20/20 Tonight - Barbara Walters Visits Transgender Children- Page 2

[erikaamato]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 1:03pm

Rath: You see??? They don't learn.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 1:06pm

Shira, I didnt see your correction before posting...no worries.

The kid was pretty astounding, and mom was completely supportive...dad was a dick, but kinda cute.

I fell asleep watching so missed the rest of the show.

[shira467]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 1:08pm

Thanks Doodle.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:08pm

"Is it Amanda Lepore?"

I wish he/she were he/she.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:15pm

Amanda posted, "I've got every right to post on here, as well as everyone else does. "

Uh, sorry, no you don't.

YOU WERE BANNED.

Buh Bye!

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:18pm

Jerby, you refer to 'true sex', when talking about the gender they want to be, ot their birth gender, am I right?

And is there any way to see any of this show on 'The Site'? I don't have American cable.

[shira467]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:21pm

I have no idea, sorry! You never know though.

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:23pm

I looked, and nothing. But I want to see it!!! Waa!!

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:23pm

sex--what's between your legs

gender--who you are

these kids are born with a gender that does not match their sex.

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:26pm

SO, for example, somebody mentioned a child, born a boy, who has a sister going through puberty. Wishes that he/she could grow up a girl, and have children, etc., but can't. You refer to that person's true sex as female, yes?

Sorry, it's just getting a bit confusing.

[shira467]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:29pm

Yes, the gender that the person identifies with is their "true sex" i think..

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:34pm

Sorry--I was using true sex to refer to the physical body they wish to have and may choose to transition into.

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 2:39pm

It's all good, Jrb. I'm really interested in this programme. If anyone sees a link for it, could they please PM me, or post it here? I'd love to see it, it sounds heartbreaking.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:19pm

I just saw the promo and also came close to tears.

It makes me wonder, though...as a child, I had two - TWO - female friends who refused to identify as girls - they would not be referred to as girls or female, and were obviously quite tomboyish. They clearly identified as boys and insisted that everyone saw them that way.

However, they grew up, became women, both straight, one has been married twice and has a grown daughter. I wonder if they had been born 35 years later if they would believe they should have reassignment surgery. It just wasn't an option then, but now, it's in the media, people know about it, and perhaps it makes these children feel that they won't "outgrow" it, that the only hope for them is to go through surgery and all that it entails. I know for many that IS the answer, but what about those who would have outgrown it?

Updated On: 4/27/07 at 03:19 PM

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:38pm

that's interesting rath... when i was little i wanted to be a boy. i dont know if i felt like it was a mistake that i was born a girl or if i just wanted to be a boy so i could dress like one and play sports with my brother and neighbors. almost all of my friends were guys. that's still the case mow. i always dressed like a boy and did up untill my junior year of high school.
now that i think about it, i stopped shopping in the guys department shortly after i came out.
i dont know if that had anything to do with it or if it was a coincidence or if it was something i just "grew out" of.

but i have always wondered if other people felt that way as a kid and those feeling lessened as they got older.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:41pm

These two friends of mine didn't play only with boys, but when we did play together, they were always male in every game, and, they felt, in life. They played with me and I was the girliest of girly girls, but again, they wouldn't do "girly" games with me. It was just a given that they were boys, for all intents and purposes (that they had control over).

My half-sister, who is gay, grew up as a tomboy and never wore dresses, was an avid softball and basketball player all through school and also coached, never wanted anyone to mention her middle name as it was clearly female(her first name could be used for either sex), yet she never actually identified as male as my two friends did. I see a very distinct difference between how she was and how they were.

Updated On: 4/27/07 at 03:41 PM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:43pm

I'm not sure the details, but people who wish to transition have to wait for a certain period of time. I imagine that this is a good thing as it lets a person truly learn and understand all that comes with such a huge decision. But for others, it might be a burden as they are certain and don't wish to prolong things.

But, what's great about our current climate is that people are able to deal with this earlier in life instead of late in life--or never.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:48pm

oh ok, so that's a little different. as far as i know, no one ever thought of me as a boy.

did they gradually stop identifying as boys, or did it just happen all of a sudden, that you now of.
i'm sorry if i'm being nosy, i'm just interested.

that would make sence that if you want to fully transition you have to wait for a period of time. it's the same way with organ donation (if you're a living lung kidney or liver doner) unless it's an emergency. they want to you learn everything you can about it before you take that last step.
i think i read somewhere that people who want to transition also have to go to a special therapist that deals exclusovly in that subject.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:48pm

What I'm talking about, jrb, are children who might, because of what they see in the media, feel there is no hope for them in the future other than surgery, even though that may not be true. Children are not wired to see into the future, and to see that things can change. I understand they wouldn't be having the actual procedures until a certain age, but it's the fact that they are seeing such strong images of what looks like their only choice ahead, and it could be causing major depressive issues for some, unnecessarily.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:49pm

That's right-if a child is suffering, it is our duty to help him/her. No matter what the cause.

They haven't done anything wrong-I wish the parents weren't so ignorant.

Updated On: 4/27/07 at 03:49 PM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:50pm

Abba, I think it was probably around puberty for one, and maybe high school for the other. The one who's been married twice turned out to be quite the slinky siren type, always dressed to the nines, very feminine and very into men.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 3:57pm

after years and years and years of wearing baggy pants and longer shorts and loose shirts, i'm now wearing tighter shirts and tighter jeans and even *gasp* skirts

what you say in interesting though. i wonder what my life would be like now if when i was little they were showing people on tv and talking about people who changed genders. it makes me wonder if my life would be better or worse or if it wouldn't have made any dofference.

[Kringas]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 4:02pm

i think i read somewhere that people who want to transition also have to go to a special therapist that deals exclusovly in that subject.

They do. They also have to actually be living as the gender they wish to transition to for some period of time. There's quite a bit of red tape involved, and rightfully so.

It's also extremely cost prohibitive. Besides the "big" surgery (For men, it's the chop and for women it's .. the twist, perhaps), there are hormone treatments, breast enlargement/reduction, often the patient will have facial surgery, electrolysis (for MTF), etc.

Updated On: 4/27/07 at 04:02 PM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 4:07pm

Kringas, did you see Transamerica? One of the biggest problems I had with that film was the lack of explanation as to how someone at her income level could afford those surgeries.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 4:07pm

i saw a show on TLC a few years ago where they followed a man who was becoming a woman through his process. i was amazed just how much surgery and medical procedures had to be done.
and all the legal stuff too... like changing the gender on drivers licences, birth certificuts, state id cards, all kinds of stuff.