Creating the perfect protest/rally sign is basically an art form these days. From the hilarious to the heartfelt to the unabashedly nerdy, we love 'em all. But this little girl's spot-on sign may take the cake.
Rebekah, who is 10 years old and transgender, hit the streets at a rally this week — to dismantle stigma and show the world that trans is beautiful and badass. Her sign read, "I'm the SCARY TRANSGENDER person the MEDIA WARNED you about."
Last week, after the Trump administration removed President Obama's guidelines that allowed trans kids to use the school bathroom of their gender identity, there was nationwide uproar and calls to #ProtectTransKids. There were also, however, conservatives who continued to insist that requiring trans women to use the men's bathroom is somehow about protecting women (?!). Dear conservatives: Rebekah is here to prove otherwise.
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Rebekah, who was assigned male at birth, struggled with anxiety and depression until she began living her true gender identity at age 8.
“Transgender youth are at incredibly high risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicide,” Rebekah's mom, Jamie Bruesehoff, told the Huffington Post. “It’s not because there is something wrong with them; it’s because something is wrong [with] our society," Bruesehoff added. "The research shows one key thing changes those statistics: support. It is very clear that students who are supported in their homes, their schools, and their communities have a very different experience than those who are not. Every child deserves to safely, and with dignity, access an education. Transgender rights are human rights.”
Guess what: That includes the right to pee in safety. And anyone who can look a vulnerable kid like Rebekah in the (adorable!) face and say she should be forced to use a men's bathroom — well, that person clearly has a warped idea of what "safety" means.
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