Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality | Lindsay Amer

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Carol Wang

Alright, let's get this kicked off.

好，咱們開始吧。

(Music)

（音樂）

(Singing) It's OK to be gay.

（唱歌）身為同性戀沒有關係，

We are different in many ways.

我們在許多方面都有所不同。

Doesn't matter if you're a boy, girl or somewhere in between,

不論你是男孩、女孩， 或兩者之間，都無所謂，

we all are part of one big family.

我們都是大家庭的一份子。

Gay means "happy."

Gay（同性戀）也代表「快樂」。

Queer Kid Stuff.

《酷兒孩子網路劇》。

You are enough

在《酷兒孩子網路劇》，

here at Queer Kid Stuff.

你很夠格了。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Opening a performance with lyrics like "It's OK to be gay"

在一間滿是成人的房間中表演，

以「身為同性戀沒有關係」的 歌詞開場是一回事；

for a roomful of adults is one thing,

but it's entirely different for a roomful of kindergartners.

但在滿是幼稚園小朋友的房間中 又完全是另一回事了。

What you've just heard is the theme song for my web series "Queer Kid Stuff,"

你們剛剛聽到的是我的 《酷兒孩子網路劇》的主題曲，

where I make LGBTQ+ and social justice videos for all ages.

這個網路劇是我針對各年齡層 製作的 LGBTQ+ 及社會正義影片。

And when I say all ages, I mean literal babies

我說的各年齡層，真的是從嬰兒

to your great-great-grandma.

一直到曾曾祖母。

Now, I know what you're thinking:

我知道你們在想什麼：

"Whoa, they're talking about gay stuff with kids."

「哇，他們在跟孩子 談同性戀的題材。」

But talking to kids about gay stuff is actually crucial.

但，跟孩子談同性戀的 題材其實很重要。

The American Academy of Pediatrics has found

美國兒科學會發現，

that children have a solid understanding of their gender identity

孩子在四歲時就會清楚了解

by the age of four.

自己的性別認同。

This is when children are developing their sense of self.

這個時期就是孩子 發展出自我感的時期。

They're observing the world around them,

他們會觀察周遭的世界，

absorbing that information

吸收那些資訊，

and internalizing it.

並將之內化。

Now, most parents want their children to become kind, empathetic,

大部分的父母都希望 自己的孩子長大成人後

能變得仁慈、有同理心、自信，

self-confident adults,

and exposure to diversity is an important part

而接觸多樣性對其社會發展

of that social and emotional development.

和情緒發展而言十分重要。

And -- gender nonconforming kids

而且非常規性別的 孩子、變性的孩子，

and trans kids and kids with trans and nonbinary and queer parents

以及父母是變性、 非二元、酷兒的孩子

比比皆是。

are everywhere.

In the series, my stuffed bear cohost and I talk about the LGBT community,

在劇中，我的填充熊搭擋 和我會談論 LGBT 族群、

activism, gender and pronouns,

LGBT 行動主義、性別以及代名詞、

consent and body positivity.

同意和身體自愛。

We tackle these topics through songs,

我們透過歌曲來處理這些主題，

not unlike the one you just heard,

就像你們剛才聽到的那首歌，

simple definitions and metaphors.

有簡單的定義和比喻。

We approach these ideas, to steal a phrase from an old professor of mine,

我們處理這些想法的方式， 可借用我的一位老教授的說法，

from "under the doorknob" --

來自《門把之下》——

降到學步兒童的身高，

getting down to toddler height

and looking up at the great big world through their tiny little eyes,

透過他們小小的眼睛， 向上看向廣大的世界，

taking these seemingly complex ideas and simplifying them --

簡化這些看似複雜的想法——

not dumbing them down,

不是變通俗，

but homing in on the core concept.

而是瞄準核心概念。

Gender is about how we feel and how we express ourselves.

性別的重點是我們對自己的 感受和如何表現自己。

Sexuality is about love and gender and family,

性向的重點則是愛、性別和家庭，

not about sex.

而不是性愛。

And these are all ideas children can grasp.

這些都是孩子能夠理解的想法。

In one of my earliest episodes about gender,

在我最早期針對性別 所製做的其中一集裡，

I used the idea of pronouns

我用到了代名詞的想法，

to underscore the definition and introduce gender-neutral pronouns

來強調定義， 並介紹中性的代名詞，

like "they" and "them."

如「他們」（英文不分性別）。

I encourage children to think about their own pronouns

我鼓勵孩子們去想想 他們自己的代名詞，

and to ask others for theirs.

並問問其他人的代名詞。

In later episodes, I build on this foundation

後來的幾集就是 繼續發展這個基礎，

並介紹很炫的字詞， 像是「非二元」及「變性」。

and introduce big fancy words like "nonbinary" and "transgender."

I get emails from viewers in their 20s

有些二十多歲的觀眾寫信給我，

who use my videos to explain nonbinary gender to their grandparents.

他們用我的影片來向他們的 祖父母解釋非二元性別。

But, I get one comment over and over again:

但，我總是不斷得到這種意見：

"Let kids be kids."

「讓孩子當孩子吧。」

Well, that's a nice sentiment and all,

那個觀點很好，

but only if it actually includes all kids.

但前提是它指的是所有的孩子。

Just a few weeks ago,

就在幾個星期之前，

a 15-year-old in Huntsville, Alabama

阿拉巴馬州亨茨維爾的十五歲孩子

died by suicide after being bullied for being gay.

因為身為同性戀 被霸凌而輕生自殺。

In 2018, it was a seven-year-old

2018 年，同樣的事發生在

科羅拉多州丹佛的七歲孩子身上。

in Denver, Colorado.

There have been and will be many more.

有很多這樣的孩子， 將來還會有更多。

Lesbian, gay and bisexual teens

女、男同性戀及雙性戀的 青少年自殺的機率

are more than three times more likely to attempt suicide

比同儕的異性戀青少年

than their heterosexual peers,

要高三倍以上，

and transgender teens are almost six times more likely.

而變性的青少年自殺率 幾乎要高達六倍。

According to one study, roughly one third of homeless youth

根據一項研究，無家可歸的 青年當中，大約有三分之一

identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning,

是女、男同性戀、 雙性戀或性別存疑，

and about four percent of homeless youth identify as transgender,

大約 4% 是變性人，

compared with one percent of the general youth population surveyed.

相較之下，被調查的對象中 一般青年人口只佔 1%。

According to the Human Rights Campaign,

根據人權戰線（組織）的資料，

there have been 128 killings of trans people

2013 年起，

在 32 州的 87 個城市中，

in 87 cities across 32 states

共有 128 名變性人遭殺害。

since 2013.

And those are the only the reported cases.

那些還只是有被舉報的案例。

And 80 percent of those killings were of trans women of color.

那些殺人案中，有八成受害者 是有色人種的變性女子。

The queer situation is bleak,

酷兒的情況很淒涼，

to say the least.

甚至更糟。

The YouTube comments on my videos

在 YouTube 上大家針對 我的影片留言的意見

are not much better.

也好不到哪裡去。

I'm used to the harassment.

我很習慣被騷擾了。

I get messages daily telling me I'm a pedophile

每天我都會收到 罵我戀童癖的訊息，

and that I should kill myself in a number of increasingly creative ways.

說我應該自殺，還幫我 想了很多有創意的死法。

I once had to put the word "truck" on my block list

我還曾經把「卡車」一詞 放到我的阻擋清單中，

because someone wanted me to get run over by a truck.

因為有人希望我被卡車撞死。

"Shower" and "oven" are in there, too,

「淋浴」和「烤箱」 也都上了名單，

for the less creative and more disturbing Holocaust reference.

在比較沒創意、比較擾人的 大屠殺訊息中會出現這些詞。

When neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville,

當新納粹主義者行經夏律第鎮，

I was unsurprised to learn

並不意外，我得知

that the creator of a violent Reddit meme about one of my episodes

從著我的網路劇而來的暴力 Reddit（網站）迷因的創作者

was in the tiki torch crowd.

也在拿著夏威夷 提基火把的群眾裡面。

This barrage of negativity is what we're up against:

這種負面的猛烈攻擊， 就是我們要對抗的：

the crushing statistics, the violence, the mental health risks,

壓倒性的統計數字、 暴力、心理健康風險、

the well-meaning but flawed response my parents gave me when I came out,

我出櫃時我父母出於好意 給我的不理想回應，

that they didn't want me to have a harder life.

他們說，不希望 我過比較辛苦的人生。

That's what we're up against.

那些就是我們在對抗的。

But in the face of all that,

但，在面對這一切時，

I choose joy.

我選擇喜悅。

I choose rainbows and unicorns and glitter,

我選擇彩虹、獨角獸、閃閃發光，

and I sing that it's OK to be gay with my childhood stuffed teddy bear.

我和兒時的泰迪填充熊一起 唱出「身為同性戀沒有關係」。

我為孩子做酷兒媒體，

I make queer media for kids

because I wish I had this when I was their age.

因為我多希望自己 在那個年紀時有這些東西。

I make it so others don't have to struggle through what I did,

我製作這些，讓其他人不用 再經歷我所經歷過的掙扎，

我當年不了解我的性別認同，

not understanding my identity

because I didn't have any exposure to who I could be.

因為我不知道我能夠 成為什麼樣的人。

I teach and spread this message through joy and positivity

我選擇教導、散播這個訊息的 方式，是透過喜悅和正面態度，

instead of framing it around the hardships of queer life.

而不是把話題一直繞著 酷兒生活有多苦打轉。

I want kids to grow up and into themselves

我希望孩子長大後能做他們自己，

with pride for who they are and who they can be,

對自己是什麼人、 能夠成為什麼人感到驕傲。

no matter who they love or what they wear or what pronouns they use.

不論他們愛誰、穿什麼 或使用什麼代名詞。

And I want them to love others for their differences,

我希望人們能因 別人的差異而愛他們，

not in spite of them.

而不是儘管有差異仍然愛他們。

I think fostering this pride and empathy

我認為培養這種自尊心和同理心

will make the world a kinder and more equal place

能夠讓世界變得更仁慈、更平等，

and combat the bigotry and hate that festers in our world.

並對抗那些讓世界 惡化的盲從和仇恨。

So, talk to a kid about gender.

所以，和孩子談談性別，

Talk to a kid about sexuality.

和孩子談談性向，

Teach them about consent.

教導他們同意。

Tell them it is OK for boys to wear dresses

告訴他們，男孩穿洋裝、

女孩大聲說話，都沒有關係。

and for girls to speak up.

Let's spread radical queer joy.

讓我們來散播基本的酷兒喜悅。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）