Posts Tagged "Time to Thrive"
Sharing Our Story at Trevor Project
My family was invited to attend the TrevorLive Gala in New York City in June. I met David Bond of the Trevor Project earlier in the spring at HRC’s Time To Thrive conference where he heard me mention Avery trying to jump out of our car when she was four years old. He asked if I could also speak at TrevorLive to let their supporters hear how trans kids can be suicidal at an extremely young age because of their dysphoria and a lack of acceptance. I hope that our story made enough of an impact on people in the audience that they made larger donations than planned to support children like ours. Here is my speech from that evening: My name is Debi Jackson. My...
Read MoreGLAAD: All Access with Debi Jackson
While in Portland at the Time to Thrive Conference, I ran across the staff from GLAAD. They have a video series called “GLAAD: All Access” which features interviews with newsmakers, hit-makers, and people making a difference. For some reason, they think I fit that bill! So I sat down with them for a few minutes to talk about when I first noticed my four-year-old wanted to identify as a girl, how my husband and I educated ourselves about the word “transgender,” and offered some advice for other parents of transgender children.
Read More2015 Time To Thrive Speech by Debi Jackson
I was asked to speak at this year’s Time to Thrive Conference, hosted by HRC in Portland, Oregon. Time to Thrive is an event focused on educating professionals who work with LGBT youth about their unique issues, struggles, and needs. I was introduced by another amazing PFLAG mom, Betty DeGeneres! My speech this year told more of our daughter’s story, a painful part of the journey that I don’t often talk about. I felt it was important, though, for people working with at-risk youth to really understand what those risks can be. And I also challenged parents to be more accepting of their LGBT kids and to really advocate for them. HRC has resources that can...
Read MoreDebi Jackson Will Be Featured at HRC’s National Time to THRIVE Conference
Time to THRIVE is a national conference for youth-serving professionals hosted by the Human Rights Campaign. Attendees include K-12 educators, mental health providers, pediatricians, religious leaders, recreational athletic coaches, and youth development staff (Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, scout leaders, etc.), working together to support the LGBTQ youth population. Time to THRIVE’s goal is to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field. I am thrilled to announce that I will be a speaker at this year’s conference in Portland, Oregon, in...
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