Advocacy
2015 Time To Thrive Speech by Debi Jackson
I was asked to speak at this year’s Time to Thrive Conference, hosted by HRC in Portland, Oregon. Time to Thrive is an event focused on educating professionals who work with LGBT youth about their unique issues, struggles, and needs. I was introduced by another amazing PFLAG mom, Betty DeGeneres! My speech this year told more of our daughter’s story, a painful part of the journey that I don’t often talk about. I felt it was important, though, for people working with at-risk youth to really understand what those risks can be. And I also challenged parents to be more accepting of their LGBT kids and to really advocate for them. HRC has resources that can...
Read MoreDebi Jackson Will Be Featured at HRC’s National Time to THRIVE Conference
Time to THRIVE is a national conference for youth-serving professionals hosted by the Human Rights Campaign. Attendees include K-12 educators, mental health providers, pediatricians, religious leaders, recreational athletic coaches, and youth development staff (Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, scout leaders, etc.), working together to support the LGBTQ youth population. Time to THRIVE’s goal is to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field. I am thrilled to announce that I will be a speaker at this year’s conference in Portland, Oregon, in...
Read MorePride and Joy Campaign
Are you ready to share why your child is your Pride & Joy? We want parents to realize that every child — yes, even LGBT kids — should be their pride and joy. And we’d like to help those kids whose parents don’t show them love by raising money for the Trevor Project, the largest suicide-prevention organization in the country focused on helping LGBT youth. Visit the Pride & Joy Campaign website, download a sign to tell why your kid is your pride and joy, and then share it with everyone on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #prideandjoy (and don’t forget to donate!)
Read MoreMy Transgender Child: The Backstory
I’ve been invited to speak to a wide variety of groups in the last couple of months. I thought my Listen To Your Mother speech was a good summation of everything I could say about our daughter’s transition and my family’s journey. I’m usually a short and to-the-point kind of person, so six minutes of talking naturally should cover everything, right? Well, rather than give the same speech over and over again, I’ve started sifting through memories to pull out more stories that illustrate our daughter’s struggles and distress. I’ve also started to think about how it has changed our individual and familial perspectives on concepts...
Read MoreWhy Are Your Kids Your Pride & Joy?
Why are your kids your Pride & Joy? That’s the question we will be asking as part of a new fundraising campaign with The Trevor Project, to be launched in the next couple of months.Stemming from the 2 horrific stories last week of an 8yo boy who was tortured and murdered by his mother for playing with dolls and a 17yo trans boy who committed suicide, we want to promote pride in ALL of our kids, whether they fall into the LGBTQ spectrum or not. I’m excited to be working with Liz Dyer, owner of the “Serendipitydodah for Moms” Facebook support group for moms of LGBTQ kids on this project. Trans-Parenting.com and the Serendipitydodah group are...
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