Advocacy
Taking Care of (Bathroom) Business
Right now we have an epidemic of Transgender Bathroom Panic sweeping the US. Conservative politicians are using a debate over where trans people pee as one of their main campaigning points this election season. From “religious freedom” laws that would allow discrimination against LGBT people based on deeply held (evangelical Christian) beliefs to laws taking direct aim at transgender people and/or students by defining bathroom policy based on sex assigned at birth or non-existent chromosome testing, governments across the nation are suddenly obsessed with genitals. Public corporations are trying to take a stand on their own. Most of those have been in favor...
Read MoreHappy Tears
Crying happy tears. I just read the best message from the woman I was arguing with on the Lila news story a couple of days ago. She apologized for being ignorant and hateful, said she’s spent the last day reading and learning, and now she would be completely comfortable with her daughters being in a locker room with a transgender girl. This is why I engage in these conversations online. As frustrating and hurtful as they can be, you never know when they will make a difference. This is how allies are made. This makes the sad, angry, and frustrated tears worth it. How did the conversation go, you may be asking? Here’s my part of the conversation. (The woman...
Read MoreTrans Lives Matter: Ignorance Causes People to Die
With news of the 11th murder of a trans woman in 2015 in the US, I’m tired of people sitting by thinking that their ignorance is ok. #TransLivesMatter is more than a catchy hashtag. It’s a reality. The lives of these murdered women mattered, and we need to stop people from trying to invalidate trans lives.
Read MoreSharing Our Story at Trevor Project
My family was invited to attend the TrevorLive Gala in New York City in June. I met David Bond of the Trevor Project earlier in the spring at HRC’s Time To Thrive conference where he heard me mention Avery trying to jump out of our car when she was four years old. He asked if I could also speak at TrevorLive to let their supporters hear how trans kids can be suicidal at an extremely young age because of their dysphoria and a lack of acceptance. I hope that our story made enough of an impact on people in the audience that they made larger donations than planned to support children like ours. Here is my speech from that evening: My name is Debi Jackson. My...
Read MoreBruce Jenner, Celebrity Praise, and What the Trans Community Needs Now
It’s been a week since the “interview the world is waiting for” has aired. Bruce Jenner announced to the world that he (current pronouns of choice) is a transgender woman. Twitter was on fire during the interview and a few hours later with dozens upon dozens of celebrities posting tweets in support of Jenner — from Lady Gaga to Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus to Jimmy Fallon and my personal favorite, Ricky Martin. There’s even a new trend now for people to paint their fingernails in a show of support. That’s nice, but… Celebrities, if I may be so bold in saying this, praising Bruce is a great but we need you to speak up for every trans person,...
Read MoreWhite House Responds to Petition to Ban Conversion Therapy for LGBT Youth
In December of 2014, Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old transgender woman in southern Ohio wrote a message that appeared online posthumously after her suicide. In the message she attributed a significant portion of her despair to attempts by her family and church to fix her gender identity using what is known as conversion or reparative therapy. She called for those reading to “Fix Society” so that others like her might have productive lives. At such a young age, she had already lost that hope. Leelah’s message touched hearts around the world. Trans-Parenting.com worked with several other organizations including the Transgender Human Rights Institute and Everything...
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