>> IT IS A WORD THAT WE’RE HEARING IN THE LEGISLATURE IN AUSTIN BUT IT’S NOT JUST AUSTIN
IS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT WORD
IS TRANS GENDERED WE’RE JOINED
BY PAIGE DAVIS
WHO HAS A PERSONAL STAKE IN
THIS DISCUSSION AND PAGE WHEN I
SAY TRANSGENDERED
TO YOU WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO
YOU TODAY AND WHAT DID IT MEAN
TO YOU JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.
>> THANK YOU JUST TO REITERATE
MY NAME IS PAGE D MY PRONOUNS
ARE SHE HER THAT’S A REALLY
GREAT
BECAUSE I THINK THAT WORD IS
ABSOLUTELY BEING TOSSED AROUND
MUCH MORE OFTEN THESE DAYS THAN
PREVIOUSLY.
PROBABLY BECAUSE WE HAVE SO
MANY BILLS IN THE LEGISLATURE
PERCOLATING THAT ARE ANTI TRANS
SO I’M GLAD YOU ASKED 3 YEARS
AGO VERSUS TODAY.
SO 3 YEARS AGO PAIGE DAVIS IN
VERY DIFFERENT THAN TODAY.
PAIGE DAVIS 3 YEARS AGO PAIGE
DAVIS WAS MORTIFIED WHEN HER
SON CAME OUT AS TRANSGENDER
BECAUSE THE ONLY NARRATIVE I
HAD.
TO HIM FOR MY UNDERSTANDING OF
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRANSGENDER
WE’RE REALLY BORN OUT OF ALL
USUALLY
THE MEDIA AND ALSO WITH IN POP
CULTURE AND AND ALL THE
ASSOCIATIONS WERE VERY
NEGATIVE.
I AGAIN I NOT OUT OF IT,
BUT I I WAS MORTIFIED AND I WAS
ASHAMED AND I WAS EMBARRASSED.
THAT WAS MY TRUTH.
THEY AGE. IF THE PAGE THAT.
COUNTLESS HOURS. RESEARCHING AND REACHING OUT AND GETTING SUPPORT FROM EXPERTS IN THE
LGTBQ.
THAT HAVE HELPED ME TO CHANGE
MAY NARRATIVE. WHENEVER
WE ARE IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH
WE TEND TO GO TO FEAR. BUT
TRUTH AS THE WONDERFUL ABILITY.
2, THE RAYS
THAT YEAR AND JUST TO CREATE
ENLIGHTENMENT. TODAY AGED IS
INCREDIBLY PROUD OF HER
TRANSGENDER IT’S NOT AN AND
I ABSOLUTELY 100% SUPPORT HIS
JOURNEY AND BEING HIS
AUTHENTIC SELF AND I WANT TO
MENTION PAGE THROUGHOUT THIS
INTERVIEW WE’VE GOT SOME
RESOURCES. SOME INFORMATION.
>> FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY BE IN THE
SITUATION YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN
3 YEARS AGO, NOT REALLY KNOWING
WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP SO WE’RE
GOING TO SHARE THOSE AS WE
CONTINUE OR USE CAUTION HERE
AND YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU NOW
HAVE THE BENEFIT OF EXPERIENCE
SO LOOKING BACK IS THERE
SOMETHING YOU
KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD
KNOWN 3 YEARS AGO WHEN YOUR
CHILD APPROACHED YOU WITH THIS
INFORMATION.
>> WELL
VERY SUPPORTED IN THE BEGINNING
AND AGAIN THAT WAS MY OWN.
OR BUY INTO FALSE NARRATIVES.
I GREW UP WITH.
I WAS IN DENIAL.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY GOOD
PLACE TO BE IN THE MIDST OF THE
NEXT CENTRAL CRISIS WHERE ALL
OF MY VALUES AND BELIEFS WERE
BEING CHALLENGED. I WISH THAT I
HAD.
ME EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT TO REALLY LISTEN. I DIDN’T REALLY
LISTEN TO HURT HIM. 18 EVEN
WANT.
AND SO I THINK THAT
IN RETROSPECT I COULD HAVE BEEN
MORE SUPPORTIVE FROM THE GET GO
THAT WOULD THE COUNTRY CHANGED
OUR JOURNEY.
AND AT THE SAME TIME WE’VE HAD
A VERY
POSITIVE JOURNEY BECAUSE NO ONE
HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS A LONG
TIME BEING TRANSGENDER IS NOT
BAD IT’S NOT WRONG. IT’S HOT.
AN ABERRATION. IT JUST IS
AND SO ONCE WE CAN UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRANSGENDER
IT’S REALLY JUST NOT A BIG DEAL
THERE JUST HUMANS.
>> BUT THAT’S NOT HOW A LOT OF PEOPLE VIEW IT I MEAN YOU’VE RUN INTO THE FACT I MEAN YOU
TOLD ME WHEN WE TALKED EARLIER
THIS WEEK THAT YOU’VE LOST
FRIENDS.
>> OVER.
>> YOUR JOURNEY WITH YOUR SON.
>> NO ABSOLUTELY AND WHAT I
WANT.
LET EVERYBODY KNOW AND AGAIN
THIS IS MY FULL TRANSPARENCY.
I VERY NEGATIVE MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT WHAT IT MEANT TO BE
TRANSGENDER AND SO.
OR THE GENERAL POPULATION TO
PERHAPS HAVE SOME OF THOSE.
LEE SAYS WEALTH TO PLEAD
BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE ONLY NEAR
TO THAT WE’RE REALLY AVAILABLE
TO US.
I GO TO MY WEB I JUST. >> I KNOW THAT WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES HERE AND WE’RE
WE’RE BARELY SCRATCHING THE
SURFACE, BUT FOR A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT
ISSUES SURROUNDING
TRANSGENDERED IT’S IN A PLACE
LIKE HEADLINES OR SEEING WHAT’S
PLAYING OUT IN THE LEGISLATURE
AND YOU KNOW NO ONE NEEDS TO
TELL YOU HOW POLARIZING SOME OF
THOSE ISSUES CAN BE BUT DESPITE
HOW PEOPLE
FEEL ABOUT POLITICS OR THEIR
THEIR OPINIONS ON POLICY, I’M
JUST CURIOUS WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR
YOU AS A MOM
TO WITNESS OTHER PEOPLE
WEIGHING IN ON THIS DEEPLY
PERSONAL TOPIC
THAT’S OBVIOUSLY VERY EMOTIONAL
FOR YOU AND CAN BE SO
CONTROVERSIAL IN BIG PUBLIC
SPACES.
>> THAT’S CORRECT. WHENEVER
DELIVERED MY TESTIMONY TO YOU.
TO PARIS
LAST WEEK MY MAIN MESSAGE WAS
ASKING LEGISLATORS. 2. NOT MAKE
DECISIONS.
THAT ARE SO VASTLY IMPORTANT
AND CRITICAL HAVE A HUGE IMPACT
ON ARE YOU.
BEING WELL EDUCATED ON WHAT IT
MEANS TO BE TRANSGENDER AGAIN
THERE ARE A LOT OF
MISCONCEPTIONS AND IT WOULD BE
YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE OUR
LEGISLATORS TO DO SO WE’VE MADE
ALL THE DECISIONS THAT WE MADE.
WITH A LOT OF THOUGHT
AND IN THERE WELL
INFORMED DECISIONS. I WOULD
JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO YOU.
MAYBE TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND
JUST MARKED SOMETHING ABOUT
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRANSGENDER
SPOT. WRONG IT’S NOT BAD.
BUT UNTIL YOU CONFRONT
YOUR OWN. WELL MERITED YOU WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO EVOLVE AND
EXCEPT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FOR
WHO THEY ARE.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ONE FINAL
QUESTION HERE AND I WANT TO
REMIND PEOPLE ARE PUTTING UP
RESOURCES FOR FOR YOU KNOW IF
THEY NEED HELP AT AS WE’RE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION
DID YOU FEEL AND DO YOU FEEL
LIKE WHEN YOU TALK TO WHETHER
IT’S THE THE LEGISLATURE IN
AUSTIN OR IN THIS INTERVIEW
RIGHT NOW THAT YOU’RE FIGHTING
FOR YOUR SON’S LIFE AND PEOPLE
LIKE HIM.
>> ABSOLUTELY I OR EVERY
TRANS PERSON. BUT I CAN SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT THE WELL DOCUMENTED THAT SUICIDE RATES
ARE EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER FOR
FOR THE TRANS COMMUNITY AND
WHEN WE HAVE BILLS THAT EACH
TOO CRIMINALIZED PARENTS FOR
HOPING THEY’RE THERE
TRANSGENDER YOUTH RECEIVED IN
THEIR FARMING CARE.
BECAUSE I’M NOT WILLING TO LOSE
A CHILD, I’M NOT WILLING TO THE
CHILD OR ANYTHING
AND SO SOME OF THE
BUILDING IN PERCOLATING
THROUGHOUT THE LEGISLATURE ARE
INCREDIBLY SCARY AND AND
WORRISOME. MY BEST ADVICE IS
FOR PEOPLE TO.
THERE’S SO MANY RESOURCES
ONLINE YOU CAN START AT P FLAG,
SAN ANTONIO DOT ORG. WE HAVE A
HELP LINE WE HAVE AS SUPPORT
GROUP.
THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE LIKE
ME.
YOU CAN HELP YOU WHO CAN WHO
CAN GUIDE YOU BECAUSE I’VE HAD
WONDERFUL MENTORS WHO HAVE
GUIDED ME.
PAIGE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME FOR SHARING INSIGHT
YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THIS VERY
DEEPLY PERSONAL TOPIC YOU TALK
ABOUT YOUR DESIRE FOR PEOPLE
TO LEARN.
>> I HOPE THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE
HELPED SOME PEOPLE DO IN THESE
LAST FEW MINUTES,