Hello, friends! I’m happy to be writing about two things today, both in regard to the TransActive Gender Project at Lewis and Clark College. Things are happening at that dynamic, hard-working place!
First off, the founder of TransActive, Jenn Burleton (whom I’ve written about in the past, and she’s still available for helping folks with education and advocacy) retired this past summer from TransActive. After a long and thorough search, a new program director has been chosen to take her place. Congratulations to Hayes Young for this new position, and to TransActive for their ongoing commitment to support, education, and community! I’m excited to see what will stay the same and what might develop at TransActive. In the meantime, keep it in mind as a place for equity training, support groups for parents and kids, policy development and implementation, and screened referrals for medical and mental health care from informed providers. It’s a truly remarkable resource.
Why is it important to understand the why and how behind gender? To break through the facade of misinformation currently presented in our culture. In an atmosphere of isolation and discrimination, it becomes easy to believe falsehoods about others, and as a result remove basic rights and dignity from those “others.” Whether or not it is intentional, a lack of basic understanding of needs that are different than our own places an onus on the person who has those needs.
Imagine a 14 year old trying to explain to their confused principal why they need to use a certain bathroom.
Imagine a young boy with a cervix trying to receive thorough health care from an uninformed doctor.
Imagine being the parent of a bullied third grader facing a school board that doesn’t understand why that third grader can’t just “fit in and stop causing trouble.”
All of those scenarios describe people needing help in vulnerable situations. We as human beings all need to have an equal place and dignity in our institutional systems. It’s hard enough for cis people to drop their pants in the doctor’s office. If the doctor is more concerned with scrutinizing your personhood to put you in a context that is understandable for them than they are in supporting your health, then you are left carrying the burden of their confusion. And truly, would you want to go back to that doctor? And if that doctor is your only option, how much do you suffer before you stop tending to your health, just to avoid that repeated humiliation?
If any person receives blank stares, coarse or invasive questioning, or open hostility when they turn to someone for their basic needs, chances are those needs will not be met. This is the fallout from a lack of education in providers. The Gender Diversity Certificate Program is specifically designed to help anyone in a position to work with transgender and non-bonary youth better grasp the realities and needs that transgender folk carry with them. Also (and what I think is super wonderful), the program offers a historical viewpoint to better understand how our society came to view gender as it currently does. This knowledge is so empowering for anyone who wants to think past their own assumptions about what is right/wrong and normal/not normal. Hence my excitement for this program!
Here’s the class list:
Patriarchy, Transmysogeny, and the Science of Human Diversity.
Child and Adolescent Gender Development: Society, Healthcare, Education, and Maturation.
Intersectional Discrimination and Disinformation in the US.
From Policy to Practice: Protecting Student/Staff Rights and Implementing Policy Change in Schools and Communities.
I’m so excited to dig in, and I’ll keep you posted when there are great nuggets to share. This work is so dear to my heart; the more I can learn the more I can be a resource to those who can benefit from it. And when more folks are supporting each other with compassion, understanding, and good will, I can’t help but think that it’s a better world for everyone. And isn’t that the point of it all?
In the meantime, I’m also happy to be here to help whatever coaching needs you might have. Wherever you feel stuck in life, be it parenting, career, relationships, or any personal growth, we can talk it through and find the best path forward. If you have questions or want to chat about possible coaching, feel free to email me at [email protected], learn more at Nurture Life Coaching, or better yet, schedule a complimentary, 20 minute consultation. It’s a great time to chat and see if we’d be a good fit in working together.
Thanks, all, and we’ll talk again soon!
