FULL STORY: Gender Identity

Summary

The video highlights the journey of two 10-year-old transgender girls, Tracy and Harriet, who were born male but identify as female. It explores their struggles for acceptance in their schools, families, and communities. The documentary delves into the emotional challenges they face, including bullying and the resistance from religious institutions. It also covers the legal battles their families undertake to secure their rights, emphasizing the importance of acceptance and understanding for transgender children in society.

Takeaways

• 👧 Two 10-year-olds, Tracy and Harriet, were born as boys but identify as girls, sparking a debate with schools and the government.
• 🏫 Tracy and Harriet’s parents support them, but their journey has been filled with challenges, including opposition from schools and religious institutions.
• 💔 Tracy's Catholic school would not allow her to use her chosen name or dress in a way that aligns with her gender identity, prompting her family to pull her out of the school.
• 🎂 Tracy transitioned 18 months ago and even celebrated with a rebirthday party, but she still faces taunts and teasing from peers.
• 💪 Harriet, who legally changed her name and presents as female, also struggles with bullying and exclusion from friends but remains strong and confident in her identity.
• 💡 The families have filed human rights complaints, seeking acceptance and change in schools and the government to recognize their daughters' gender identities.
• 🏥 Dr. Wallace Wong, a psychologist specializing in transgender children, explains that gender identity develops around age three and that mismatches can lead to emotional distress if not supported.
• ⚖️ The Catholic Church believes sex and gender are the same, which conflicts with the transgender community's push for acceptance, especially in religious schools.
• 💔 Both families hope for compassion and understanding, highlighting the emotional and psychological impact of being denied their gender identities in school settings.
• 🌈 Despite the challenges, Tracy's mom reassures her that being transgender makes her special and that their fight for acceptance will continue.

Q & A

Who are Tracy Wilson and Harriet Cunningham?

Tracy Wilson and Harriet Cunningham are two 10-year-olds who were born as boys but identify as girls. They are the central figures in the debate around transgender children's rights.

What challenges have Tracy and Harriet faced regarding their gender identity?

Both Tracy and Harriet have faced challenges from schools, the government, and society, including resistance to accepting their chosen identities. They have experienced teasing, bullying, and lack of acceptance from religious and educational institutions.

How did Tracy's parents react when they first noticed signs of her identifying as a girl?

Tracy’s parents, Michelle and Garfield, initially struggled with their child's gender expression. Garfield, in particular, was uncomfortable when Trey (Tracy’s birth name) wanted to wear dresses and feminine clothing. Over time, they embraced Tracy's identity.

What did Dr. Wallace Wong say about gender identity in children?

Dr. Wallace Wong, a psychologist specializing in transgender children, explained that while a child's biological sex is determined at birth, gender identity develops around the age of three. He mentioned that mismatched sex and gender is often mistaken for homosexual behavior, but it is a gender identity issue.

What are the mental health risks faced by transgender youth according to Dr. Wong?

Dr. Wong pointed out that transgender youth face a high risk of emotional pain, which can lead to self-harm and suicidal behavior. In fact, 40% of transgender youth attempt suicide.

What was the response of the Catholic school to Tracy’s transition?

The Catholic school Tracy attended refused to acknowledge her new gender identity. They would not call her by her chosen name, refer to her as ‘she,’ or allow her to wear the girls' uniform.

How has Harriet Cunningham's family responded to her transition?

Harriet’s family, especially her grandmother Kathy Dickens, has been supportive. They have even started a campaign to remove gender markers from birth certificates and passports to help Harriet be recognized as a girl.

What legal action have both families taken?

Both the Wilson and Cunningham families have filed human rights complaints. Tracy's family sued the Catholic school for discrimination, while Harriet's family filed a complaint against the BC government for assigning a male gender to Harriet at birth.

What was the significance of Harriet's blue dress?

The blue dress became a symbol of Harriet's transition. During a grade 2 Christmas concert, she wore the dress, which helped her father Colin realize that his son was actually his daughter. It represented Harriet’s desire to express her true self.

How have Tracy and Harriet's social lives been affected by their transitions?

Both girls have struggled socially since their transitions. Tracy lost many friends after switching schools and no longer gets invited to social events. Harriet also faced teasing and rejection from peers, with only one birthday party invitation in grade 4.

Outlines

00:00

👧 Fighting for the Right to Be Girls

This segment introduces the story of two 10-year-old transgender girls, Tracy Wilson and Harriet Cunningham, who were born as boys but identify as girls. Their families support them, but they face resistance from schools, the government, and religious institutions. The narrative highlights the struggles these girls endure as they seek acceptance and the right to live as their true selves. It touches on the difficulties of navigating societal expectations, discrimination, and the emotional challenges faced by transgender children.

05:03

👗 Challenges Within Families and Acceptance

This part focuses on the internal struggles within the families of Tracy and Harriet. It highlights the tensions between parents over accepting their child's identity, with Tracy's father, Garfield, initially struggling with the idea. The segment also discusses Harriet’s journey and her favorite blue dress, symbolizing her fight for recognition. Psychologist Dr. Wallace Wong explains the emotional toll of being transgender and the potential consequences of a lack of acceptance, such as self-harm and high suicide rates among transgender youth. The parents ultimately choose to embrace their daughters, helping them transition and live authentically.

10:04

🎒 Struggles with Schools and Religious Beliefs

This paragraph delves into the conflicts between Tracy's family and her Catholic school, Sacred Heart, which refused to recognize her as a girl. The school would not allow her to use her chosen name or wear the girls' uniform, citing religious beliefs that gender and sex are divinely assigned and immutable. This resistance leads to Tracy’s parents removing her from the school, emphasizing their disappointment in the lack of compassion and acceptance they expected from a religious community. The narrative captures the emotional impact on Tracy and her family as they fight for her right to be herself in an environment that does not support her identity.

15:04

📚 Legal Battles and Advocacy for Change

The final section covers the ongoing legal battles and advocacy efforts by Tracy and Harriet’s families. It details how Tracy’s parents filed a human rights complaint against the Catholic school for discrimination, highlighting the conflict between religious freedom and the right to gender identity. Meanwhile, Harriet and her grandmother are campaigning to remove gender markers from birth certificates and passports to prevent discrimination. The segment underscores the broader fight for transgender rights in Canada, focusing on the need for legal recognition and social acceptance. Both girls continue to navigate a challenging landscape as they strive to live authentically, hoping to inspire change and understanding in society.

Keywords

💡Transgender

Transgender refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. In the video, Tracy Wilson and Harriet Cunningham are two 10-year-old children who were born as boys but identify as girls. The concept of being transgender is central to the video, as it explores the challenges these children face in gaining acceptance from their families, schools, and society.

💡Gender Identity

Gender identity is a person's internal sense of their own gender, whether male, female, a blend of both, or neither, which may or may not align with their biological sex. In the video, Tracy and Harriet's experiences highlight how gender identity is recognized and expressed from an early age. Tracy, for instance, knew she was meant to be a girl, even though she was born male, leading to her transition.

💡Human Rights

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person, regardless of their identity. The video discusses the human rights of transgender children, particularly the right to live and be recognized according to their gender identity. The struggles of Tracy and Harriet, as well as their families' efforts to advocate for their rights, are a focal point of the narrative.

💡Bullying

Bullying refers to repeated aggressive behavior intended to hurt another individual physically, mentally, or emotionally. The video mentions how Tracy and Harriet face bullying from peers who do not accept their gender identity, contributing to their emotional pain. This bullying highlights the social challenges transgender children often encounter.

💡Transition

Transition in the context of transgender individuals refers to the process of changing one's gender presentation to align with their gender identity. This can include changing names, pronouns, clothing, and, in some cases, pursuing medical procedures. The video shows Tracy's transition from being identified as a boy named Trey to living as a girl named Tracy, which includes social and legal changes.

💡Acceptance

Acceptance refers to the recognition and respect of someone's identity or choices. The video discusses the varying levels of acceptance that Tracy and Harriet receive from their families, schools, and communities. While their parents eventually embrace their identities, institutions like schools and churches struggle to fully accept them, reflecting the broader societal challenges transgender individuals face.

💡Catholic Church

The Catholic Church plays a significant role in the video as an institution that traditionally views gender and sex as fixed at birth. The conflict between Tracy's family and the Catholic school she attended underscores the tension between religious beliefs and the rights of transgender individuals. The school's refusal to accept Tracy's gender identity reflects broader debates about religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights.

💡Mental Health

Mental health refers to a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video highlights the mental health challenges faced by transgender youth, including depression, anxiety, and a high risk of suicide due to societal rejection and bullying. The emotional struggles of Tracy and Harriet emphasize the importance of support and acceptance for their well-being.

💡Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria is the distress experienced by individuals whose gender identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. The video indirectly addresses this through the experiences of Tracy and Harriet, who both expressed discomfort with their assigned genders and sought to live according to their true identities. This condition often drives the desire for social and medical transition.

💡Legal Recognition

Legal recognition refers to the official acknowledgment of an individual's gender identity in legal documents such as birth certificates, passports, and school records. The video mentions the efforts of Harriet’s family to have her recognized as female in legal documents, and their campaign to remove gender markers from birth certificates. This is crucial for transgender individuals to live authentically and avoid discrimination.

Highlights

Two 10-year-olds, born as boys but identify as girls, fight for the right to be recognized as full-time girls.

Tracy and Harriet's parents support their daughters' gender identity, while others, including schools and churches, resist.

Tracy and Harriet were transgender from an early age, expressing their true identity through behavior and dress.

The children's gender identities led to struggles at school, including teasing, isolation, and rejection from peers.

Harriet's grandmother played a significant role in convincing her to fully embrace her gender identity.

The Catholic school refused to recognize Tracy's gender identity, not allowing her to use her new name or wear the girl’s uniform.

Tracy's parents pulled her out of Catholic school after feeling unsupported and filed a human rights complaint against the school.

Harriet's family launched a campaign to remove gender markers from birth certificates and passports, advocating for systemic change.

Both families face discrimination and emotional challenges but continue to support their children's gender transitions.

The Catholic church believes that sex and gender are one and cannot be changed, which fueled the conflict with Tracy's family.

The psychologist working with transgender children highlighted that gender identity develops around 3 years old and may not align with biological sex.

Transgender youth face severe emotional pain, with 40% attempting suicide if not supported, according to research.

The case involving Tracy is the first of its kind, challenging the Catholic church's stance on transgender children’s rights in a school setting.

Tracy now attends a public school where her gender identity is accepted, providing her relief and a sense of belonging.

The families hope their legal actions will bring about broader societal change for transgender children across Canada.

Transcripts

tonight on 16 by9 two 10-year-olds

fighting for the right to be girls not

just a girl a lot of the time and a boy

sometimes I want to be a full-time girl

I don't want to be just someone wearing

a costume battling the government

schools and the

church I don't believe God makes

mistakes you cannot just change your sex

and then all it takes is 8

[Music]

[Applause]

seconds the end goal for me is to be the

World Finals Champion to make bull

writing

[Music]

[Applause]

history and my name is Joel and this is

my tiny

house living large in tiny homes I'm

going to take over the world one tiny

house at a time

here's Carolyn

Jarvis good evening and welcome to 16

by9 human rights are something children

normally don't have to worry about but

Tracy Wilson and Harriet Cunningham are

special two 10-year-olds who were born

as boys but identify as girls while

their parents accept who they are others

don't and that has ignited a debate with

both School boards and the BC government

as Jill crop explains it's a matter of

who gets to decide whether someone is a

boy or a

girl

slide good okay from the beginning till

there

okay run here we come our the sun you

Cruis it

if I have a bad day I come here and then

all of my sadness goes away to look at

her you wouldn't think 10-year-old Tracy

Wilson has anything to be sad

about but appearances can be

deceiving what are you doing

Trey get the bar get the ball she was

born a he Trey Wilson first born to

Michelle and

Garfield

oh hi and while they thought they had a

son Michelle and Garfield soon realized

Trey was unique do you know when little

boys get together they are just really

aggressive and they just kind of run and

beat each other up not not so much he

would take my scarves and wrap them

around his head to make flowing hair or

he would put on uh shirts as

dresses there's Trey playing with this

toy TR train from his I never really

felt like one of the boys rough and

tough and pretending to be Pirates and

walking up

[Music]

princesses you hungry too

Henry Henry eat come on you're hungry I

know you are 10-year-old Harriet

Cunningham is most comfortable tending

to her animals this is Lillian and she's

good but she needs a bit of a

bath Harriet was born Dean but she has

never wavered in who she is I've always

been a girl even when I was a boy when I

was considered as a boy in my dreams I

was never I was never a

boy Tracy and Harriet are trans gender

they were born boys but knew early on

they were meant to be girls I just

assumed that I was just being myself and

being unique and I didn't know that it

would all come up to this she's good the

Wilsons and the cunninghams now want the

rest of Canada to see their daughters as

they do

[Music]

but it hasn't always been easy it wasn't

until preschool when the toy options

expanded and he went whoa like look

there's dolls and there's fairy dresses

and then his interest started to shift a

little bit when it was getting into the

role playing and things like that with

him wanting to dress up I got

nervous as it progressed Trey wanted to

wear the dresses and the fair Wings

outside or we get a ring in the door and

he run to the door in a dress and and

garfi would panic I would Panic yeah I

felt Garfield's discomfort with with

Trey and I'm like that's so not fair for

Trey and at the time I just thought he

was gay I remember I was sitting on the

couch and we were arguing again and I'm

like honey like this is a deal breaker

if you can't love Trey for who he is no

matter what that is this is this is not

going to work most of it was my own

personal fear you know um of not

understanding and

then the fear of bullying cuz I was

bullied as a

kid this is my closet in Harriet

Cunningham's family this blue dress has

become something of a symbol this is

pretty much my all-time favorite dress

it was the night of Harriet's grade 2

Christmas concert and her father Colin

hadn't yet accepted that his son was

really his daughter about 10 minutes

before we ready to leave she she comes

clopping down the stairs in uh heels and

Megan's uh powder blue uh bridesmaid's

dress I admit that I was thinking of my

own embarrassment taking my child to his

Christmas concert dressed as a a girl so

I said why are you wearing that and you

know why now she genuinely said well cuz

it's a really beautiful dress I

especially like it because it goes swish

swish swish swish whenever I walk and I

froze in place Colin didn't take Harriet

to the concert I think that's not

unusual for a lot of parents because

they we always have that hope that that

our kids will turn out to be fit in the

majority Dr Wallace Wong is a

psychologist specializing in transgender

children he says while sex is known at

Birth gender identity doesn't develop

until 3 years

old sometimes the two match and

sometimes they don't often mistaken for

homosexual Behavior it's actually called

gender identity disorder we are all

weird in some way and that make us

unique none of us in can fit 100% as a

muscular male or feminine female Dr Wong

knows that it can be hard for parents to

accept but there are serious

repercussions if they don't there's a

lot of emotional pain there's no way out

so the only way to to to numb their

feelings often they do a lot self harm

uh behaviors that emotional pain leads

to 40% of transgender youth attempting

suicide Michelle and Garfield embraced

their New Daughter letting her be the

person she

wanted as soon as I let that go it

was I never looked back I really didn't

it

was and it changed my relationship with

Tracy it completely changed it I felt

like I was holding on to something that

wasn't there Trey became Tracy 18 months

ago biologically she is still a boy but

she goes by her girl name is referred to

with female pronouns and she wears

whatever clothing she

[Music]

wants Tracy even had a rebirthday party

celebrating her transition

[Music]

for all the parties and red carpets life

can be overwhelming for the young girl I

just need to think about all that's

going on and try and find a way to calm

myself

down thinking about

everything taunts and teasing happen all

too

often they would say stuff like

I hate to say this

word and they would call

me sometimes an alien or

nonperson cuz they thought that I was

different and I was so and I was too

girly to be a boy I was too and I was

too different to be a

human but earning the acceptance of her

friends and family was only the

beginning of Tracy's difficult journey

by the end of grade three Tracy decided

to to admit how she really felt I told

her mom I'm really going to trust you

now and I want to be a girl not not just

a girl a lot of the time and a boy

sometimes I want to be a full-time girl

at dance she was Tracy at home she was

Tracy so she was a full-on girl but when

she'd go to school she'd have to go back

to being Trey and being called he she

was attending this semi-private Catholic

School Garfield grew up going to church

so he was looking forward to

reintroducing faith into our lives yeah

I wanted to have the foundation of Faith

Michelle and Garfield approach Sacred

Heart asking them to allow Trey to

become Tracy oh they wouldn't allow any

of that they wouldn't let her use her uh

new name uh they wouldn't refer to her

as she did you have any sense at Sacred

Heart School that they would have a

negative reaction no no never we believe

that sex and gender are one and the same

Doug Lawson is superintendent of the

Catholic independ dependent schools of

Vancouver God creates a person with a

sexual identity at Birth I don't believe

God makes mistakes you cannot just

change your

[Music]

sex good night under your blanket tight

give me a kiss okay H how could God not

love something that he created it's like

everybody else how could you not love

something that you created it's just

like having a doubt how could you not

love your own

child just

[Music]

saying next a parent fight with the

school to let this 10-year-old be

herself I expected a community that

talks about love and acceptance to

actually show love and acceptance

[Music]

in grade two I got invited to 10

birthday parties in grade three I got

invited to 10 and grade 4 I got

invited to one 10-year-old transgender

girl Harriet had to learn to be

tough I got called a HEI I got called

quite quite me names and it I try not to

let them show that I'm I'm sad but it

really hurts me Harriet has a very

strong personality kids would say what

are you and she'd go I'm a person that's

what I am but it was a conversation with

her grandmother Kathy Dickens that

finally convinced Harriet my grandma

told me do you want to get a beard like

Daddy and I said no and you like at the

thought of that I I put my foot down no

I want to be

fully a

girl so that is what she did wearing

only girl clothing legally changing her

name and presenting herself as entirely

female have different ideas of gender

but that's not enough Harriet also wants

the government to accept her when I have

to show ID and I'm going through um

Customs I think it's called yeah Customs

it makes me sad CU people give me dirty

looks and they kind of question me who's

this BL and it makes me feel like I

shouldn't have to go through that I'm

I'm a girl and I'm I'm like everybody

else grandmother and granddaughter have

started a campaign to remove gender from

birth certificates and passports I will

continue writing to government and

advocating for change until we have

things in place where she feels safe and

protected wherever she goes why is it

the people those people's business to

know what gender I am it I'm I'm Harriet

look at me I'm I'm like this there we

there we go it's kind of that simple

they even filed a human rights complaint

against the BC government saying that

Harriet should never have been labeled

male at Birth we used to think that you

could tell gender you looked at you

looked at the baby when they were born

and ah now we know boy or girl for the

rest of your life those are

profound ideas in our culture but

they're mistaken

lawyer Barbara Finley took on their case

she says gender markers are outdated

when I first got my birth certificate it

had on it as identifying features my

name my date of birth and my gender that

was it if I've been born 20 or 30 years

before it would also have had my race

and my father's occupation in my class

but we've already figured out that those

aren't

relevant I had to give up my friends I

had to give up almost everything

everything I barely even see my friends

from Sacred Heart

anymore it's

just friends Tracy doesn't get to see

anymore because she wanted to use the

girl's washroom to be called her new

name and to wear the girl's uniform at

the Catholic school she was attending in

short she wanted to be treated as the

girl she knew she was they had no

intention of letting her be her her they

wouldn't let her use her new name uh

they wouldn't refer to her as she the

school resisted asking the Wilsons for

multiple assessments confirming Tracy's

condition that wasn't okay and Tracy's

uncomfortable like my child doesn't feel

comfortable it was hard for her Michelle

and Garfield pulled Tracy out of class

let me just think it's just fear and it

sucks and it's so wrong and everyone

says well what did you expect I expected

compassion I expected community that

talks about love and acceptance to

actually show love and

acceptance like I don't think that's so

[Music]

strange the whole existence of a

Catholic school is for the Catholic

faith the position of the Catholic

church is that you live your life in the

sex that God gave you Doug Lawson is the

superintendent of the Catholic

Independent Schools of couver and says

Tracy is the first open transgender

child in one of their schools this is an

emerging issue it's certainly an issue

that has come to the Forefront over the

last number of years and it's a very

complex issue in order to be who you are

to be who God made you to be you don't

have to wear the girl's

uniform it's it's I think as simple as

that Lawson says the board is working on

not a policy for transgender children

but that the research is conflicting

some researchers will say wait and see

support the child in his or her desires

other people will say no don't do that

that's the worst thing you can do very

very different opinions and so we had to

research the medical evidence evidence

with conflicting numbers on if a child

will eventually change their mind and

how to best handle adolescence surgery

is not available to minors in Canada but

children can take hormones to suppress

puberty starting at around 12 Tracy has

questions about it but it's not

something that we want to focus on or

worry about too much right now we want

her to be able to just live as she is

and and live as the 10-year-old that she

[Music]

is and 10-year-olds need to go to school

the Wilsons also hired Barbara Finley

and filed a human rights complaint

saying the school discriminated against

their daughter then you have headon a

contest between the right to be free

from discrimination on the one hand and

the right to hold religious views on the

other hand is religious freedom

Paramount to the right to education and

to sexual orientation absolutely

for a Catholic School yes this case will

be the first time where

that particular headon contest in a

school has happened who's walking on my

bridge it's very humbling we adults have

a

job and our job is to listen really

really carefully to what children have

to say

while the grown-ups are left to decide

who they can be Harriet already has it

figured out I don't want to just be

referred to on the street as a girl I

don't want to be

just someone wearing a costume I want to

be

[Music]

me Tracy now attends this public school

where she is enrolled as

Tracy sometimes I wish that I was just a

normal girl so that I wouldn't have to

go through all of this but my mom always

tells me that it's good to be

transgender cuz being transgender makes

you special and we no not saying that

nobody else is special no no thank I'm

not trying to start up a riot

[Music]

Tracy's complaint against a Catholic

School Board will be heard this spring

while Harriet is still waiting for a

response from the government we'll be

right back