Pardon me, may I have the last 30 minutes of my life?
I would like to thank OpenLetterstoKRXQ.wordpress.com for posting the podcast of The Rob, Arnie and Dawn show on KRXQ in Sacramento. I was reading all sorts of complaints about one of their shows in which Rob and Arnie were suggesting violence to children who express gender identity disorder and had not hear it myself. Thank you. Now,
Who do I see to get back the last 30 minutes of my life?
I listened to the segment, all 36 minutes of it and first of all. I need to say this. Rob and Arnie's positions on GID, while inaccurate, should not be construed as hate speech, nor should their right to express it be hindered. Their advocation that violence, or physical discipline is the solution is borderline criminal. Their intolerance for fellow host Dawn was atrocious, vile, disrespectful and adolescent. The radio station, its advertisers, and audience possess all the power necessary to regulate their comments.
I agree with very little of what was stated during that 36 minute discourse on contempt prior to investigation, yet some of it had merit. I wouldn't let either of those two men coach my children in sports, lead them in a Scout trip nor take them to a ball game with their children. It is a fact that some children act out for attention. However, for those of us who hid our gender identity, buried that innate sense of self inside of us, dealt with the struggle daily for 20, 30 or 40 years, its not a matter of attention. In fact we want no attention. Just the right to quietly live our lives, to earn a living and to be.
Is GID a mental disorder? Is it a hormonal imbalance during gestation which creates the mind to be incongruent with the body? Is it a condition created through nurture and not nature? All of these can be debated because there is yet no definitive study on what creates an individual's sense of gender and thereby their expression of it.
Yet one thing is not debatable. It exists. It's real, its overwhelming to many of us and its persistent. It doesn't go away after years of "manning up" for boys or "knowing your place" for girls.
The First Amendment gives Rob and Arnie the right to prove their ignorance. All 10 give me the right to exist.
Who do I see to get back the last 30 minutes of my life?
I listened to the segment, all 36 minutes of it and first of all. I need to say this. Rob and Arnie's positions on GID, while inaccurate, should not be construed as hate speech, nor should their right to express it be hindered. Their advocation that violence, or physical discipline is the solution is borderline criminal. Their intolerance for fellow host Dawn was atrocious, vile, disrespectful and adolescent. The radio station, its advertisers, and audience possess all the power necessary to regulate their comments.
I agree with very little of what was stated during that 36 minute discourse on contempt prior to investigation, yet some of it had merit. I wouldn't let either of those two men coach my children in sports, lead them in a Scout trip nor take them to a ball game with their children. It is a fact that some children act out for attention. However, for those of us who hid our gender identity, buried that innate sense of self inside of us, dealt with the struggle daily for 20, 30 or 40 years, its not a matter of attention. In fact we want no attention. Just the right to quietly live our lives, to earn a living and to be.
Is GID a mental disorder? Is it a hormonal imbalance during gestation which creates the mind to be incongruent with the body? Is it a condition created through nurture and not nature? All of these can be debated because there is yet no definitive study on what creates an individual's sense of gender and thereby their expression of it.
Yet one thing is not debatable. It exists. It's real, its overwhelming to many of us and its persistent. It doesn't go away after years of "manning up" for boys or "knowing your place" for girls.
The First Amendment gives Rob and Arnie the right to prove their ignorance. All 10 give me the right to exist.
Comments
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Dear Jenna,
Thank you for sharing this information. To be honest I didn't spend the 30 minutes of my life listening to the podcast, because sometimes I just don't have the heart to give attention to the narrow-minded cruel people of this world. I just get so fired up when I hear stuff like this, and the frustration of knowing there are some people who are just hateful, really breaks my heart.
The worst is to suggest that parents of transgender kids should implement violence against their child to punish for gender identity difference! What could be worse? I just wish people, especially parents, would grasp the fact that transgenderism is not a "choice" right? It's an inherant part of some people, and it cannot be "cured". From what I understand of my transgender friends, no amount of beating, shaming, punishing, reasoning or any other tactic will successfully remove these feelings. Attempts to do so will only result in a very unhappy, potentially disfunctional child.
The only way to successful help a transgender child is with sensitivity, empathy, encouragement, and letting them know they are safe and loved. There are many transkids whose parents treat them as such, who end up blossoming into beautiful, happy, healthy transgender adults.
Thanks again for sharing.
Much love sister,
Michele