SAID...THERE'S STILL ANOTHER TRANSGENDER BILL STILL IN THE
STATEHOUSE THAT HAS TO
DO WITH BEING ABLE TO
CHANGE STATS ON A
BIRTH CERTIFICATE AFTER
A YEAR.
ONE OF THOSE STATS IS
GENDER...AND IF HOUSE
BILL 509 BECOMES A
LAW...TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE
ABLE TO CHANGE THE
GENDER ON THEIR BIRTH
CERTIFICATE.
EVER.
CERTIFICATE. EVER. SO BORN A GIRL BUT
REALIZE YOU ARE...AT
YOUR CORE...A BOY...AND
GO THROUGH THE
LENGTHY PROCESS AND
EXPENSIVE SURGERY AND
HORMONE TREATMENTS
TO FULFILL YOUR
IDENTITY...BUT YOUR
ACTUAL I-D WILL STILL, BY
LAW, HAVE TO SAY YOU
ARE A GIRL.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE JULIANNE YOUNG'S VITAL
STATISTICS ACT DOESN'T
SIT TOO WELL WITH
IDAHO'S TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY.
HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?
WE SAT DOWN WITH 16-
YEAR-OLD JASPER
RYAN...AND WE ASKED
HIM.
JASPER RYAN AND HIS
MOM, ANITA...KNOW HOW
THIS
THIS WORKS. WHEN YOU FOLLOW A RECIPE...YOU CAN...AT
LEAST KIND OF...EXPECT
HOW
HOW IT'S
HOW IT'S GOING TO TURN OUT. OUTSIDE OF A
KITCHEN...THE PROCESS
DOESN'T ALWAYS
PRODUCE WHAT'S
PLANNED
UNTIL ABOUT TWO YEARS
AGO...JASPER...WAS
KNOWN AS SHAYNA.
"JASPER WAS ALWAYS A
DADDY'S GIRL, RIGHT?SO
WANTED TO DO
EVERYTHING DADDY DID."
"SO WHEN DID YOU
THINK TO YOURSELF, 'I'M
NOT, THIS ISN'T ME, I'M
NOT LIKE EVERY OTHER
GIRL THAT I KNOW?'"
"I THINK THE
REALIZATION DIDN'T
COME UNTIL MIDDLE
SCHOOL BUT I DEFINITELY
STARTED LIKE HAVING
THOSE THOUGHTS A LOT
EARLIER ON BUT THERE
WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO
PUT WORDS TO IT, I WAS
JUS
JUS TKIND
JUS TKIND OF LIKE, 'I THINK EVERY GIRL SECRETLY WANTS TO BE A
BOY,' YOU KNOW, I KIND
OF NORMALIZED IT FOR
MYSELF AND MOVED ON."
<
"BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL I
WAS IN THE 7TH GRADE
AND IO HAD A
TRANSGENDER FRIEND
AND I WAS LIKE, 'OH, YOU
CAN DO THAT? THAT'S
CRAZY, I MIGHT WANT TO
THINK ABOUT THAT A
LITTLE BIT.'
358 AN I THINK FOR ME
THE BIGGET REALIZATION, I
QUITE LITERALLY MADE A
CHECKLIST OF WHAT I
THOUGHT MADE
SOMEONE A BOY LIKE
EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE
STEP AND IT WASN'T
UNTIL I CHECKED OFF
EVERY SINGLE THING ON
THERE THAT I THOUGHT I
WANTED TO BE THAT I
REALIZED."
IT WASN'T THAT SIMPLE
THOUGH.
JASPER HAD NO IDEA
HOW A LITTLE GIRL,
RAISED IN A VERY
CONSERVATIVE L-D-S
FAMILY...WOULD TELL
THEIR FAIMLY, SHE WASN'T
WHO THEY THOUGHT SHE
WAS.
SO JASPER DECIDED AT
13...SUICIDE WAS A BETTER
OPTION.
OPTION.
"YEAH...AND THE SCARIEST PART TOO WAS NOT KNOWING IF HE WAS
GOING TO BE OK
MENTALLY, I DIDN'T
KNOW HE WAS IN THAT
DEEP OF A PLACE WHERE
HE WOPULD THINGK
ABOUT TAKING HIS OWN
LIFE AND AS A MOM WE
STARTED HAVING REALLY
DEEP CONVERSATIONS..."
THOSE CONVERSATIONS
FINALLY LED TO A FAMILY
MEETING A FEW YEARS
LATER.
"AND I JUST BROKE
DOWN CRYING IN THE
MIDDLE OF TELLING THEM
706 LIKE I HAD ALL MY
BAGS PACKED UPSTAIRS
READY FOR THEM TO TELL
ME I NEEDED TO GET OUT
OF THE HOUSE CAUSE
THATS' JUST HOW AFRAID I
WAS."
"WHICH TO ME AS A
PARENT, I CAN'T EVEN
IMAGINE DOING THAT TO
YOUR CHILD, TO KICK
THEM OUT TO SHUT THEM
OUT OF YOUR LIFE
BECAUSE OF A LIFESTYLE
CHANGE, IT'S NOT
HURTING ME, HE IS NOT
JURTING ANYBODY, HE IS
AN AMAZING KID."
THESE DAYS...AT THE AGE
OF 16 JASPER IS WORKING
ON GETTING HIS DRIVER'S
LICENSE.
PASSING THE TESTS CAN
BE CHALLENGING
ENOUGH...BUT THERE'S A
BILL IN IDAHO'S
LEGISLATURE THAT WILL
MAKE THE WHOLE
PROCESS EVEN TOUGHER
FOR JASPER.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THE LAWMAKERS
TRYING TO PREVENT YOU
FROM CHANGING YOUR
GENDER ON YOUR BIRTH
CERTIFICATE?"
"YEAH, I THINK THEY
DON'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT'S LIKE AND I
DON'T THINK THEY'VE
REALLY BEEN CLOSE WITH
SOMEONE WHO IS
TRANSGENDER AND
REALLY HAD TO RELATE TO
THEM AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT THEY'RE GOING
THROUGH 1426 CAUSE I
THINK IF THEY DID
UNDERSTAND THAT THEN
THIS BILL WOULDN'T EXIST
IT WOULDN'T BE
CURRENTLY TRYING TO BE
PASSED BECAUSE THEY
WOULD UNDERSTAND
WHAT A HUGE PART OF
OUR IDENTITY IT IS."
EVEN HIS MOM DIDN'T
ALWAYS UNDERSTAND IT.
"OH YEAH, OH
YEAH...IWAS ONE OF
THOSE PEOPLE 3844 A
YEAR AND A HALF AGO
BEFORE THIS HAPPENED I
WOULD HAVE BEEN FULLY
IN SUPPORT OF SOME OF
THESE BILLS THAT ARE
COMING OUT NOW...OH
YEAH, HECK YEAH, THIS IS
STUPID, YOU KNOW
CHANGE YOUR GENDER
YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR
GENDER, YOU'RE BORN
WITH ..YOU CAN'T
CHANGE YOUR GENDER
OR WHATEVER."
"WHO ARE THEY
HURTING?...IT' FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS...THEY'RE NOT
HURTING ANYBODY."
"SO IF YOU COULD TALK
TO LAWMAKERS WHAT
WOULD YOU TELL THEM?"
"I THINK I WOULD
PROBABLY JUST TELL THEM
TEH BASICS OF MY STORY
AND WHAT'S HAPPENED
TO ME."
"AND YOU KNOW, JUST
KIND OF LIKE SHOW THEM
THAT WE'RE PEOPLE TOO
AN THIS IS A PART OF OUR
HUMAN RIGHTS AN THE
KIND OF THINGS THAT WE
NEED TO GET BY ON A
DAILY BASIS."
"IF MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE
SAYS FEMALE ON IT OR MY
DRIVER'S LICENSE SAYS
FEMALE
FEMALE ON
FEMALE ON IT AND I'VE BEEN ON TESTOSTERONE FOR FIVE YEARS AND I
HAVE A FULL BEARD
THAT'S GOING TO BE
IMPACTING DIFFERENT
SCENARIOS OF MY DAY TO
DAY LIFE."
JASPER HAS STARTED A
CHAPTER
CHAPTER OF THE GAY- STRAIGHT ALLIANCE AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL..OF
WHICH HE SAYS THERE
ARE 10 MEMBERS.
JASPER TOLD US HE ISN'T
A CANDIDATE FOR
SURGERY OR EVEN
HORMONE TREATMENT
RIGHT NOW...THAT'S A
FAMILY DECISION.
HIS MOM'S A NURSE AND
ISN'T TOO KEEN ON WHAT
HORMONES MIGHT DO TO
A YOUNG BODY.
BUT THEY BOTH SEE
THESE BILLS...ALL THREE OF
THEM...AS
DISCRIMINATORY
THEM...AS DISCRIMINATORY TOWARDS TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE.
I HAVE REACHED OUT
SEVERAL TIMES TO
REPRESENTATIVE JULIANNE
YOUNG TO ASK HER
ABOUT HER BILL.
SHE HAS YET TO
RESPOND...BUT THE
INVITATION REMAINS
OPEN.
MY FIRST QUESTION
WOULD BE WHY A BILL
LIKE THIS IS NECESSARY.
WE LIVE IN A STATE
WHERE THE GOVERNOR
TOUTS HIS ANTI-
REGULATION
POLICIES...WHERE IF YOU
WANT TO WALK AROUND
WITH A LOADED AR-15
RIFLE...GO AHEAD.
WE ALLOW CARE-GIVERS
TO COME INTO OUR
HOMES...AND WE DON'T
REQUIRE THEM TO HAVE A
LICENSE OR EVEN BE
CERTIFIED.
BUT WE'RE OK WITH
PUTTING IN PERSONAL
RESTRICTIONS, ON WHAT
SOMEONE CAN DO OR
SAY WITH THEIR OWN
BODY?
OUR PLEDGE OF
ALLEGIANCE...STILL
RECITED IN IDAHO
SCHOOLS...ENDS WITH THE
PHRASE WITH LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
DO ANY OF THESE BILLS
FULFILL THAT PLEDGE?
AND A REMINDER -- IF
YOU OR SOMEONE YOU
KNOW
KNOW NEEDS HELP -- PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE IDAHO SUICIDE
HOTLINE.
THAT NUMBER?
398-4357
ALL CALLS