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Tue, Jul. 17th, 2018 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annarti
Because people need a bit of happy right now, here, have some happy :D
One of my workmates has a daughter in year 11 at a public all girls' school. Yesterday as he was driving her home from school, she asked if he remembered some girl who went to her year 8 birthday. She doesn't see much of her lately (the other girl's going more in the humanities direction and my workmate's daughter is more STEM, so once you get to year 11 your classes don't match up so well anymore) but still acquaintances.
Anyway. 'She's decided she's going to be a boy, so now her name is Jaime!'
So I just grinned and went, 'Good on 'er! Or him, now,' while simultaneously thinking of all the different layers of awesome in that one statement:
- workmate, a white, middle-aged male, is neither weirded out nor wildly shocked by this. It's a topic of conversation, sure, but there was zero disgust or amusement or anything negative that may have been there, say, 5 years ago.
- he asked his daughter what she thought about it, who said, "It's a bit weird, but... *teenager shrug*"
- as I mentioned, all girls' school, but they're letting Jaime stay
- coming out as trans high school, brave kid, but clearly knows there are enough supportive people around that he's not going to get overly bullied for it. Cos otherwise you'd just hold off until after year 12, wouldn't you?
So much of this makes me happy. I'm still riding the squee from it now. I wonder if him coming out is anything to do with the plebiscite last year? Like, not just the result, but what discussion it must've caused at school. It'd already been publicised that my generation and younger overwhelmingly voted yes (or rather, said they were going to in phone polls, because of course the vote itself was private). For a kid to be coming out as trans a year and a half from the end of school? There must be a shedload of support at that school. I'm happy *^^*
One of my workmates has a daughter in year 11 at a public all girls' school. Yesterday as he was driving her home from school, she asked if he remembered some girl who went to her year 8 birthday. She doesn't see much of her lately (the other girl's going more in the humanities direction and my workmate's daughter is more STEM, so once you get to year 11 your classes don't match up so well anymore) but still acquaintances.
Anyway. 'She's decided she's going to be a boy, so now her name is Jaime!'
So I just grinned and went, 'Good on 'er! Or him, now,' while simultaneously thinking of all the different layers of awesome in that one statement:
- workmate, a white, middle-aged male, is neither weirded out nor wildly shocked by this. It's a topic of conversation, sure, but there was zero disgust or amusement or anything negative that may have been there, say, 5 years ago.
- he asked his daughter what she thought about it, who said, "It's a bit weird, but... *teenager shrug*"
- as I mentioned, all girls' school, but they're letting Jaime stay
- coming out as trans high school, brave kid, but clearly knows there are enough supportive people around that he's not going to get overly bullied for it. Cos otherwise you'd just hold off until after year 12, wouldn't you?
So much of this makes me happy. I'm still riding the squee from it now. I wonder if him coming out is anything to do with the plebiscite last year? Like, not just the result, but what discussion it must've caused at school. It'd already been publicised that my generation and younger overwhelmingly voted yes (or rather, said they were going to in phone polls, because of course the vote itself was private). For a kid to be coming out as trans a year and a half from the end of school? There must be a shedload of support at that school. I'm happy *^^*