US: 11-year-old trans girl says Obama should have mentioned trans people at his inauguration
An trans girl has written a speech in response to that given by US President Barack Obama at his public inauguration on Monday, during which he referred to the gay community.
11-year-old Sadie, wrote her speech titled, Sophie’s Dream for the World, because although she commended President Obama’s speech for including gay people, she thought he should have included the trans community as well because “transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else”.
Sadie’s mother said: “Sadie was so proud of President Obama for including the gay community in his inaugural address on Monday; however, she felt like the trans community wasn’t included. That inspired her to write her own ‘speech.'”
She went on to say that she “isn’t shy or ashamed of who she is.”
Sadie socially transitioned from male to female in kindergarten. Now in the fifth grade, this is her first year that she has been attending a public school, having been homeschooled up until now.
Her mother said that Sadie socially transitioned at kindergarten age, and now she is in the fifth grade, it is her first year at public school, after being homeschooled, reports Gay Community News.
Sophie’s full speech, which originally appeared on Transgriot, is available to read below.
The world would be a better place if everyone had the right to be themselves, including people who have a creative gender identity and expression. Transgender people are not allowed the freedom to do things everyone else does, like go to the doctor, go to school, get a job, and even make friends.
Transgender kids like me are not allowed to go to most schools because the teachers think we are different from everyone else. The schools get afraid of how they will talk with the other kids’ parents, and transgender kids are kept secret or told not to come there anymore. Kids are told not to be friends with transgender kids, which makes us very lonely and sad.
When they grow up, transgender adults have a hard time getting a job because the boss thinks the customers will be scared away. Doctors are afraid of treating transgender patients because they don’t know how to take care of them, and some doctors don’t really want to help them. Transgender patients like me travel to other states to see a good doctor.
It would be a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. We like to make friends and want to go to school. Transgender people want to get good jobs and go to doctors like they are exactly the same. It really isn’t that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else.”
