Amy Schneider on “Jeapardy”

Amy Schneider just won on Jeopardy.  “I think that the best part for me has been being on TV as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of trans people,” Schneider said. “And just kind of showing a different thing than maybe some people have seen, of just being a smart, confident woman and just doing something supernormal like being on “Jeopardy!” I am a trans woman, and I’m proud of that fact, but I’m a lot of other things, too!” she added.

Transgender people are many things, not just their gender. This is what Amy is trying to show. People often get pigeonholed into a category if they are not Christian, white, cisgender, married, heterosexual and neurotypical. There are many more intersections of identity that I missed. My apologies about not including each one. My point is that Amy just wanted to show that she is contestant that happens to be transgender. When I see my daughter, I see a strong young woman who happens to be transgender. This is just one part of her identity. In addition, she’s a daughter who loves to help at home, a big sister who loves to play, and a student who loves her school. These are all parts of her identity, beyond the fact she’s transgender. When someone gets reduced to only one part of them, they lose their humanity.

There is a lot of prejudice against the transgender community especially in the medical community. I have had many negative experiences having a transgender daughter by those who were judging me or my daughter. I want to bring up something important from Amy’s comments. She is proud to say that she was one of the contestants and that she happens to be transgender. She is sharing this private identity as part of her story for visibility. Being herself gives others permission to be their own authentic self.

Everyone should be able to share their own story. Being transgender is being part of a minority that is at risk. There are many who have strong feelings against my family because I’m allowing my daughter to be herself. No one should be sharing anyone else’s story except that person. In example, a teacher should not out a student as being transgender to the other students in class. A doctor shouldn’t out a patient as transgender. A teacher shouldn’t announce on the school loudspeaker system that a child in his class changed his name. No one has the right to share someone’s transgender status. It is a privacy issue and should not be shared due to serious consequences.

If someone does any of the above, this could lead to prejudice against that person. No one should have a right to make someone feel bad about something they can’t control like being transgender. No one says “I want to pretend to be someone I’m not so I get more attention. I want to go through medical procedures for fun.” People who are brave enough to share their true gender identity should be supported unconditionally.  Those that are out as transgender can share their own stories. It’s not for you to share that your neighbor up the block was born a boy but is now a girl. That’s not your story. I tell my kids all the time. There’s two kinds of business: my business and none of my business. This falls under the latter and has serious ramifications for my child.   Privacy is vital.