He, She... WHAT??? For Crying Out LOUD!

What is wrong with people?

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article that moved him enough to send it on to me... In fact I found out later that he spent 25+ minutes ranting and raving about it in his cubicle. So I suppose this is the appropriate medium to discuss this... I'll supply the text so you don't have to navigate away... My responses will be color coded...

Teacher to Return After Having Sex Change

By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 28, 4:18 AM ET

EAGLESWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - To students at Eagleswood Elementary School, she used to be Mr. McBeth. Now, after undergoing a sex change, 71-year-old Lily McBeth is ready to return to teaching as Miss McBeth. Uh... Ok???

Despite criticism from parents, the school board on Monday stood by its decision to allow McBeth to resume working as a substitute teacher. Wow... What were they thinking? Were they thinking of what's best for the children? Or of how to try and hide from the issue to stay out of court?

After two hours of public debate and a private meeting with McBeth and his/her lawyer, the board took no action on calls by several parents to bar McBeth from
returning to the school where he/she taught for five years before becoming a woman. I'm beginning to feel a queezy... I try to put myself in the place of these kids... What kind of mess are they going to become after seeing this situation?

"It was magnificent," McBeth said afterward. "You saw democracy in
action."

McBeth, a retired sales executive who was married for 33 years and
had three children, underwent gender reassignment surgery last year and
re-applied for his/her job under his/her new name. This could not
really be happening. This has to be an episode gone bad from Ali McBiel or
Boston Legal. Is Alan Shore hiding around the corner waiting to burst out some
off the wall comment as William Shatner mutters his character's name "Denny
Crane"? YES, It's really happening. Why were there no psychotherapists invovled this all this? Wouldn't they have a some insight into what this would do to these kids?

McBeth on Monday told the school board and the crowd that he/she loves teaching and children, and looks forward to returning to the classroom. Loves teaching children... How about that... He/she is only thinking of getting to teach again. Couldn't possibly imagine that his appearance would completely scare the hell out of these kids? Nope, I love teaching and I want to look this way, I don't care what anyone else thinks... What about the kids?

"This is not something I got into just as a whim," he/she said. Well if he/she put so much thought into it, the thought must have crossed his/her mind that the kids could be traumatized by his choice.

Several parents said children in the school, which consists of kindergarten through sixth grade were not old enough to understand the concept of changing one's gender. Wow, there's a thought out of the blue! Who could imagine such a thing?

"I, as a parent, am appalled to have this issue brought into my child's psychology," Steve Bond said. Ditto my friend, Ditto!

Vincent Mustacchio predicted "chaos" at the school when the students learned of McBeth's surgery. This is probably a fair assessment. I'd say worse than that, but there may be children present.

Young children will be confused by the conflicting appearance of McBeth, who has a deep voice and masculine features but otherwise looks like a woman, other parents said. And I thought some of my teachers growing up were unattractive... YOW!

"I will not allow you to put my kids in a petri dish and hope it all turns out fine," said Mark Schnepp, who had taken out an ad in a local newspaper urging parents to turn out for the meeting. Truer words could not be spoken... I would not want my
children to be put into a social experiment just because a 71 year old man
decides to become a woman... I would pull my kids from school and probably file
suit for mental anguish toward a minor.

Several people spoke in support of McBeth, including three transgender people, two former students of McBeth's and a handful of others, saying that the fact that he/she is a good teacher was more important than whether he/she appears as a man or a woman in class. "They could only find two former students? Gee you'd think there would be more to choose from if he/she had been teaching for 5 years already...

"There's really nothing to fear because a person is transgender," said Karina Mari, a mother of three school-age children who said she has transgender relatives. Fear? I don't think the adults are afraid of McBeth... The kids will be confused at first and will eventually end up collectively spending millions on therapy. It's hard enough for
a grown adult to understand the complexities of the transgenered, but to force
it on defenseless children is ridiculous. McBeth made a life choice and should accept that this is not a place to search for acceptance.

School board attorney Paul Carr said McBeth was a good teacher who
had received favorable reviews during his/her tenure
as a substitute. That's fine... how much are these kids going to absorb as they stare blankly at the ugly lady with the creepy voice?

Earlier this month, the board voted 4-1 to accept his/her application to return to the
classroom. It's unclear how soon McBeth will resume teaching, Carr said. That depends on the need for substitutes and the availability of certified teachers who get priority when a spot opens up, he said. This is the key phrasing... Since he/she is a substitute they could possibly not need his/her services... That's a small consolation. All it takes is once...

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, a gay rights advocacy group supporting McBeth's bid to resume teaching, called the school board's action historic. Historic is probably the right choice of a word. This is the key decision on the part of a school board to show what kind of decision NOT to make to get re-elected to your position.

Wow... I still can't believe the world we live in today...

I was 20 when I saw my first transgendered person. I was working in a restaurant when this 6' 5", I'm not kidding, woman walked through the lobby and waited in line to be seated... The stubble was evident on his/her face and the flowered dress looked alarming. Actually 6'5" is probably too short. He had to duck to get through the doorways!

I was in shock for the remainder of the day. I had this puzzled look on my face and people thought there was something wrong with me... I probably looked constipated...

I personally have nothing against peoples sexual preferences. To each his or her own.

It's time for me to calm it down and show the rational side of this issue.

If this were in any other workplace like a normal office, it would be a completely different situations. Adults have the capacity to understand the depth of this topic. Children do not. If this persons choice does not affect the work that he/she does, then that's fine. But this is working with children... How can there not be questions and distractions and confusion in this situation. It's impossible.

McBeth made a choice. With that choice came the responsibility to live a certain way. In this type of work he/she should make the choice to find something else to do with his life choice. If there's the slightest chance that it would affect even one child, then sorry... Find a different industry to work in...

This is only my opinion...