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FUNDING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC SQUARE PROVIDED BY
THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, WORKING TO IMPROVE THE LIVES
OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN. >> I CAME OUT AT 12 YEARS
OLD, YOU KNOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WE ALL COME OUT LIKE ON A DAILY BASIS IF, YOU KNOW,
NOT MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY. >> THE COMING OUT PROCESS
WAS A BIG PERIOD OF SELF-HATRED, AND I EVEN
CONTEMPLATED TAKING MY OWN LIVE AT ONE POINT, BECAUSE I
FELT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A DEMON IN ME, THERE MUST HAVE
BEEN SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME, LIKE I HAD BEEN TOLD MY
WHOLE LIFE. >> YOU TOLD THEM, AND THEY
JUST OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID, SEE YA?
>> THEY SAID PRETTY MUCH, PACK MY BAGS AND GO.
THEY'RE LIKE, IF YOU WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS, YOU CAN'T BE
HERE AT ALL. >> WOW.
>> AND THEN HE SHARED WITH ME WHAT HAPPENED, AND I
SAID, MY GOD, SON, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE GONE OUT
ON THE MESA, WHAT IF HE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT YOU?
HE SAID, MOM, I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE IF HE KILLED ME.
>> HOW DID YOU LIVE THROUGH ALL THAT AS A MOM?
>> WELCOME TO PUBLIC SQUARE, WHERE CIVIC DIALOGUE
TAKES CENTER STAGE. >> OUR KIDS ARE AT RISK FOR
MUCH HIGHER RATES OF SUICIDE, MUCH HIGHER RATES
OF ADDICTION, MUCH HIGHER RATES OF SELF-HARMING
BEHAVIORS, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED OUR KIDS TO JUST
LIVE. >> THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO
BE BULLIED, MORE PRONE TO SUICIDE, AND AT GREATER RISK
FOR HOMELESSNESS. THE BATTLE AGAINST
DISCRIMINATION OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY IS BEING WAGED AT
HOME HERE IN NEW MEXICO, AND AROUND THE WORLD.
IT IS ONE OF THE PIVOTAL RIGHTS ISSUES OF OUR DAY.
DESPITE PROGRESS IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, SCHOOL AND
SOCIETY REMAIN A VERY RISKY PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
ARE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUESTIONING.
TODAY WE'LL HEAR THEIR STORIES ABOUT COMING OUT.
WE'LL ALSO HEAR FROM ADVOCATES AND ACTIVISTS.
THEN WE'LL BE JOINED BY STATE SENATOR CISCO
McSORLEY, AND PETER SIMONSON, THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, NEW
MEXICO CHAPTER. BEFORE WE START, WE'LL HEAR
THE STORY OF A YOUNG PERSON WHOSE JOURNEY BEGAN QUITE
EARLY. >> LIKE A LOT OF
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOYS, TENZIN HUISMAN LOVES PLAYING
FOOTBALL WITH HIS DAD. IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS HE
LOVES ABOUT BEING A BOY, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING HE WAS
VERY SURE ABOUT AT A YOUNG AGE.
>> IT JUST CAME TO ME FROM MY HEART, I KIND OF DIDN'T
LIKE BEING A GIRL, AND I JUST WANTED TO CHANGE INTO A
BOY AND SEE HOW IT FELT, AND I WHEN I NOTICED HOW IT
FELT, I ACTUALLY FELT BETTER BEING A BOY THAN A GIRL.
I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE BEING A GIRL.
NOT MY STYLE. >> TENZIN WAS BORN MAYA.
>> MY BIG SURPRISE, I THINK, AS A PARENT IS, I WAS
TOTALLY READY TO DEAL WITH A TRANSGENDER KID, WHAT I
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT GENDER WAS HOW YOUNG GENDER IDENTITY IS
KNOWN BY AN INDIVIDUAL. WHEN TEN WAS STILL MAYA,
WHEN TEN WAS THREE, WE WENT TO MY MOM'S FOR CHRISTMAS,
AND SHE HAD GIVEN HIM A GI, A KARATE GI COSTUME, AND A
TUTU. AND HE OPENED THE KARATE GI
AND INSTANTLY, LIKE, WAS PUTTING IT ON, TYING THE
BELT. AND THEN HE OPENED THE TUTU,
AND HE THREW IT ACROSS THE ROOM AND SAID, THAT'S FOR
GIRLS. >> BY THE TIME KINDERGARTEN
CAME AROUND, TENZIN STOPPED TRYING TO FIT IN AS A GIRL,
BUT HE STILL CONTINUED GOING BY MAYA IN SCHOOL.
THAT BECAME A PROBLEM. >> IN 2nd GRADE, TEN WAS
BEING ASKED CONSTANTLY WHETHER HE WAS A BOY OR A
GIRL, AND BECAUSE HE WAS IN SCHOOL AS MAYA, EVEN THOUGH
HE LOOKED VERY MUCH LIKE A BOY, HE USED THE GIRLS
BATHROOM. AND SO ONE DAY WHEN HE WAS
IN THE GIRLS BATHROOM, THERE WAS ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL FROM
ANOTHER CLASS WHO CHOKED HIM.
LITERALLY PUT HER HANDS AROUND HIS NECK AND CHOKED
HIM, BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T ADMIT THAT HE WAS A BOY
AND HE WAS IN THE WRONG BATHROOM.
WHEN I MET WITH THE TEACHERS, THEY HAD SOME
REALLY INTERESTING THINGS TO SAY.
ONE OF THE TEACHERS SUGGESTED THAT I SEND TENZIN
TO SCHOOL WITH A BOW IN HIS HAIR, SO AS NOT TO CONFUSE
THE OTHER KIDS. SO I REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED
TO DO SOME PRETTY BIG EDUCATION.
>> HIS MOTHER FOUND BOOKS AND CURRICULUM ON GENDER AND
ANTI-BULLYING. SHE MET WITH SCHOOL
OFFICIALS, WHO AGREED TO IMPLEMENT IT.
>> I THINK IT'S A CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO
START VERY YOUNG, BECAUSE THESE KIDS DESERVE TO BE IN
SAFE ENVIRONMENTS AND TREATED WELL.
>> SINCE TENZIN HAS TRANSITIONED TO BEING A BOY
FULL-TIME, THESE ISSUES HAVE GONE AWAY.
>> GENDER IS BEING COMPLETELY REDEFINED FROM
ANYTHING WE UNDERSTAND, AND IT'S THE YOUNGER GENERATION
WHO ARE REALLY SHOWING US THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TWO
CHOICES. YOU KNOW, THAT GENDER IS
THIS CONTINUUM, AND THERE'S ALL THESE PLACES TO LIVE ON
THE CONTINUUM. AND SO I'M REALLY HEARTENED
BY THAT AS A PARENT, YOU KNOW, THAT HE GETS TO LIVE
IN A WORLD THAT'S EVEN MORE OPEN THAN THE ONE THAT I
GREW UP IN. SO I DON'T WORRY A LOT.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT PART OF ME, WHAT I CALL
MY MAMA BEAR, WHO'S ALWAYS A LITTLE READY.
IF THEY MESS WITH MY KID TOO MUCH, I WILL POUNCE.
>> TENZIN SAYS HE WOULD TELL KIDS LIKE HIM TO NOT BE
AFRAID TO BE THEMSELVES. >> IT JUST FEELS BETTER
WHEN YOU GET IT OUT MORE INSTEAD OF KEEPING IT IN,
BETTER THAN PRETENDING TO BE SOMEBODY THAT YOU'RE NOT.
>> I WANTED TO COME HERE AND SHARE MY EXPERIENCE, THE
ROAD I WALKED WITH OUR SON, WHO IS GAY, AND HOPEFULLY
THAT THAT WILL HELP OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE, AND PROBABLY
MORE SO PARENTS, TO KNOW WHAT THEIR CHILD IS DEALING
WITH IN COMING OUT. >> I WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE
WATCHING TO UNDERSTAND THAT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE
PEOPLE, AND THAT REALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, WE ALL
WANT THE SAME THINGS. WE'RE ALL HUMAN BEINGS AT
HEART. >> I'M A SOCIAL WORKER, AND
I DO WORK WITH A LOT OF KIDS WHO ARE COMING OUT.
I WORK WITH A LOT OF KIDS WHO ARE DISPLACED OUT OF
THEIR HOMES AND DON'T HAVE PLACES TO GO.
AND NEW MEXICO IS A HARD STATE, YOU KNOW.
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES FOR GAY AND
LESBIAN KIDS WHO ARE COMING OUT ALL TOGETHER, BUT MUCH
LESS KIDS THAT ARE ON THE STREETS AND DON'T HAVE
PLACES TO GO. >> LGBT TEENS ARE FOUR
TIMES MORE LIKELY TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE THAN THEIR
HETEROSEXUAL PEERS. THEY'RE BULLIED AT TWO TO
THREE TIMES THE RATE OF THEIR PEERS.
AND THEN OFTEN THEY'RE NOT FEELING SAFE AT SCHOOL, THEY
OFTEN DON'T HAVE A SAFE ADULT TO GO TO AT SCHOOL.
SO THEY'RE MUCH MORE AT RISK.
>> IF WE DON'T START TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES, THEN
WE'RE GOING TO SEE A CONTINUED MARGINALIZATION OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY INCREDIBLY MARGINALIZED.
AND WHAT WE SEE IS INCREASED SUBSTANCE USE AND ABUSE,
INCREASED SURVIVAL SEX, INCREASED *** TRANSMISSION
RATES IN OUR STATE, INCREASED HEPATITIS
TRANSMISSION RATES IN OUR STATES, INCREASED
HOMELESSNESS. ALL OF THESE SORT OF
SOCIETAL PROBLEMS THAT REALLY WE SHOULD BE WORKING
TO RESOLVE WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF WE DON'T LEARN HOW
TO INCORPORATE AND INTEGRATE TRANSGENDER FOLKS INTO OUR
CULTURE.