October Vol.2 Issue 22
News & Views
The Monthly Newsletter of PFLAG Beaumont
Bob’s Blurbs
Parents are abandoning their children
By Dr. Bob Meier PFLAG Beaumont Hospitality Chair
Monthly Book Pick: ‘No Ashes in the Fire’
By Calvin Jorden PFLAG Beaumont Treasurer
I recently heard the author of “No Ashes in The Fire,” Darnell L. Moore, interviewed on KERA’s “Think”. I was struck by his strength, humility and determination. His is a voice I cannot ignore. His story is one we cannot dismiss. Moore subtitled his book “Coming of Age Black & Free in America,” but the title refers to an incident when he was 14 years old and some neighborhood boys doused him with gasoline and attempted to set him on fire because they had determined he was gay. In his memoir, Moore recounts that the wind kept blowing out the matches until his aunt saw what was happening and ran off the assailents. This is a very introspective memoir. Moore writes, “The long collective hatred of blackness, the calculated policing of sexual difference, the intentional ghettoization of urban centers and the lure of the American dollar are just a few of the forces that shaped my sense of self and the way I view oth-
______________Cont. Inside as Book
I am really pissed off today. Parents are abandoning their kids because of a medical condition. I find this unspeakably ignorant, stupid and even sinful. Gender Dysphoria and being Transgender is a medical condition. There is a myriad of treatments. sometimes a haircut, new clothes and a name change are enough, but oftentimes treatment includes medicines, speech therapy, counseling and sometimes surgery — so says the World Professional Association of Transgender Health — the expert medical professionals. To break it down, medicines are relatively simple. Physicians use testosterone for trans men or both estrogen and hormone blockers for trans women. Hormone blockers are needed when increasing estrogen, as testosterone is more powerful than estrogen. Physicians have been prescribing both estrogen and testosterone for more than forty years at UTMB Galveston. This is not rocket science. When trans boys (natal females) take testosterone near or before the time of puberty (natal females at Tanner 2 Stage), the more likely they are to end up with a perceived masculine physique with bulging muscles, hairy chests, deep voices, long legs and an Adam’s Apple — which is what many of them want. When trans girls (natal males) take testosterone blockers and estrogen the sooner they start to develop perceived feminine attributes. This is quite helpful when trying to use the restroom in public spaces. When trans kids take testosterone or estrogen after puberty they will need to go through puberty a second time, which can be a painful experience. The later they start, the less likely the appearance will change as much as they would like. All of this treatment involves bright, compene and educated parents who can read, are willing to read, have some medical savvy and know the outcomes of each and the consequences of starting hormones and the consequences of
waiting to start hormones. This is a difficult choice for some. Sometimes, blockers can delay puberty giving parents a few years to acclimate themselves to the fact that their child is trans and needs treatment. this may take a year or two. Other parents never get it. They stick with their uneducated knowledge. On the other hand, people can change at any age after puberty with additional hormones, even as late in life as Caitlin Jenner did. Now that WPATH has released this information and now that I have read and analyzed it, I have a better understanding of how complicated the process transition really is. Tough choices lay ahead for a all parties concerned, including the adolescent’s parents and their medical providers. However, abandoning a transgender child is still an ignorant, stupid and sinful action. These kids need help and protection, not abandonment.
Find this guide at pflag.org
Inside ______________________Book
ers.” Moore grew up in the ghettos of Camde, NJ, the child of a 16-year-old mother and a 15-year-old father. Moore never speaks with the voice of a victim as he describes the love of a large family in the midst of the brutality of urban poverty and domestic violence. He speaks frankly about the awakening of his homo-
sexuality, “The consequences of black queer desire seemed more lethal than poetic” and “Black queer love is a life of solitary confinement. The human spirit breaks when longings so human, so acceptable to everyone else, are denied”. Despite this, Moore excelled in school - a school where he found his mother’s name scrawled in the front of a textbook - eventually graduating from Seton Hall University. There he learned to finally
accept his sexuality and entered a life of service and activism, fighting back against those “forces that shaped my sense of self ”. Moore became one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has established his credentials as a voice to heed, and to learn from. This book is a new addition to PFLAGBeaumont’s library.
Gay Games 2018 PFLAG Beaumont vice president Jerry Thacker participated in the Gay Games this year in Paris, France. Jerry and his in-line skating relay team placed gold for wheeled tour of the city. The inaugural Gay Games was held August 28, 1982, in San Francisco, California and was originally dubbed the “Gay Olympics.” After a legal battle pursued by the Olympics, the organization changed the event’s name to the Gay Games. Tom Waddle, founder of the Gay Games, was born in 1937 in Patterson, New Jersey to a Catholic family. Waddle threw himself into sports as a way to suppress his sexuality. He eventually earned a spot on the US Olympic team, placing 6 among 33 competitors in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Waddle’s love of sport lead him to organize the Gay Games with events fashioned after the Olympics and the games occurring every four years. The next Gay Games will be held in Hong Kong, November 12-19, 2022. Top left, Jerry Thacker skates through Paris. Bottom right, Jerry poses with his relay team and thier gold medals.
More Rainbow Revelations
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Register to Vote Monthly Call To Action:
You may register online, or we have a registrar at nearly every Support and Education meeting.
Monthly Movie Pick: ‘Love, Simon’
By Jerry Thacker PFLAG Beaumont Vice President
“Love Simon” is a movie based on the novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. The film is directed by Greg Berlanti and stars Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel. The title character Simon, played by Nick Robinson, is in high school and in the closet. One day, Simon comes across an anonymous post from another gay student online. Simon responds and develops an online relationship, never knowing who he is corresponding with. On one occasion, Simon fails to log off the computer in the school library after corresponding with his online friend. An obnoxious student discovers the email and blackmails Simon. Simon complies
to the blackmailer’s demands but ends up hurting every friend he has in the process. “Love, Simon” ranks right up there with the best of John Hughes’ coming-of-age movies. It is cast well and newcomer, Nick Robinson, plays a very believable role as a closeted teen. Simon’s parents, played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel, are adorable in their handling of Simon’s coming out. There are some stand out moments by the supporting cast members as well. The drama teacher, played by Natasha Rothwell, delivers one of the most memorable scenes in the movie as she confronts two students trying to shame Simon and another gay student who is very out and proud. “Love Simon” is a movie to add to your collection. Bravo goes to Twentieth Century Fox for producing its first mainstream gay movie.
What’s Happening Band Nite at TASI
Saturday, October 27
Don’t be scared! Bring on your freakiest costumes and join us for a ghoulish night of tricks and treats, but most importantly various local musicians showcasing their original works on stage! ALL AGES WELCOME! $5 cover (cash only) doors open at 7:30 BYOB (21+)
LIVE ORIGINAL MUSIC by
- Maxifads - 2 Throwed Mindz - Shaperscope
- Effigy - black midi
Buy a Brick Yo ur N He am re e
Memorialize a loved one, advertise a business or honor a significant other while providing a base for the Maypole. For more info, email torchymaypolemoonandstars@yahoo.com
PFLAG Beaumont presents
The Sock Hop Whip out your poodle skirt and grease back your hair — DJ Tanoose will be spinning retro tunes 7p.m.-midnight. Sign up for costume contests and more!
720 Franklin
afe, C r On Log Calde 5 308
Every Third Sunday 2 p.m.
y, a d r u Sat 20 Oct
PFLAG Beaumont Education and Support Meetings
450 North 11th Street