Coy: Mum, can I get some things?

Mum: Look at this!

Coy: All three of these? How sweet?
Voz: Shopping with the Mathis family is a boys true affairs. Its little wonder.
Mum and dad have 5 children including triplets.
Dad: It is so pretty, I love the polka dots.
Coy: Dad I want this to put my hair up and it matches my boots.
Voz: Coy is the eldest of the trio and gravitates to wear all things pink and
shiny.
Coy: this dress matches my boot and this hairband matches my boots
Voz: But Coy wasnt always wearing dresses. The 7 year old was born a boy but
lives as a girl.
Dad: I much rather have a good relationship with the daughter that I have than
a poor relationship with a son that doesnt really exists.
Voz: For Coys parents, Jeremy and Catherine, its been an eye opening
journey.
Coy: that is totally not my size.
Mum: This is totally your size.
Mum: She was two here I think that was who she was. .. thats who shes
always been. As soon as she could talk, she was showing us and telling us that
she felt like a girl and it wasnt until she was closer to two and a half or three
that she started saying you know I dont WANT to be a girlI AM a girl. She
was trying so hard to tell us how she felt and we were ignoring her so she
started sinking into a depression and started to have a bunch of anxiety about
going anywhere, where people would know that she was a boy.
Voz: Coys parents hoped it was a phase that would pass but as the years went
by their sons insistence that he was a she grew stronger
Mum: Are you happy?
Coy: Yes
Mum: She was constantly devastated because people didnt know who she
really was, so we took her back to various medical professionals and they all
agreed that she was transgender

Coy: When I grow up I want to be a worker, a firefighter and I want to be a

cowboygirl
Voz: Coy was diagnosed with gender identity disorder. Its a condition
characterized by overwhelming feelings of identification with the opposite sex
of being born into the wrong body.
For the past year Coy has been living openly as a girl, after making what
experts call a social transition to the other gender.
Mum: She went from being anxious and depressed and not wanting to go
anywhere to almost overnight to being thrilled with herself and wanting to
everybody to see who she was. I mean, it was this huge difference just because
people were finally listening and knew that she was a girl.
Tv: Born a boy, now identify as a girl. A six year old from Colorado is now in the
center of media frenzy in a lawsuit for being transgender.
They said the decision to ban coy from the girls bathroom in the Eagle
Elementary School was wrong.
The letter stated that Coy was born a male and at least some parents and
students are likely to become uncomfortable with his continuing use of the
girls restrooms.
Mum: Whatever we can do the other ones tomorrow
Coy: This game is fun!
Voz: Infuriated by the bathroom ban Catherine and Jeremy lodge to
discrimination complaint with the state of Colorado and started homeschooling
their children. The case has become an likely rallying point of transgender
rights.
Mum: I dont even see why the school thinks is their responsibility to try to talk
about Coys body at all. Its completely inappropriate to me. They are not her
doctors. They should not be talking about her body .
Coy: Its a boy named Nick that was hoping she was a girl and he was a girl in
the mirror and a boy outside.
Mum: Whats the name of this book?
Coy: Be who you are. It says here be who you are.
Hermanos: Got ya!
Coy: I changed to get gender girl

Mum: Whats that mean?

Coy: I usually am a girl instead a boy.
Mum: And then what happened when you wanted to use the bathroom?
Coy: The girls one day said that I had to use the other restroom or the boys
restroom.
Mum: And then what did you think about that?
Nia: I thought it was mean.
Voz: In seattle, Eali Earl with his friend Max, they are enjoying some retail
therapy.
Friend: so not you!
Boy: I know! But it is so awesome!
Voz: Like most 17 years old, they like shopping and hanging out.
Vendedor: what size?
Boy: uhhh 5.
Voz: at the bowling alley, they barely draw a second glance and thats why they
like it. For them its an affirmation of their gender journey.
Eela : Now its so much easier and everything is a lot better.
Voz: Eela was born a boy but lives as a girl and Max was born a girl but lives as
a boy.
Max: I mean I think part of the reason trans people are coming out younger is
because there is more visibility and like like I dont talk to older trans people.
Sometimes they came out really late like a lot of times they say they came
out that late because they didnt even know that trans was a thing or that they
could be trans.
Voz: Both have been following the case of the Mathis family closely.
Eela: I think the parents are doing the right thing and that the school has no
right to away her bathroom rights.
Voz: Eela has first hand experienced whats Coy is going through.
Eela: I couldnt use the restrooms in my school for 6 years and even after I was
in third grade and I was wearing dresses and lip gloss and they wouldnt let me
use either bathrooms.

Voz: And so how long have you been living as a girl for?
Eela: Ive been living as a girl since I was 13 and so it has been 4 years now.
This is my make up counter. Ive always really been into make up .
Voz: Like many transgender kids, Eela, also learn how to mask the pain
throughout her life. Shes faced prejudice, bullying and harassment.
Eela: In elementary and middle school it was very difficult. I couldnt participate
with the girls and I was always singled out and I didnt have many friends
because of it.
Voz: Eela has been taking female hormones since the age of 15. Three months
ago she went under the knife becoming one of the youngest people ever to
undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Voz: Does it feel strange that you now dont have some things that you have
for 17 years?
Eela: Strangely, no. I was expecting to, but it just feels natural this way.
Doctor: Eela! I havent seen you in ages!
Voz: Eela hasnt seen her surgeon, Marcy Bowes, since her operation.
Doctor: Ok, so breast girl. Did that come along since?
Voz: A pioneer in her field, Marcy herself was born as Mark. Shes regarded as
one of the leading transgender surgeon in the US.
Voz: Have you seen more transgender patients, particularly young people and
children?
Doctor: Well, we are seeing more because society is becoming more permissive
and not pushing people into the closet or worst into antisocial behaviors or
chemical dependency or suicide. We do know still 50% of transgender youth
attempt or commit suicide. So thats still a troubling statistic.
Seor: Hi bella! How are you?
Voz: These days, Walt Hire, its a man mans and hes skeptic particularly when
it comes to transgender surgery.
Seor: Most of the people suffering from gender issue are suffering from
psychological disorders that need treatment and not surgery. So, my life is just
a testimony to the fact that you cant somebodys gender with a surgery.

Voz: Throughout life Walt had felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He went on to
get married and have a family but in his 40s he realized he was living a lie.
Seor: This is Laura after the gender change
Voz: At 42 Walt went under surgery and became Laura. 8 years later depressed
and despairing he changed back. In the process he lost his wife, became
strange from his children and was left with the result of an operation that was
irreversible.
Seor: The way I betrayed my children by switching genders is reprehensible
and it meant how selfish I was.
Voz: Walter has been married to his second Casey wife for 17 years.
Voz: What goes through your mind Casey when you see pictures of Walt looking
obviously so different?
Casey: Its really shocking. I mean I didnt know him then and you know I
cant even imagine what is like to have the same Walt, the same kidding
around, the same sense of humor but dress as a female. It just. Blows my
mind!
Walt: Its just gorgeous here. She wanted somebody tall, dark and handsome.
She had somebody whos very short, old and not very handsome you know
but you cant have everything.
Casey: You are adorable!
Voz: These days, Walts the happiest hes ever been. No longer Laura at 72 he
is finally comfortable with being a man. While Walts regret is rare in the world
of transgender surgery, Walt says his story should serve as a warning to others.
Walt: Why all of the sudden we have all these people with gender issues? I can
tell you! Because we are promoting it. We are making it fashionable and you
knowkids are going to be left without a real childhood because people arent
reinforcing who they are and their gender that they were born with.
Voz: Since he was a kid, Max Janson, has loved his weekly drumming lessons. A
student whos transformed before his teachers eyes.
Teacher: . the same person I dont see it different. Its still Max well, it
used to be Mac.
Voz: Born as a girl named Mackenzie, Max began living as a boy at the age of 8.
He started taking male hormones at 14 and had surgery to remove his breast a
year ago.

Today the 16 year old is planning to march to the beat of a different drum. Max
is on his way with his mum Tammy to the annual pride parade in Phoenix,
Arizona.
Voz: are there a lot of transgender people here in Phoenix?
Max: There are quite a few trans people and they are really coming out of the
woodwork and becoming a community.
Marcha: Happy pride!
Max: So, Im just coming out here to remind people that there are trans people
and they do deserve rights just as much as everyone else.
Voz: Max is in his element as are the other 70 other marchers from the
transgender community. This year they have plenty to shout about. Once
again its the contentious issue of bathroom use thats front and center.
Marcha: We are trans, we are proud, we are not going anywhere and SB 1045
hurts everyone not just trans people.
Seora 1: I stand before you today to see that targeting and hateful proposal
SB 1045 is struck down.
Voz: SB 1045 is a state bill that would have made it an offense for a
transgender person to use the bathroom of their choice with a penalty of up to
6 months in jail and a fine of up to 2 and a half thousand dollars .
Seora 2: This offers the opportunity to actually get to know a transgender
person. They come to realized that we are just people. We are good, caring,
intelligent, talented, creative people.
Voz: As architect of the bathroom bill Arizona state legislator John Kavanagh
has become the transgender communitys enemy number one.
John Kavanagh: The problem is when such a person goes into a shower of a
swimming pool or in a locker room in a gym, which this bill covers, they very
often will become totally undressed and they would be exposing their entire
body to females or perhaps even young girls. This is unacceptable so I ran bill
that prevent that from happening. I guess the bottom line is that transgender
people represent an extremely minor fraction of the population and Im not
really sure if I want to make 90% of the people really upset and really concern,
especially when children are involved to placate a minute minority.
Seor corte: To please, please, for the sake of my safety and for the sake of my
love for my community vote NO!
Juez: Ok, thank you.

Voz: amid the outcry the bill has been watered down, but still allows business
services to dictate their own rule for private bathrooms.
Seora: 3: Committee members, I beg you please do not pass this. Im scared
to go into a mens bathroom.
Juez: OK.
Max: When you use the restroom, think about what if someone confronted you
while you were in there and said you shouldnt be in here because you dont
look like the gender that you say you are. Thats a scary thing for a person that
has to deal with it every day.
Coy: could this work? is that cool?"
Voz: Use of the bathroom is just one of the many challenges waiting for Coy
Mathis and transgender kids like her. But Coys Proud mum Catherine says she
wouldnt have it any other way.
Mum: We would rather have a child that is happy and a little bit different of
what we imagined than a child that is depressed and unhappy. Being
transgender shouldnt be something to be ashamed of, you are just a little bit
different and we just need to get that point in society, to say its ok to be who
you are even if you are not the ideal.