Transgender Teacher Tells Kindergarteners that Doctors Make an Incorrect ‘Guess’ on Babies’ Gender When They Are Born (VIDEO)
By Jim Hoft
Published April 12, 2022
Ray Skyer, a trans teacher in Boston, Massachusetts, posted a video clip of his zoom session with a group of kindergarteners regarding “identity share” last year.
“So when babies are born, the doctor looks at them, and they make a guess about whether the baby is a boy or girl based on what they look like. And most of the time, that guess is 100% correct. There are no issues whatsoever,” Skyer claimed.
“But sometimes the doctor is wrong. The doctor makes an incorrect guess. When a doctor makes a correct guess, that’s when a person is called cisgender. When a doctor’s guess is wrong, that’s when they are transgender,” Skyer argued.“I’m a man, but when I was a baby, the doctors told my parents I was a girl. And so my parents gave me a name that girls typically have and bought me clothes that girls typically wear, and until I was 18 years old, everyone thought I was a girl. And this was super, super uncomfortable for me because I knew that wasn’t right.”
The text accompanying Skyer’s longer Facebook video of the Zoom call is titled “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN??” It reads as follows:
Whenever there are bills introduced targeting trans youth, we always hear the argument that these laws are “protecting” their peers and “preventing confusion.” At this point, I’ve had many conversations with many young children (I’m a 1st grade teacher) about what being transgender is and never once have I been met with any fear or confusion. I’ve even been the recipient of a group hug! Children just get it, it’s as simple as that.
This is a video from an Identity Share I did yesterday over Zoom with many of our kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students. When I opened up my classroom’s Zoom room immediately after, here are some things my students said:
“Great job, Mr. Skyer!”
“I think my family is a lot like yours!”
“How did you grow a beard?” (My answer was just that I grew up!)
“Where are you in those pictures?”
“Your brother is taller than you AND has a bigger beard!” (Thanks, friend.)
“Who is the homework leader for today??”
Learning about and embracing differences is something that comes naturally and is exciting to children. Let’s follow their lead.