Mount Horeb, WI Rebukes Transphobes, Schedules Public Readings Of 'I Am Jazz'

After a six year old trans feminine student came out last Monday at Mount Horeb Primary Center, a reading and discussion of Jazz Jennings book I Am Jazz was scheduled as part of her coming out process to help her fellow students understand what was going on.

Unfortunately the Florida based Liberty Counsel, an SPLC certified hate group, stuck their noses in this Wisconsin business  and threatened a lawsuit if the planned reading went forward.

The school canceled the reading, but in response to the right wing bullying, the community of Mount Horeb rebuked the transphobic hatemongers and organized two public readings of I Am Jazz that will take place on Wednesday.

The Mount Horeb High School Straight and Gay Alliance (SAGA) will host one of the public readings at 7:35 AM at the MHHS flagpole.

The SAGA students, according to MHHS teacher Beth Maglio, are staging the reading to "show our support and solidarity with the transgender community, staff and students."

Maglio teaches a high school 'Social Problems' course in which students learn about advocacy and standing up for their beliefs.  When she noticed the SAGA students discussing the cancellation on Facebook, she asked them what they thought they should do about it, and doing a public reading of I Am Jazz was their response.

The second reading was organized by parent Amy Lyle, and it will take place at the Mount Horeb Library from 6:30-8 PM.   Like the reading by the Mount Horeb SAGA group, Lyle organized the library reading as a way to support the trans feminine student an her family.

"We were concerned about how the family would be feeling and we felt  a need to communicate to them that there is support in our community." Lyle said in a Wisconsin State Journal interview. "We want all LGBT youth to feel supported and feel accepted, and to know that Mount Horeb is an accepting place for all."

Thank you Mount Horeb for demonstrating that acceptance and not falling for the anti-trans fear mongering.  hope the trans community in the area will thank these groups by supporting the Wednesday readings.

Just to stick it to the Liberty Counsel, I'd take it a step further and start donating copies of I Am Jazz to local primary school and public libraries around the country.


H/T Lexie Cannes

Louisiana Girl Scout Council Bans Trans Feminine Kids

One of the reasons I love the Girl Scouts USA is that they not only have an amazing organization that for over a century has excelled in developing the leadership skills of girls and young women, they have continued to do so while under continued conservafool assault.

The conservafools have hated on the Girl Scouts because unlike the Boy Scouts, they failed in their attempt to take them over.  Ever since them different conservative pundits and politicians have attacked them for their progressive stances.

They have even taken their off the charts hatred of the Girl Scouts to the extreme level of attacking the Girl Scouts annual cookie drives (which is why I buy mass quantities of them every year) to forming their own conservative alternative to Girl Scouts USA called the American Heritage Girls. 

Now that the conservative movement is shifting their energy and attention to attacking transgender people, the American Fascist Family Association on May 13 created a transphobic petition that gained the signatures of 38,000 people demanding the Girl Scouts USA rescind the policy allowing trans feminine participation in Girl Scouts.

The next day Girl Scouts USA put out a statement authored by Andrea Bastiani Archibald that reiterated their support for the trans inclusive policy.

"If a girl is recognized by her family, school and community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.\ Inclusion of transgender girls is handled at a council level on a case by case basis, with the welfare and best interests of all members as a top priority."

That local case by case basis part of the statement leaves a problematic loophole big enough to drive a Mack truck through it.   And as any marginalized group is keenly aware of, if you give transphobes an inch, they'll go the transphobic mile.

While I have yet to hear what the local Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council (Houston area) stance is on transgender scouts, I'm aware of the Girl Scouts of Colorado supported a trans kid that wished to join one of their troops, and know the Kentuckiana Council just reaffirmed their support of the national policy, that wasn't the case of the Girl Scouts Louisiana East Council that covers Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the eastern parishes of the state.

The Girl Scouts Louisiana East Council since November 2011 has proudly had a policy in place barring trans feminine kids.

“We recognize that girls benefit most from a program designed specifically for them and delivered in an all-girl setting. We affirm that our council’s programming is for girls only, and has not been designed to meet the specific needs of boys or transgendered youth.”

They doubled down on it in the wake of the AFA attack on the National GSA with a transphobic dog whistle included in their May 20 memo claiming "the health and safety of our girls is our number one priority."
As Baton Rouge parent of a Brownie Mary Ellen Slayter told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, "I don't feel like the presence of a transgender child poses any threat to my daughter. We are talking about children here. If they're questioning their gender identity, I would want the Girl Scouts to be a safe place for them to explore that and be in the company of adults who could help them through that... These kids are far more likely to be harmed by other people than to cause harm."

Louisiana East Council, you may wish to join Ms. Slayter and the rest of us in the 21st century, and stop the problematic pimping of the lie that trans kids are a threat to cisgender girls.

H/T Lexie Cannes

White House Affirmatively Responds To Petition Calling For Conversion Therapy Youth Ban

One of the things that is a major concern for TBLG leaders is the use of so called conversion therapy on TBLG people to 'cure' them.  It was such a conversion therapy that drove Leelah Alcorn to commit suicide.

In the wake of Leelah's death, a WeThePeople.gov petition calling for the passage of Leelah's Law that would ban the use of the scientifically discredited use by licensed therapists of conversion therapy aimed at TBLGIQ youth, hit the 100,000 signature threshold for a White House response in January  and eventually 120,958 signatures when it was closed. 

In the petition response yesterday from senor White House adviser Valerie Jarrett:

Conversion therapy generally refers to any practices by mental health providers that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.[1] Often, this practice is used on minors, who lack the legal authority to make their own medical and mental health decisions. We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth.

When assessing the validity of conversion therapy, or other practices that seek to change an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, it is as imperative to seek guidance from certified medical experts. The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.

As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.

I keep telling y'all that President Obama is the best POTUS ever on trans issues, and he keeps proving it with every executive order he issues and every policy position he takes.

Jazz Speaks At The Time To Thrive Conference

Y'all know how much I love the amazing Jazz Jennings, and when I finally met her and members of her family last summer during the Philly Trans Health Conference, I was more excited about it than she was.

She is not only one beautiful and amazing young woman, she has been an advocate for trans kids and our community since she was six years old.

So you'll always see Jazz videos here on TransGriot, and here she is speaking at the recent Time To Thrive conference.

Jazz Does Vlogging

One of the highlights of my recent trip to take part in the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference was getting to finally meet and spend some quality time with Jazz and her amazing family.

At age 13 Jazz has piled up a list of accomplishments and accolades that many adults haven't accomplished in their lifetimes, and to top it off she is one bright, down to earth and beautiful soul on top of it.

Interesting to note that Jazz is now taking on another project in terms of dabbling in the world of video blogging.

Here are the initial video blogs of our fave trans teen for you to check out.