What is th ebest way to Educate the possible on Gender Disphoria

[penni]

Hi ya all,

I hope this post finds you all in good health.
As many of you are aware my partner has been in transition for 24 months now.As most of you are aware we have 6 children.

My son who is 11 years of age has asked me to come to his class to talk about our family and it's changes..now this talk is not to do with sex education or anything else like that..it is about our family being different and that in life children will come across families of difference..and that this is o.k

I will not go into any lengths on Gender Dysphoria at all,just what has happened to our family,the changes and why we are all still together.
The Teacher of the class and the Deputy Prinicpal are fine,however it needs to be o.k by all the staff and if they feel notes need to go home to parents so be it.The School has been extremely supportive to our needs as a family and to our children.

I am hopeing that through my casual talk children they will learn that it is not right to ridicule or disrespect people or situations that are different to their own.
That respect is for evey human being,no matter what colour,race ,religion or sex.
And I guess I hope I can pass the message on about Tolerance.
The reasons I am talking to the class if given the go ahead is becasue my son has been teased for sometime by a few individuals,on his fathers transition.My son has kept this part of his life on being teased from us for sometime..he no longer can cope with the teasing.

Now to get to my question...how does the T community educate anyone in the community,do you rely on Doctors and Specialists or should it be done by people willing to share their experiences with others.
The Gay community broke down many barriers for themselves by people willing to say hey...I am just like you,I have a business or I work,I am intelligent,I am your neighbour your Doctor your Lawyer,I deserve respect and tolerance etc.It took many ,many years to get to the point they have in society..but they are now more accepted into the community,which has opened doors for many ,many teens and adults today.

So what is the best way to educate people.

Hugs Penny

[charllote34]

I believe the best way to educate people is done by people who are in that particular situation whatever that may be , doctors , teachers etc.. can only offer a second hand view point , theres no substituation for experiance in absolutely anything in life. Hope that helps :hugs:

[penni]

Hi ya all,I noticed in my heading I spelt Dysphoria wrong..did'nt know how to edit the heading,

Sorry
Hugs Penny

[charllote34]

Hi ya all,I noticed in my heading I spelt Dysphoria wrong..did'nt know how to edit the heading,

Sorry
Hugs Penny

Hey i never notiched , spelling isnt my strong point mind you :D

[tvbeckytv]

sheesh penny, thats a tough one.
the only thought that occurs to me from what you write, is that you say you will not delve into gender Dysphoria in general, rather just your family experience. If there is any hope to change peoples attitudes in must be to demonstrate this is a condition which effects many people, and that your partner is not a freak, just a human being that needs to be a complete person...a basic human right.
anyways, i would think that it would be beneficial to delve into gender Dysphoria to make that point.
best of luck
b

[penni]

Hi ya Becky,

I wanted to delve into a Gendor Dysphoria,but within a School this may cause a few issues with parents,also as I was told,I am not really the right person to educate anyone on Gender Dysphoria,that it needs someone who is more lets say educated on the subject.One member thought I may do more damage should I go into Gender Dysphoria.However the children are 11 and as was pointed out,parents may not appreciate me talking about it...thus I can only give my families perspective,to help advocate for my child.
I put a post on Chameleons about what I intended to do..lets say the responces were not all that supportive.
If you wish to read it,it can be found on the Chameleons forum www.chameleonswa.com.au under the CD topic area,titled Talk to the Teacher a talk to the class.

Hugs Penny

[JenniferR771]

Perhaps you can locate a local TG or CD person who is comfortable speaking in front of a class. They could help fill-in the gaps and add credibility. Mention your location--you may find someone. If you can find a gender therapist that would be helpful. A short video, maybe. And a couple of authoritive texts or brochures might be helpful.

[tvbeckytv]

penny,
i guess this may vary from country to country, region to region, but here in the uk bullying is a very big deal, and it is absolutely the schools responcibility to effectively deal with the problem. I would hope it the same where you are. That being so, i would by all means make the offer to help, but should they appear to be unhelpful in any way, then you as the parent of a bullied pupil have to demand to know just what THEY intend doing about it. The way i see it, you are just trying to do them a favour by helping them with THEIR problem.
Sorry i cant be of more help and wish you well.
B

[Marla S]

I am hopeing that through my casual talk children they will learn that it is not right to ridicule or disrespect people or situations that are different to their own.
That respect is for evey human being,no matter what colour,race ,religion or sex.
And I guess I hope I can pass the message on about Tolerance.
I think just this is the point.
Talk about this. Actually this is the central message and the main problem. There needs to be no speech about gender dysphoria in particular.
The children will most likely just ask about gender related things. Than you go into this subject. Just be prepared for questions.
If someone laughs, you ask way and try to talk about it without compromising the kid, etc.

Just respect for other people that's the message.

[Stephenie S]

We can educate simply by being and doing.

I see and interact with many people on a day to day basis. I'm sure they can tell that I'm not a child molester, of a sex fiend, or a pawn of Satan, just by that interaction.

Being relaxed and unconcerned about yourself and your behavior goes a LONG way towards convincing others that there is nothing really wrong with what we are doing. Listen, we ALL know that we are OK. What we have to do is SHOW it. Facing the world filled with shame and guilt about ouselves does NOTHING to educate the public. Understanding and insisting that we are doing nothing wrong is a powerful educational tool just in itself.

When the subject comes up, a simple statement of, "Yeah. I do that too, sometimes. You know, it's fun, and the wife thinks it's such a turn on", could do wonders to open someone's mind. Unless you make a big deal out of it, that's where the subject can end.

Lovies,
Stephenie

[Billijo49504]

Sorry to pee on your parade, but in West Michigan, we just had a transgendered youg man, take his own life. It is too sad that ppl can't just accept every one as they are, instead of what they think we should be. Here is a link to the story, a sad one...BJ http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?S=7305377

[penni]

Hi ya Billie,

This my point..doors need to be opened in the community ,people have to hear what these people ,you and my spouse have been going through,perhaps then there will be a little more acceptance.
If you don't mind I would like to post your link with my post on the other forum I belong too.

Hugs Penny

[Nicki B]

Hi ya all,I noticed in my heading I spelt Dysphoria wrong..did'nt know how to edit the heading,

Maybe a passing mod or admin would correct it for you - it doesn't match the title of your first post either.. :)

Penni,

You sound as if you would be comfortable standing up and speaking - IMHO talking from the heart is always convincing? Run it through with other people who understand the subject first - and do remember that our one shared feature is that we are all so different?

But go for it girl - good luck! :)

[kittypw GG]

penny,
i guess this may vary from country to country, region to region, but here in the uk bullying is a very big deal, and it is absolutely the schools responcibility to effectively deal with the problem. I would hope it the same where you are. That being so, i would by all means make the offer to help, but should they appear to be unhelpful in any way, then you as the parent of a bullied pupil have to demand to know just what THEY intend doing about it. The way i see it, you are just trying to do them a favour by helping them with THEIR problem.
Sorry i cant be of more help and wish you well.
B

Penni,
It is also true in the US that bullying is a very big deal and mostly the schools responsibility. As an educational institution they should be very supportive of what you wish to do in terms of educating the class about your situation and the situation of transexuals.

Maybe you could reach out to the mental health community to see if there is any pdoc, physcologist, or counselor who specializes in this or is personally affected by transgenderism. Usually you can find someone who finds it important to educate communities on such topics and are willing to lend an hour of their time to do so. The mental health professional will also understand what level of information and detail 11 year olds are able to process. My nephew called me one day and said that he was helping organize an aids event at his school. I called the infectious disease doc's office and inquired if either doc did any speaking on the topic and would they be interested in doing this event? To my suprise they said yes. :D

Start making some calls, wish I could help you. I am so sorry to hear that your 11 year old is going through such a tough time. :thumbsdn: But on the other hand what a smart kid to think of a solution and be proud enough to keep his head high. I'm impressed by that. :thumbsup:
Take care Penni and keep ups updated about the outcome ok? :hugs: Kitty