10-Year-Old Transgender Girl's Speech About Protecting Trans Rights Is a Tearjerker

Published on March 3, 2017 at 11:59 AM

Jamie Bruesehoff wants your forgiveness; she needs to be that gushing mom for a minute. In a post to her Facebook page, the proud mom talks about her 10-year-old daughter, Rebekah, who spoke to a crowd of over 200 people about why everyone needs to stand up for transgender rights, and all human rights. The post accompanies a photo of Rebekah holding a sign that reads, "I'm the scary transgender person the media warned you about."

But Bruesehoff understands that her daughter "has it good" considering the circumstances, which is why she's raising Rebekah to be brave and kind, and to stand up for herself and others.

"We know how good she has it. We know the difference a supportive family and a supportive school make. And we know that rescinding the guidelines on supporting trans students disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Black trans youth. Latinx trans youth. Immigrant trans youth. Muslim trans youth. Economically disadvantaged trans youth. Youth who live at the intersection of these identities and more, youth who are marginalized two and three times over just because of who they are, where they live, what they believe, or where they come from. This is why we will keep fighting."

Bruesehoff also shared a video of the speech Rebekah bravely made in front of those people, which she totally crushed. "Hi, my name is Rebekah. I am a transgender girl," she starts. "I have been living as myself since I was 8 years old, and now I am 10. This is who I am."

The rest of her speech will bring you to tears:

"When I go to school, I don't think about being transgender — I just think about being myself, learning, and having fun. My friends don't even believe me when I tell them that I'm transgender, I'm just a girl. I'm very happy that my school gives me a safe environment to learn and be who I am. Every transgender kid deserves the support I get and that's why I'm here. The president has been mean to all types of people, not only trans kids. We all need to come together and stand up for equal rights. To any transgender kids out there: I hope your school supports you, but if it doesn't, we will fight for you. Keep being yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. There's nothing wrong with being transgender, it's just who you are."