aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Friday, March 03, 2006

Miss McBeth speaks

Lily McBeth, the 71 year old NJ substitute teacher who the school board said could return to the classroom after gender-reassignment surgery, is on GMA right now. She’s making good points; the show is doing a great job of a sensitive portrayal. I’ll post from the transcript later.

In the meantime, here’s my take from the other day.

LATER, from the transcript:

ROBIN ROBERTS (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) And, and the fact that they’re elementary school age, roughly five years old to 12 year olds, you’re, you’re a parent yourself. Can you understand at all their concern? Because many of these young people, kids saw you as a man and now they’re going to see you as a woman. Can you understand at all the parents’ point of view?

LILY MCBETH (HAD SEX CHANGE OPERATION)

I can understand the parents’ fear and they’re trying to project that fear onto the children because the children don’t have that fear. Okay? They learn that from adults. And if we teach children intolerance, that’s what they’re going to do.

I note the transcriber feels the need to qualify Lily’s name.

Read the rest of "Miss McBeth speaks" in the extended entry.