In the latest breaking Obamacare news, Amanda Terkel of The Huffington Post tweeted that Marcelas Owens, “The cute little kid who stood next to Obama for signing of ACA now is 17, identifies as transgender.” CNN.com’s John Blake brought the usual political correctness to the task. The headline was "I'm not the Obamacare kid anymore."
Blake began with a flourish about the "modern-day Peter Pan" growing up:
Sometimes it's hard to be what you want to be when people only know you for what you used to be.
This is the challenge facing Marcelas Owens, who just turned 17. For much of life, people have only known Marcelas as the "Obamacare kid."
He was the chubby 11-year-old African-American boy who stood next to President Barack Obama as he signed Obamacare into law at a White House ceremony on March 23, 2010. He was the miniature health care activist in the black vest dwarfed by powerful lawmakers in a famous photo of that moment. He was a modern-day Peter Pan, perpetually frozen in childhood even as the news cycle moved on.
But so has Marcelas. As supporters prepare to mark the sixth anniversary of Obamacare's signing, Marcelas is marking another rite of passage -- as a transgender teen. After years of questions, she is starting to tell family and friends what she has long known: Though born male, she's long identified as a female.
Blake defied the obvious notes of puberty by noting "she" has a deepening voice: “Marcelas doesn't look like a kid anymore. The chipmunk cheeks are gone. So is the baby fat. And the voice is deepened. She's a teenager now.”
Transgender people identify with a gender different from the sex assigned on their birth certificate. [grandmother Gina] Owens shared her reaction to Marcelas' announcement in a Facebook post last week. It was addressed to "My first born grandchild."
Owens wrote:
"On this day [March 10] you were born to the world as your mother's 1st child. You are 17 now, and have in so, so many ways, made your mom & me very proud. We both have watched you grow & become the person you are today.
"So today, on your 17th birthday; I tell you AND the world; My grandson is on a new journey in life... I am so happy that SHE has trusted our relationship enough where SHE felt more comfortable sharing with me first; BEFORE the rest of the world... I give my heart & blessing to HER. I LOVE YOU AND YOUR COURAGE IN LIFE, MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW. Walk your journey in love & light."
Blake also turned around to shoot at the conservative media for objecting to the media sappily telling the Marcelas story to sell Obamacare:
Marcelas' loss led to him becoming a child activist in one of the most vicious political fights in American history. He comes from a family of activists, though. His mother and grandmother were volunteers in the Washington Community Action Network, a Seattle group formed to fight for economic and social justice. Washington CAN!, as it's known, became involved in the fight for Obamacare....
Another group gave him an even worse review [than classmates]. They said he was exploited by politicians and was too young to know what he was talking about. They were members of the conservative media. Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said that Marcelas' mother would have died anyway because Obamacare didn't kick in until 2014. And conservative columnist Michelle Malkin said Democrats used Marcelas as a "human kiddie shield."
And then, of course, large swaths of the country had already mobilized to destroy Obamacare.
Angry politicians said Obamacare would doom America; wide-eyed protesters at town hall meetings looked as if they were going to explode.
Being the “Obamacare kid” apparently delayed the inevitable declaration of a gender switch...and now Obamacare could help Marcelas get “gender reassignment surgery.” The only opposition to transgender ideology is a fellow teen who can't spell:
On March 9, the day before her 17th birthday, she wrote on Facebook:
"I've been learning about self-love. Finding myself may equal losing those I was once close to, I continue to search. Closed minds equal closed hearts, I remain forever open."
She's starting to give other glimpses of her transition to the outside world. She recently posted a Facebook selfie wearing makeup and lipstick.
One male commentator wrote back:
"Bro males don't put on makeup unless their feminine"
Marcelas responded that there are other reasons for wearing makeup besides being gay.
Marcelas is also starting to consider hormone therapy and other options. Obamacare prohibits insurers from denying coverage to transgender people on the basis of their identity. The Obama administration ended a 33-year ban on Medicare coverage for gender reassignment surgery in 2014.
When Marcelas began telling friends and classmates, the reaction was mixed.
"At first they thought I was joking," she says. "Once they saw I was serious, they were confused, and then they got mad."
Others, however, went online to support her.
One Asian-American friend wrote:
"It's all good. I come from an Asian community and family and everybody freaking expects me to be some freaking sort of scholar and go to a 4 year university big college, but nope I ain't going cause' I love myself and my path."
Another told Marcelas:
"Fully support you in this major transformational time. Be you. There's only one of you. Do it your way, with love."
