Jacob's Journey: Life as a Transgender 5-Year-Old

nbcnews.com ^ | Kate Snow

[ilovesarah2012]

When Jacob Lemay invites you into his bedroom, he wants to give the full tour. He'll show you his books, the planets and stars on the wall, his bunk bed and the stuffed animals he's lined up all in a row.

"This one is Chase, and that one is Zizzy," he says in the voice of a confident five-year-old. "And that one is Biscuit, and that one is Zarzo, and that one is Cheety, and that one is Snowflake, and that one is Fuzz."

Jacob is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted pre-schooler. He has two sisters — one older and one younger.

But it wasn't always this way. In the beginning, his parents Mimi and Joe were raising three daughters.

When Jacob was born, his name was Mia. But by the time he was two, he was telling his parents, "I'm a boy."

Last year, when he was four, they made a decision: to let him live as he has always identified — as a boy.

[Desron13]

“dudes” Sorry, forgot the quotation marks.

[Salvation]

What is wrong with these parents?

[Blood of Tyrants]

They have a mental disorder called liberalism.

[happilymarriedmom]

I would like to see a follow up after puberty just to see if the kid still wants to be a boy. If not, will the parents be ok with letting her transition back to being a girl? Of course we won’t get to hear that story.

[tbw2]

At four, my son at alternate times thought he was a firefighter, police man, dog and Superman. The latter landed him in the ER, because he really couldn’t fly.
No one would have said he should have gotten medical services to turn him into a canine.

[tbw2]

Camille Paglia, a lesbian feminist, said she was glad they didn’t have transgenderism when she was young. They would have tried to turn her into a boy, instead of letting her be who she is.
She also considers it child abuse; this is a feminist lesbian, and she agrees that:
* biological sex is binary male/female (the rare biological accident doesn’t nullify the rule)
* sexuality is a continuum but doesn’t negate the fact that you are male or female, and that people can choose how they act
* men are undervalued, because they do the work that builds civilization but get demeaned by women chatting online

[Flash Bazbeaux]

Who you callin’ “Boy”, Dog?

[wagglebee]

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[trisham]

This poor child. I can’t even imagine how confused she must be.

[wagglebee]

Kids imagine a lot of stuff at that age, parents need to use discretion with what they go along with. You wouldn't let a child jump off a building because they thought they were Superman.

[Pollster1]

When Scooby-Doo invites you into his kennel, he wants to give the full tour. He'll show you his water bowl, the trees and fire hydrants painted on the wall, his doggie bed and the chew toys he's lined up all in a row.

"This one is an oak tree, and that one is elm," he barks in the voice of a confident puppy. "And that one is maple, and that one is a hydrant, and that one is leather, and that one is rawhide, and that one is my favorite bone."

Scooby is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted, housebroken puppy. His owners have two daughters — one older and one younger.

But it wasn't always this way. In the beginning, Scooby's owners Mimi and Joe were raising three children.

When Scooby was born, his name was Jacob. But by the time he was two, he was telling his parents, "I'm a puppy."

Last year, when he was four, they made a decision: to let him live as he has always identified — as a puppy.

Some may think that's too young to make such a change, but many doctors who specialize in working with trans-species animals believe it's right for certain animals — those who show a rock-solid and enduring belief in their species identity.

"When animals are consistent, persistent, and insistent in a cross-species identity — and wanting to be the other species and wanting the other species' body parts or being very unhappy with the body parts they're given — we consider those children very likely to go on and continue a trans-species identity," said Dr. Princess Schnauzer, an associate professor of human and animal psychology at Brown University School of Veterinary and Human Medicine.

For those animals, she and other veterinary-pediatricians say, it can often be better to make a change sooner.

"The biggest harm is to not do anything," said Schnauzer, who is not Scooby's Vet but has a specialty in treating trans-species animals.

When a puppy is told, 'I don't see you,' 'I don't hear you,' 'I don't love you just the way you are,' that's a pretty powerful message about conditional love."

Ask Scooby why he transitioned and his answer is simple and straight-forward: "I liked the show and wanted to be a puppy."

His parents say they decided to share Scooby's story because they can't afford not to.

"The environment that my doggie will grow up in depends on how trans-species animals are perceived by society," Mimi says.

"He's gonna lift his leg on a tree or a fire hydrant out there in the world. He's gonna chase sticks in the park and he's gonna bark at other doggies. If we don't come out now and talk to people and… show people that trans-species dogs are normal and wonderful and they're not to be feared, then I'm afraid that he will go into the world and meet with hostility," she said.

"I can do my piece right now and I believe that my piece is speaking up."

Mimi says that before the transition, her family pet would poke a body he couldn't embrace, saying things like "Why did God make me this way?" or "Why did God make me wrong?"

Mimi and Joe were scared and confused by the behavior and comments. But after seeing doctors and scouring the Internet for information — and after seeing how happy he was to dress as Pluto on a trip to Disneyworld — they decided last summer to make the transition.

They dyed Scooby's hair in the right style, replaced his collared shirts with a plain collar, and asked family and friends to refer to him as Scooby and use the title "Good Boy!" Scooby started at a new obedience-school last fall where none of the puppies knew him as Jacob.

For young doggies, there is no surgery or hormonal therapy. At this stage, before puberty, trans-species dogs are making a more cosmetic change, Schnauzer says. Later, we can surgically add floppy ears and a tail.

"We let them be themselves. So, they dye their hair and they wear the collars and costumes they want. And they play with the puppies they want to play with and they do the activities they want to do," she says. "We call that social transition."

The Lemays understand that some will have a hard time with their decision. But they say they are convinced they did the right thing for their family pet, and Mimi recently wrote a letter to Scooby-Doo detailing their thoughts and feelings about this journey.

"Ultimately Scooby has made that choice in his mind and his heart," Mimi says. "It's whether or not we accept it or not."

[Morpheus2009]

I was never confused about gender, even coming from an only boy with sisters who played toys with them. FWIW, I eventually figured that since I was a man, I might as well stay one, doesn’t make sense to add a steroid regimen to my life. That’s the problem with today’s progressive ideas, it’s always about adding unneccessary complications to life.

[metmom]

My daughter said a number of times when she was young that she wished she was a boy.

She’s over it now as well, although she still likes more male type activities, still a bit of tomboy.

[trisham]

Exactly. For parents in the past, this was really just about common sense. For some reason, a segment of our society has decided that young children should be encouraged to make profound choices about their lives, despite the fact that it should be clear to all but the most mentally challenged that this is absurd.

[wagglebee]

Most children would either die or be incapacitated due to catastrophic injuries if they were allowed to do whatever they wanted.

The concepts of an age of reason, age of consent, age of legal adulthood, etc. are not arbitrary restraints. Just as a person's body grows, so does their intellectual and emotional capacities. Children are naturally incapable of making certain decisions and it doesn't matter what their IQ is, they simply lack the experiential knowledge that is required. People are born with an instinctive fear of falling, but everything else has to be learned over time.

[trisham]

I could not agree more!

[Mrs_Puddleglum]

Perfect!

[goodnesswins]

Yep.....those “concepts” used to be called ADULTS

[Albion Wilde]

bump for later

[verga]

My sister played ice hockey (goalie), ran track, ran cross country, etc.... and used to wear jeans more than skirts. She was never confused about her identity, she just enjoyed sports and physical activity.