JULY b, 2QQ7 lUSt OUt
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Kaig Lightner raises public awareness about the
challenges faced by gender-variant youth.
1 understand his concern hut worry that such
apprehension within the queer community might
alienate trans youth, who desperately need support.
When I learned about Trans Youth Family Advocates,
1 grabbed the chance to speak with the new non
profit’s Portland representative, Kaig Lightner, to get
his opinions on the matter. Incorporated in Oregon
in December 2006, TYFA has already been named
the No. 1 national resource for gender-variant
children and their families by Newsweek.
Malka Geffen: How does TYFA, which facil
itates gender transition for children between the
ages of 3 and 18, respond to concerns about kids
transitioning too young?
Kaig Lightner: TYFA’s stance on people who
want to transition who are young is that it’s some
thing kids are aware of at young age. The facilitation
of that gender transition is more about supporting the
child, allowing them to discover what direction they
want to go. if a 3-year-old comes to the parent and
says, “I want to be a boy,” instead of saying, “No,”
TYFA will give them education that this is some-
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6th ash
How long should trans youth wait?
rowing into my lesbian identity in San
Francisco in the late '90s was, in retro
spect, a fun ride. 1 learned about many
different labels for a variety of women
loving women. 1 also learned about
gender fluidity within the queer community.
A dyke is still a dyke if she’s dating a dude? The
dude and 1 have the same biology and similar
presentation, but I go by *she” and he by “he"? The
confusion brought me to one conclusion, which
I stick to 10 years later: People are how they iden
tify, and 1 am no one to judge the authenticity of
anyone’s experience but my own.
During the June 2 screening of Boy 1 Am at
QDOC: Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival,
I heard some opinions that didn’t jibe with this
philosophy. In the film, Judith “Jack” Halberstam,
a gender and queer theorist and author, expressed
concern for youth transitioning too young. He said:
“It makes me very, very nervous to think about an 18-
year-old, a 19-year-old going and doing something
that’s so permanent. And I’m really glad that as long
and as hard as this struggle has been for me to obtain
surgery, that I’ve had so much time to think about
and consider anything from my choice of doctor to
what kind of surgery to specifically what I want for my
body...l think that young bodies that are still grow
ing sometimes don’t know what they want and who
they are.”
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breakfast
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BY MALKA GEFFEN
thing that happens, that the child is not damaged,
and allow them to allow the child to express how
they want to, to wear the clothes and play with the
toys they want to.
A teen taking hormones, having surgery...it’s
the same mentality and philosophy—support the
child. It’s a dicey issue and not something TYFA
makes a judgment call on. It’s more about what is
the child’s comfort in their own bodies, making sure
they have the support they need mentally and phys
ically, and offer education and information to allow
parents and the kid to feel as informed as possible,
not going in blind, which is where a lot of the tear
and rejection comes from.
MG: What is the worst-case scenario for a per
son who has to wait until adulthood to transition?
KL: It has a tremendous effect. It’s basically
denying a person the right to be who they really feel
they are. The physical, emotional and mental effects
have often been compared to (post-traumatic stress
disorder] and feeling like a prisoner. You know inside
something doesn’t feel right, and no one is taking
you seriously.
I have been lucky to have really great family
support, but if 1 was 14 and knew what was going
on and was told, “No, you can’t be given hormones
or have surgery” and knew it was an option, 1 think
that would increase the mental trauma of it, like
denying someone the basic rights of living.
MG: What does the .sexual minorities commu
nity need to know about trans youth to be better
allies?
KL: There’s an assumption among the queer
community that gender and sexual orientation are
equated. But just because someone identifies one
way does not determine their sexuality.
To be an ally, just listen to what youth have to say
and take it seriously. Don’t say, “You’re just going
through a phase" or “You don’t know yourself well
enough.” That’s true of anybody—we’re not sure of
ourselves all the time. According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics, gender is established by age 4,
and if a youth is saying over and over, “I don’t feel
right in this body," it should be taken seriously.
For more information about TRANS YOUTH FAMILY
ADVOCATES visit www.imatyfa.org. Join TYFA for
a presentation on children, youth and gender identity
from 1 to 3 p.m. July 14 at First United Methodist
Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson St. Join Kaig Lightner
for the discussion group Genderqueery from
7 to 9 p.m. every second and fourth Thursday at
Q Center, 69 S.E. Taylor St.
Staff Writer MALKA GEFFEN has plenty of room in
her head. Fill it by e-mailing malka@justout.com.
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