27號下午去看牙醫，在診療室等待的時候，診療台前方的小電視正開始播放著知名美國超級名模 Tyra Banks 主持的電視節目 (Tyra Show)～Transgender。由於節目內容過於聳動，yumi看著看著竟忘記洗牙的痛苦。。。第一次讓醫生助理從頭洗到尾　(yumi好厲害唷)

到底什麼是Transgender呢？中文翻譯為『跨性別』，和變性者（transsexual）與變裝癖（transvestic fetishist）不同。通常是指未進行變性手術的變性者。比如說：從女性跨越成為男性者（female-to-male，可能會縮寫成FtM），以及Tranwoman，用來指稱從男性跨越成為女性者（male-to-female，可能會縮寫成MtF）。這跟『誰說女孩子就該玩洋娃娃，男孩子就該玩小汽車』的叛逆論點又不太一樣了。

這幾天的新聞報導一直圍繞著劉薰愛到底是男生還是女生，讓yumi不禁想說：她是男是女都跟我們無關，重點是她還滿可愛的，言語上跟善良的孩子一樣不會傷害別人，她徹底的去追求她想要的人生。yumi從網路上找到了這個節目的訪問稿並嘗試著翻譯，希望能夠讓大家了解-->變性或跨性並不是自己本身有問題，而是上帝對你或妳開了一個的玩笑，在男孩子的身體裡藏了一個女生的靈魂（反之亦然）。

標題：Pictured: Josie Romero, the eight-year-old 'sex change girl' who was born a boy　

（喬西·羅梅羅，一個八歲的跨性別女孩但卻生為男兒身）

Josie Romero loves the colour pink, braiding her hair and having her fingernails painted.

But life has not always been easy for this sweet and charming eight-year-old, who was born in the body of a boy.

The transgender youngster, then called Joseph, knew at the age of four that she was the wrong sex and even told her parents: 'I am really a girl.'  

At five, she was refusing to have her hair cut and only wore colours like orange which were nearest to girly pink.

喬西·羅梅羅（以下簡稱喬西）很喜歡粉紅色、綁頭髮和擦指甲油。但人生對一個可愛迷人的八歲孩子並不一直都是那麼的容易--他生於男兒身。這個叫喬瑟夫的跨性別孩子，早在他四歲時就已經明白他生錯性別，甚至還曾跟他爸媽說：『我真的是個女孩兒。』五歲時，她拒絕剪頭髮，穿衣服也只穿類似橘色的某些顏色，因為看起來超像女孩子的粉紅色。

ps. 在這裡，Josie喬西是女孩名，Joseph喬瑟夫則是男孩名。

By the time she reached six, Josie had been diagnosed as transgender and was beginning her transition to becoming a female.

Mother Venessia, 42, said: 'When she was a toddler, she was always trying to turn her boy toys into girl toys.

'She used to take her army figures, wrap them up and rock them like a baby.

'As she grew older and started to talk, she always said: "I'm a girl".

'We used to correct her and say: "No you're a boy".

'But by the time she was four, she was insisting: "No I really am a girl".   

'We started to realise she wasn't just playing. She would always correct anyone who called her a boy.

'She'd wrap one of my scarves around her waist to make a skirt. It was her favourite game.'  

Venessia and her husband Joseph, 42, an airforce engineer, from Vail, Arizona, made the brave decision to tell their daughter's story to help other parents of transexual youngsters.

Venessia said: 'When Josie was four we adopted a two-year-old girl, Jade, from China because we lived in Japan at the time and wanted to help a child in need.

到他六歲的時候，喬西被診斷為〝跨性別〞，也開始了她的『邁向女孩之路』的過渡期。媽媽凡妮西亞，42歲，說道：『當她還在學走路時，她總是想把她的男生玩具變成女生的玩具。』她常常把她的美軍公仔包起來，像是抱嬰兒一樣的搖晃。當她在長大一點開始講話時，她總是說著：『我是女生。』我們過去常常更正她說：『不對，你是男生。』但當她四歲時，她就不斷堅持說：『不，我真的是女生啦。』我們也開始了解她不是開玩笑了。從此只要有人叫她男生，她就一直會更正他們。『她會拿一條我的圍巾裹在自己的腰上當成裙子，那是她最喜歡的遊戲。』凡妮西亞跟她42歲的先生喬瑟夫(亞利桑那州的費爾市來的空軍工程師)做出了一個勇敢的決定，也就是說出他們女兒的故事來幫助其他也有跨性別孩子的父母親。凡妮西亞說『當喬西四歲時，我們領養了一個來自中國的兩歲女兒，叫做貞德，因為那時我們住在日本，很希望能幫助窮困中的兒童。』

ps. 這裡yumi真的要開罵了，媽媽告訴yumi，中國大陸真的很愛賣孩子，每年都賣一堆到美國來（其他國家不知道），一個孩子可以賣３萬美金。在大陸那兒買賣雙方一手交錢一手交貨，收到孩子的父母可以到旁邊去買孩子的生活用品（例如：嬰兒手推車，尿布等）。擺明的視錢如命！而美國這兒總是一廂情願的認為他們在幫助需要幫助的孤兒。。。唉～～～天曉得那些孩子是不是綁架來的唷！

'We were a worried Josie would jealous of a new sibling, but she was so excited to have a sister. They loved playing together and there were even more girls toys around.

'We'd accepted Josie was a bit different and after about six months something clicked and I thought: 'Oh, we have a gay boy'.

'We were totally fine with having a gay boy. We thought: "As long as our child is happy" everything will be fine.'  

'She looked kind of androgenous by the time she was five and people would always ask if we had a girl or a boy,' said Venessia.

It was Josie's paediatrician who finally brought the situation into the open.

'I think he worked it out because of various things Josie had said over a couple of years,' said Venessia.

'He just said to me: 'Look up the word transgender'.

'I went home and started looking up transgender on the internet.

'At first the only sites I found were medical ones and websites talking about adults.

'But eventually we did find out that there were other children who thought they were born as the wrong sex.

『我們剛開始很擔心喬西可能會既妒新的兄弟姊妹，但她卻非常興奮能夠擁有一個妹妹。他們很愛玩在一起，甚至有了更多女孩子的玩具。』『我們承認喬西是有點不一樣，大約六個月後我突然明白了一件事～喔，難道我們有了一個同性戀兒子！』『我們完全沒有問題去接納一位同性戀兒子啦。我們在想〝只要我們的孩子能夠快樂〞什麼都沒問題。』『在她五歲時看起來有點雌雄同體，而人們總是問我們到底是兒子還是女兒』凡妮西亞說道。喬西的小兒科醫生是最終把整個情況公開化的人。『由於喬西前幾年的所作所為，我在想這個醫生是對的』凡妮莎說著。這個醫生僅僅告訴我：『查查這個字眼〝跨性別〞。』『我回家後開始上網查詢跨性別這個字。剛開始我只找到幾個關於醫藥跟成人有關的網站。但最後我們發現的確有其他的孩子他們認為他們生錯性別。』

'We discovered a site called Transgender Youth Family Allies where there were 100 children who were all going through the same thing as Josie.'  Venessia started giving Josie options about how she wanted to live.

'I bought some girls clothes and put them in one side of her wardrobe,' she said.

'All her boys clothes were in the other half.

'Each morning she was free to choose what she wanted to wear - but she always chose girls clothes.'  

Josie was referred to a gender specialist who confirmed the diagnosis and the family began accepting Josie as a real girl.

Venessia said: 'It was definitely hardest for my husband, because he felt like he had lost a son.

'Joseph used to spend time with Joey doing things like jogging and swimming.

'But he could do those the same with Josie as a girl.'  Joseph said: 'At first I denied it. Then, after reality kicked in, I deeply mourned the loss of my son.'  But he added: 'We had a family photo shoot where Josie dressed up like a princess, with a butterfly in her hair and gloss on her lips.

'I forced a smile onto my face hoping she'd be content with my effort. Josie's own face lit up in response, and a sparkle I hadn't seen in so many months was back in her eyes. I made the connection with her then, for the first time, knowing I had gained a daughter.

'After the first few pictures, both Josie and I were wearing genuine smiles and laughing out loud.'   

『我們發現一個叫做跨性別青少年家庭同盟會的地方，那裡有100孩子都經歷過像喬西一樣的情況。』凡妮西亞開始讓喬西選擇她要過怎樣的生活。『我買了一些女孩兒的服飾放在她衣櫥的半邊位置』她說著。『全部她的男生衣服則放在另半邊。』『每個早晨她可以自由選擇她想穿什麼衣服，但她總是選擇女孩的衣服。』『喬西被轉診到性別專家那兒，診斷也被專家證實了，所以我們家開始接受喬西真的是個女孩子的事實。』凡妮西亞說：『對我先生而言真的很難受，因為他覺得好像少了一個兒子。』『喬瑟夫以前常常花時間陪喬西慢跑和游泳。』『即使喬西是女孩子，他還是可以陪喬西做那些事啦。』喬瑟夫說：『剛開始，我拼命否認。然而，在事實擊垮了我之後，我深深地對我那失去的兒子哀悼。』但他又補充道：『我們有一張家庭照片，裡頭喬西盛裝打扮像個公主一樣，頭髮上有蝴蝶飾品也擦上了唇蜜。』『我強迫自己的臉擺出表微笑的表情，希望她能夠對我的努力感到滿意。喬西容光煥發的臉蛋也正是她對我的回應。那閃耀的眼神終於又回來了，那是我幾個月來沒見到過的。我跟她聊了一下，這是我第一次感覺～我得到了一個女兒。』『在拍攝幾張照片後，喬西跟我終於綻放出真誠的微笑還笑的很大聲呢！』

But unfortunately other people in the fiercely conservative environment of the American military base, where the family lived in Japan, were less accepting of Josie and picketed outside her school gates.

'It was horrible for Josie and for all of us,' said Venessia.

'I know it affected her although we tried to protect her from it.

'When we returned to the States last year we arranged for counselling for Josie to help deal with what she's been through, as well as for her transition.'  Now, in a few weeks' Josie will see her doctor to find out more about puberty blockers, drugs which will prevent her starting male adolescence.

Then, when she reaches the age of 12, she will be given female hormones containing oestrogen.

Josie also understands that she will need to have surgery when she is an adult in order to become a full woman.

Her case has already been referred to Dr Norman Spack at Boston Children's Hospital a top specialist in transgender children.

Josie said: 'I am happy that everyone knows I am a real girl, and that I don't have to pretend to be a boy anymore.

'Being a girl is nice because I get to bake and cook in the kitchem wear long hair and earrings.'   By the time Josie's family moved back to Arizona last year she had been legally accepted as a female.

Her birth certificate, passport and even her social security number were changed to show her completely as a girl.

Venessia said: 'Unfortunately the local school barred us from enrolling Josie, so we made the decision to home school both girls, which is very rewarding.

'We're bringing them up in a very happy protected environment.

'Maybe when the girls are older they will be able to go to high school, but that is still a few years away.'  Josie is a spokesperson for transgender children and gives talks to other groups in Arizona.   Her mum said: 'Josie is very happy to speak about being a transgender child.

'We feel that by being open about her experiences, it will help other parents and children still coming to terms with their gender.

'The most important thing is to love your child unconditionally.

'Whatever happens you still have a daughter, or a son, who needs you to be there for them.'  Josie and her family are one of several families featured in a new BodyShock documentary.  

但不幸的是有些家人住在日本，生長在美國軍事機地的極度傳統的人們，鮮少能接納喬西，也可能會在她學校外堵她。『這對喬西和我們來說，真的很恐怖』凡妮西亞說道。『雖然我們試著保護她遠離這些紛擾，但我知道這種事真的會影響她。』『當我去年回到美國時，j們幫喬西跟醫生安排了一個心裡輔導諮商，來幫助她處理一切她所經歷過的事和一些過渡時期。』現在，在這幾個禮拜中，喬西會去見她的醫生一起去找出更多有關青春期的障礙和用藥，這些將能預防她日後的男性青春期發育初期階段。之後，當她到了12歲時，她會被施打女性荷爾蒙（包括雌激素）。為了當一個真正的完全的女人，喬西自己也知道當她長大成人時，她需要動手術。她的案例已經被諾曼醫生提及，那位醫生是研究兒童跨性別的首席專家。喬西說：『我很高興大家都知道我真的是女生，而且我再也不需要裝男生了。』『做女生很好唷，因為我可以在廚房烤東西煮飯，還可以留長頭髮戴耳環呢！』等到喬西的家人去年搬回到美國亞利桑那州時，她已經在法律上合法的被接納為女性了。她的出生證明、護照、甚至是社會安全碼都已經被改成她是道道地地的女生了。凡妮西亞說：『不幸的是當地學校排斥喬西註冊，所以我們決定讓兩個小女孩在家學習，那也滿有益處的。』『我們把他們帶到了一個非常快樂且受保護的環境裡。也許等女孩們在大一點後，她們能去上高中，但這些都是幾年後的事啦！』喬西現在是跨性別兒童的代言人也在亞利桑那州對其他團體演講。她的媽媽說：『能成為跨性別的孩子，喬西感到非常快樂。』『我們覺得能夠讓她的經驗公開，那將會幫到其他的正在為性別這檔事達成協議的家長和孩子。』『最重要的是要無條件愛你們的孩子。不管發生什麼事，你們仍然有個女兒或者兒子，他／她總是希望你們能在他們身邊。』有關身體上衝擊的文件，喬西和她的家人是許多不同家庭之一的代表案例。