I Have Hope For Our Youngest Generation of people

[VickySGV]

A month ago I spoke to a whole class of 8th grade students at a private school about what being Trans is. My grandchildren are in that age range and to them it is just one interesting fact  in their lives that is not on their "fear list" for times to come. It became that way with the students I spoke to as well.  At the beginning of my time with them there had been some wariness and suspicion that I could read in the faces and body posture of a few, but by the end the faces and bodies had relaxed and true interest and empathy had replaced them.  I am now a person and not a fable or a horror story and they responded with happy surprise to being in a small group (16% of U.S. population) who had knowingly met a Trans person and had a chance to speak with one.

The reason I was asked to speak to them was that the children are going to do a class musical this coming spring that has a Trans character in it and wanted to meet a Trans person.  The question was how they would play a Trans Character who was out in public.  My answer to them was "Be the Best YOU" you can possibly imagine, because that is what a Trans person is trying to be.  While I did not go into the sex or political issues directly I told them the difference between Drag Queens who are performance artists, and Cross Dressers who create a second self to help them live in a stress filled world.  I used the Drag Queens to give them a glimpse of how to take on a character to help others make their world one of useful imagination.  I also explained that my Cross Dresser friends are really gentle and loving people who take their dressing as a harmless escape and who do not do it with the idea of tricking or harming any person. A point that I watched sink in with relief to several students, one of whom told me as they were leaving that they had learned that an uncle Cross Dressed and now the student felt better about it. (A school counselor who had been with the students, as well as their principal and vice principal, heard that exchange and gave me a sincere thanks with a hint of tear in her eye.) 

That evening I received an E-mail from the teacher who had coordinated my coming to the school thanking me for what I had done and told me that the entire group had taken Be the BEST YOU theme to heart in talks they had later in the afternoon.  Young teens can be wonderful if they are not taught hate.

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[SaraAW]

Love and acceptance can be taught as easily as hate, not sure why so many people prefer the later. Thanks for sharing Vicky. It sounds like your message was well received. 
 

*hugs*

[Jackie C.]

Love and acceptance is harder to practice than hate. It requires you to get to know somebody and extend some empathy. Hate is easy, "I don't like that person because they're not like me." No thought required.

 

You're right though, the younger generation is certainly in a better spot than I was at that age. Your peer group still taught you to hate "the gays" and you went along with it because peer pressure. These days, kids are more open and accepting. There are still horror stories, but here in the Midwest (we're like the deep south, but walk it back about twenty percent), we seem to be mostly over it. I'm going to claim good influence from Canada. Thanks Canada!

 

Hugs!