  Her youngest and my oldest are in the same grade and had been in the same schools since kindergarten.  We hadn’t seen each other in a while, now that our kids are in high school.  I was pleased to see her again and we stopped to chat.  Our kids weren’t ever especially close, but our elementary school community was a close-knit one and we had gotten to know each other reasonably well.

She asked about Jared and I told her how well he’s adjusting and about his joining the robotics team and so on.  And then, I wanted to ask about her kid.

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Moms and the Gay Kid

Friday, November 5th, 2010

There aren’t too many Halloween costumes I would forbid my kids from choosing.  The more horrific costumes and characters are out, as are overtly sexual ones.  Other than that, however, pretty much anything goes.  I also have no problem with the kids crossing gender lines, if they so desire.  My youngest loves putting on his older sister’s outgrown princess costumes and ballet skirts.  I don’t have any problem with that, nor do a lot of other parents — including one who went so far as to write a book on the subject.

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My Princess Boy — Lessons In Acceptance

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

When my oldest was in preschool, he used to run around singing “I Love Being A Princess,” a song from the Backyardigans TV show.  At school, he put on dresses and pranced about in heels.  In his case, however, it was simply a matter of a catchy tune and a lack of more traditionally male dress up items in the school’s dress up corner.  While he’s since moved on to other songs and other clothes, he sees nothing wrong with his younger brother repeating lines from a show about wishing to be a princess.  Thankfully, that sort of acceptance is no longer limited to San Francisco.

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High School Won’t Let Teen Be King

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

While high school is not supposed to be a popularity contest, it’s got to make a parent proud to have their child chosen, by the other students, to be homecoming king.  Similarly, it would be absolutely devastating and infuriating to have the school step in and take that title away.  That’s what happened to Oakleigh Reed, a senior at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon, Michigan.  The teen is happy about the support from the other students, but notes that “sometimes it’s nice to have something tangible.”

Mind you, Reed is no troublemaker that drew votes via threats of violence.  Nor was he disqualified for having flunked out of school or being on suspension — the child is an honor student, even.  And there was no evidence of misconduct in regards to the vote — “I knew I had a lot of votes,” Reed said, “because people were telling me in the hallway, ‘Hey, I voted for you, I voted for you.'”  So why did the school take away Reed’s crown and title?

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