|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Independent congressional candidate Suz Seymour challenges Vermont schools to create Tomboy Clubs—and offers to help fund them
by Suz Seymour
Independent congressional candidate Suzanne “Suz” Seymour is challenging Vermont schools to try something unusual: create a Tomboy Club—and she is willing to put her own money behind it.
The proposal grew out of a discussion on WDEV’s Hot Off The Press about transgender children, gender identity and how society should respond when young people struggle with their bodies or question who they are.
Seymour’s answer is that children need more room to grow, more support, and more time to understand themselves before adults assume they need to change their bodies.
“I am willing to self-finance any school in Vermont that is willing to start a Tomboy Club. Young girls need strong role models and people within the school system saying, ‘You know what? Maybe you’re not a boy—maybe you’re just a strong girl.’ Why aren’t we advocating for that?”
For Seymour, a Tomboy Club wouldn’t be about telling girls who they should be, but a place of refuge for girls to feel confident who are athletic, adventurous, outspoken, enjoy science or car mechanics, are competitive, outdoorsy or simply different. Growing up a tomboy herself, she says the conversation shouldn’t stop with girls. Boys have many of the same struggles.
“Puberty is hard. Almost all young people struggle with their changing bodies. We need to teach our kids to love and care for the bodies they have. This is the vessel we have to navigate through life; we must learn to respect it, care for it and appreciate it in every way.”
Seymour’s proposal comes at a time when Vermont is taking a very different position at the federal level.
In July, Vermont joined a multistate lawsuit challenging federal actions aimed at restricting access to gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary youth. More recently, Vermont joined another lawsuit challenging a federal rule that would prohibit Medicaid reimbursement for gender-affirming care for low-income youth.
Seymour says she believes Vermont needs to have a bigger conversation than simply arguing over who should pay for these treatments, and ask the most important one first: what is best for the kids?
“I am opposed to puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries for children. We need to listen to our kids when they are struggling and take their feelings seriously—but we also need safeguards. We shouldn’t fast-track children into medicalization or toward a lifetime of pharmaceuticals when they aren’t yet developmentally equipped to fully understand the long-term consequences of those decisions. They need qualified counseling, thoughtful guidance and time to grow and understand themselves before making decisions that could permanently alter their developing bodies.” – Suz Seymour
Seymour says adults should have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, including plastic surgery and other forms of body modification, but children deserve additional safeguards.
“We shouldn’t teach children that discomfort with their bodies automatically means their bodies are wrong.They need more time and support to understand themselves, and feel comfortable in the bodies they were born into. To me, that truly is what ‘gender-affirming care’ actually should mean.”
Seymour says she’s not interested in simply criticizing the system. She wants to try something different—and she’s willing to put her own money behind it. That’s the idea behind the Tomboy Club proposal. Rather than making children the battlefield in another political fight, Seymour says Vermont should be willing to invest in alternatives that help young people feel comfortable in their own skin without immediately assuming that discomfort or gender nonconformity requires a medical solution.
Seymour is putting her proposal into action. “If a Vermont school is interested in starting a Tomboy Club, reach out to my campaign. You’ll be one of the first to accept the challenge—and I hope, before you know it, there will be Tomboy Clubs popping up all across our country.”.
Seymour’s message is ultimately about giving children permission to grow into themselves without being boxed in by stereotypes—or rushed into life-changing decisions that they may regret and unknowingly on their part, may be too late to go back.
Republished campaign statement by Suz Seymour, Independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Vermont, www.ruokvt.com
Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: Commentary
Schools tell them they are not tomboys, but boys trapped in girls’ bodies. They need to become trans-boys to be fulfilled.
This tomboy very much approves. The entire T movement is based on stereotypes and putting kids into very narrow boxes.
Tomboys are Ssooo Hot! Tell your sons strong women are more fun! And can also be “girly girls” when THEY choose to be.
Try and take a “princess” hiking or skiing backcountry or canoeing and you will know the truth.
Give ’em what-for Suz‼️😎
I am 100% opposed to any tax payer money going to fund such an absurd, twisted ideology as irreversible medical experimentation on Minors .
Anyone who promoted Children to change genders needs to be prosecuted .
Agreed, Mark.
And Suz, his comment amplifies my admittedly persnicketty comment that use of the term “gender-affirming care” is putting yourself on their side of the argument, like giving in and providing your “pronouns”. They abuse the language intentionally and label their horrific agenda with seemingly innocuous terms that are the exact opposite of what they mean, e.g. “The Affordable Care Act,” and the “Anti-Inflation Act.”
Otherwise, you are rocking it, as always.
I loved what was said about our young children and the dangerous gender affirming care that some have received. When asked about this issue, I will defiantly be referencing and referring people to Seymour’s comments. Thank you WDEV for another great informative broadcast.
Suz, I LOVE this!! You are brilliant (something I already knew anyway). 🙂
PLEASE try to get this same article published in Digger! This is such a great idea and that will give you good exposure to the people who need to hear this idea and to know about YOU and your candidacy. More votes for Suz!
Love this feedback and thank you! I did send off to major media today but will make sure to esp. try harder with them!
I am committed to standing up for strong girls.
I was a tomboy. I liked boys and did boy things so that i could hang out with the boys and not girls.
As far as I remember , since i was 6, I loved fishing with dad, helping dad with firewood and garden. We had to wear dresses in school until 5th grade. Then after i hardly wore dresses. I didn’t spend hours on my hair and make up.
I married a man.
Tomboys rock!
Side note, my brother took boys foods in high-school. Back when home economics was a thing. He became a chef. He married a woman.
No need to push any lable on kids. Just let them be.
What was that film called, cold mountain?
” ain’t no man better than me”
Be a strong person
This positive depiction of being a “tomboy” shows that bending one’s gender from the stereotypes and societal roles can be a positive way of being “gender non-conforming” while not involving any unnatural removal of perfectly good body parts or artificially interfering with hormonal balance.
I also was a tomboy, sometimes I still am an over 60 tomboy. I did things that boys do, playing with dolls wasn’t my thing, but give me a Tonka truck I was in my glory. I had to be, I was raised with up to 9 foster brother with me being the only girl. I lived on a farm and had to do the same chores that the boys had to do. It was boarding house reach in my house at the supper table except on Fridays when we had liver and onions, then the dogs were very happy. If I was still in school I would defiantly be part of a club like this. I challenge any school to stop teaching the crap we are feeding to our kids right now and bring in a Tomboy club. You go Dianna, push this as far as you can.
I’m over 60 and I don’t think one can ever grow out of being a tomboy. Wear the title proudly, sister!
One of the reasons I chose Vermont to live was due to the preponderance of strong women who didn’t buy into stereotypes of femininity.
Finally some sanity around this topic. Thanks Suz Seymour!
Wow, finally some sanity from someone in this state who has actually walked the walk!🙌🏼
I do believe Suzanne Seymour just won my vote.
I thought we weren’t supposed to label people
@Paulj
Do you mean when women are saying they were/are “Tomboys”? Do you not see that they are “labeling” themselves and are proud of that label and who they are… as BIOLOGICAL FEMALES? Btw, no such thing as a “cis female” So, IMO, that isn’t quite the same as labeling OTHERS with a derogatory word or are looking to demean anyone.