TransActive Education & Advocacy is a Portland, Oregon based organization that works with families, schools, health-care providers, social service agencies and communities on providing support, nurturing and respect for children and youth who are, to one degree or another, gender non-conforming.
We have and continue to work with organizations such as GLSEN/GSA network, Safe Schools Coalitions and others to educate school administration, faculty, staff and students on the role that gender non-conforming expression plays in bullying, humiliation, physical abuse and most tragically, death due to hate and insecurity on the part of some.
Our "Hallway Heroes" program teaches that sometimes, all it takes to overcome the most negative effects of gender expression based bullying is for faculty, staff and classmates to stand up for and speak out on behalf of the student or students being bullied. Bullying can not succeed without isolation of those being bullied...and sometimes all it takes to be a Hallway Hero is for someone...or several someone's to say: "This is my friend. We care for him/her, we value him/her, we respect him/her. They are NOT alone."
Two members of our staff will be in the Oxnard/Port Hueneme area the week of March 18-25 to speak with as many people as possible about Lawrence's life. We do this not in support of any political or socially 'experimental' agenda as some might think...but rather to offer our expertise in working with children like Lawrence and their families, friends, etc. We do this in the hope of finding out more about his life, without judgment or blame being placed, so that, perhaps, other tragedies such as this can be avoided in the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2EV3w2QxII - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2EV3w2QxII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHRKH6T4TnM -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHRKH6T4TnM
On a personal level, having been a foster mother to two gender non-conforming teens, my heart goes out to the King's and their extended family and friends. There are no words anyone can say to ease the agony you must be feeling.
The best I can do is to say that I work weekly with children & youth (some as young as age 5) who express their gender in ways that don't necessarily conform to their assigned birth gender. These are amazing, wonderful, bright, sensitive children who are, almost without exception, "old souls". I love these children, and believe that I would have felt the same about Lawrence if I'd had the privilege of knowing him.
I have dedicated how ever many years I have left in this world to these kids and youth, their families and friends, teachers, doctors and communities. I believe that Lawrence was a special gift to this world...and his gift to us continues. We must honor that gift by paying it forward.
I hope to have the opportunity to meet some of you next week on my visit to the Oxnard area. I hope that all of us can become Hallway Heroes to these children.
Peace,
Jenn Burleton
Executive Director
TransActive Education & Advocacy
503-927-7052
West Coast Sector Leader
Board Member
PFLAG-Transgender Network
Founder & Past President
TransYouth Family Advocates/Allies
The Ingersoll Center 2008 Founder's Award recipient
-------------
Lawrence's courage to express himself should guide and inspire all of us to work hard everyday to provide a safer world for children like Lawrence to grow up in. This is what I am committed to. Peace.
|