Archive for the ‘LGBT’ Category

Transgender girl, 11, writes inspirational response to Obama inaugural speech

Friday, January 25, 2013 by:moms@sfgate.com (Amy Graff)
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President Barack Obama made history in his inaugural speech on Monday when he showed support for gay marriage.

“We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall,” Obama said. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.”

The President’s address was well received by gays and lesbians, but one smart and outspoken 11-year-old felt that our country’s leader missed an opportunity to recognize the transgender community. And so Sadie, who is transgender, decided to write a response to Obama’s address. This fifth-grader’s forceful words are thoughtful and wise and her willingness to freely share her viewpoint is remarkable. And her final words are something that every American should hear: “It really isn’t that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else.”

This transgender girl is clearly wise beyond her years and while it might be hard for those who aren’t transgender to imagine how this child could be so certain of her sexual orientation at such a young age, when you read her speech you’ll realize that she knows what’s she talking about.

Below read the speech that Sadie originally shared with the Huffington Post.

Dad sports skirt to support cross-dressing son

Thursday, August 30, 2012 by:moms@sfgate.com (Amy Graff)
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dad wears skirt

Nils Pickert wears a skirt in solidarity with his cross-dressing son. (EMMA)

Many fathers insist that their cross-dressing sons change clothes before stepping outside—especially if neighbors are starting to snicker. A German dad is quickly becoming an international hero for taking an entirely different approach.

When Nils Pickert moved his family from open-minded West Berlin to a more conservative small southern German town, locals rolled their eyes at his dress-wearing son. His 5-year-old boy became too embarrassed to put on his favorite frocks.

Pickert decided to teach his son a lesson in self-confidence and started wearing skirts around town himself.

“I didn’t want to talk my son into not wearing dresses and skirts,” Pickert told the German feminist magazine EMMA. “He didn’t make friends in doing that in Berlin already and after a lot of contemplation I had only one option left: To broaden my shoulders for my little buddy and dress in a skirt myself.”

A photo of the two dressed like twins (dad in a red skirt and son in a red sundress) appears in the German feminist magazine EMMA and is now spreading like wildfire across the Internet. People are applauding this father for teaching his son that you don’t have to conform to society’s gender expectations. Gawker called Pickert “Father of the Year.”

The cross-dressing pair has caught the attention of people around town. One neighbor stared so hard at the father and son that she walked right into a streetlight. “My son was roaring with laughter,” Pickert told EMMA.

The little guy hasn’t only learned to laugh at his critics. He’s also learned to speak up to them. When kids taunt and tease him, he says, ““You only don’t dare to wear skirts and dresses because your dads don’t dare to either.” “That’s how broad his own shoulders have become by now,” Pickert told EMMA.

[EMMA by way of Gawker]

Fifth grader’s same-sex marriage speech goes viral

Thursday, July 26, 2012 by:moms@sfgate.com (Amy Graff)
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A fifth grader whose same-sex marriage speech was banned from a New York public school competition is getting national attention. Last week Kameron Slade, 10, was invited to deliver his powerful words to the New York City Council and video footage of his performance taken by NY1 television is going viral.

Two months ago Kameron wrote a speech on why gays should have the right to marry for a competition at his public school in Queens, N.Y. He was inspired by Barack Obama’s support of gay marriage and wanted to share his views on the issue with his classmates.

But Kameron never delivered his speech in the competition because his school’s principal, Beryl Bailey, decided the topic was inappropriate.

Local media quickly picked up the story, the principal was made to look stupid and the Education Department learned about the incident. Kameron was invited to give his speech at a separate assembly at his school and YouTube footage of it was viewed more than 600,000 times, according to the New York Times.

Now Kameron is reaching an even wider audience. Last week, council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, invited Kameron to share his powerful words with the New York City Council.

Wearing a coat and tie, Kameron read from a paper that he tightly held in his hands and delivered his thoughtful and heartfelt words to a room filled with politicians:

President Barack Obama recently talked about same-sex marriage with his wife and two daughters. Some people are for same-gender marriage, while others are against it. Like President Obama, I believe that all people should have the right to marry whoever they want. Marriage is about love, support and commitment. So who are we to judge?

Many council members were touched. “I’m getting married on Saturday, in three days, to my partner of 13 and a half years,” Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a Democrat, told the NY Times. “When I saw you on TV, I thought you were the most courageous and wonderful young man I’ve ever seen.”

[New York Times, Jezebel]