Wednesday's All Things Considered on NPR touted an eight-year-old boy who now dresses as a girl serving as an "educator" of sorts about transgenderism — first to his parents, and later to his neighbors and classmates. Correspondent Johnny Kauffman of Georgia affiliate WABE played up how "the city of Kennesaw, where the [boy's] family lives, is in one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country... [his] parents say they get a lot of questions from friends and other parents. But [he] remains the best teacher."
Host Robert Siegel led into the completely one-sided report from Kauffman (which was titled on NPR's website, "When The Kid Becomes The Teacher: On What It Means To Be Transgender") by spotlighting how "parents across the country are figuring out how to answer questions and talk to their children about the national debate over bathrooms and transgender students. In some families, children are actually directing the discussions."
The journalist first zeroed in on Eli (who now goes by "Allie") Slipakoff "likes to talk about her striking, red, shoulder-length hair." Kauffman outlined that "Allie is transgender, and gets lots of compliments about her hair. When she was younger and dressed in boys' clothes, Allie still made her parents buy her dozens of accessories to wear on her head." He continued that the boy's father, Adam Slipakoff, used the hair accessories as "sort of crutch, as Allie and her family tried to figure out what clothes to buy and what name she wanted to use. It had been Eli."
The WABE correspondent pointed out that "what it means to be transgender, let alone have a kid that's transgender, is something Allie's parents had never thought about....Her parents learned using a different pronoun can hurt someone's feelings." He let the child's mother give an anecdote about how the boy explained his new persona to a classmate:
JOHNNY KAUFFMAN: Her parents learned using a different pronoun can hurt someone's feelings. Allie talks openly about what it means to be transgender. Jen says one day, Allie told a new friend at school about her change.
JEN SLIPAKOFF: Her friend didn't believe her. She's like, no, you can't do that.
KAUFFMAN: So, Allie took her friend to the teacher.
J. SLIPAKOFF: How did she go from being a boy to a girl? And the teacher said, well, she grew her hair long and wore girl's clothes. And the little girl was like, okay! And that was it. I mean — and they literally held hands, turned around, and skipped away; and that was the end of it.
Kauffman continued with his "one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country line" and his label of Eli Slipakoff as a "teacher." He offered one of the elementary student's "lessons," and introduced one of the family's neighbors, who is "quick to talk about her love of Jesus, and that she attends church every Sunday." As you might expect, the neighbor revealed that "says her own children have taught her to be more comfortable around people who are transgender."
Near the end of the segment, the correspondent played another clip from the boy's mother, who likened the treatments of transgenders to Jim Crow: "You know, 'I'm not against anyone that's transgender; I just don't want using my same bathroom.' I mean, that's like saying, 'Well, I like black people. I just don't want them to sit at my lunch counter.'" He concluded by reemphasizing the child's "educator" role: "Eight-year-old Allie doesn't know much about the debate over bathrooms. School and dance classes keep her busy; along with the lessons she shares with neighbors about what it means to be transgender."
The full transcript of Johnny Kauffman's report, which aired on NPR's All Things Considered on June 1, 2016:
ROBERT SIEGEL: Parents across the country are figuring out how to answer questions and talk to their children about the national debate over bathrooms and transgender students. In some families, children are actually directing the discussions.
Johnny Kauffman of member station WABE sent us this story.
JOHNNY KAUFFMAN: (clip of children laughing playing) It's bedtime, and Ethan and Allie Slipakoff are riled up. The kids are in the playroom of their suburban Atlanta home, as parents Jen and Adam sit in the kitchen nearby. The eight-year-old Allie likes to talk about her striking, red, shoulder-length hair.
ALLIE SLIPAKOFF: So sometimes, I put my hair in a ponytail — like, a side ponytail. Sometimes, like, it actually turns out really good.
KAUFFMAN: Allie is transgender, and gets lots of compliments about her hair. When she was younger and dressed in boys' clothes, Allie still made her parents buy her dozens of accessories to wear on her head. Adam, the dad, tries to explain.
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: It's like a clip goes over your head—
ALLIE SLIPAKOFF: It's a headband.
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: Oh, a headband.
ALLIE SLIPAKOFF: (laughs) Yeah (unintelligible)—
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: Thanks! And so — you know, it goes down about probably two feet.
KAUFFMAN: Adam says it worked as a sort of crutch, as Allie and her family tried to figure out what clothes to buy and what name she wanted to use. It had been Eli.
What it means to be transgender, let alone have a kid that's transgender, is something Allie's parents had never thought about.
JEN SLIPAKOFF: No!
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: Not even a little bit.
J. SLIPAKOFF: No! Not — it never even ever crossed our mind—
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: No—
J. SLIPAKOFF: You know, ever.
KAUFFMAN: Her parents learned using a different pronoun can hurt someone's feelings. Allie talks openly about what it means to be transgender. Jen says one day, Allie told a new friend at school about her change.
J. SLIPAKOFF: Her friend didn't believe her. She's like, no, you can't do that.
KAUFFMAN: So, Allie took her friend to the teacher.
J. SLIPAKOFF: How did she go from being a boy to a girl? And the teacher said, well, she grew her hair long and wore girl's clothes. And the little girl was like, okay! And that was it. I mean — and they literally held hands, turned around, and skipped away; and that was the end of it.
KAUFFMAN: The city of Kennesaw, where the family lives, is in one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country. Allie's parents say they get a lot of questions from friends and other parents. But Allie remains the best teacher. Here's one of her lessons.
ALLIE SLIPAKOFF: If you knew someone was transgender, even if you didn't like that person, you would still have to be nice to them because they've been working through—
J. SLIPAKOFF: Working through a lot of issues.
ALLIE SLIPAKOFF: Yeah.
J. SLIPAKOFF: Yeah.
ADAM SLIPAKOFF: Yeah.
DEBBI SHULTE: That's funny! You're so sweet!
KAUFFMAN: That's Debbi Shulte, who lives close to the Slipakoffs; and stopped by after the kids went to bed. Shulte is quick to talk about her love of Jesus, and that she attends church every Sunday. She says she never knew a transgender person before Allie.
SHULTE: I honestly will tell you the honest truth. I don't know that I would've believed it, had I not seen it firsthand.
KAUFFMAN: And Shulte says her own children have taught her to be more comfortable around people who are transgender. When Allie first started dressing as a girl, Shulte warned her son not to say anything — which only confused him.
SHULTE: And I said, well, I just don't want you to point out that Eli is now wearing a dress. And he said, what are you talking about — like, what would you say? And I said, I'm just saying, don't — don't say anything that would hurt her feelings. And he said, why would I do that?
KAUFFMAN: Now, Shulte says she's more relaxed; and like Allie's parents, she's worried the issue is so politicized now. Jen says it reminds her of racial segregation in the South.
J. SLIPAKOFF: You know, 'I'm not against anyone that's transgender; I just don't want using my same bathroom.' I mean, that's like saying, 'Well, I like black people. I just don't want them to sit at my lunch counter.'
KAUFFMAN: Eight-year-old Allie doesn't know much about the debate over bathrooms. School and dance classes keep her busy; along with the lessons she shares with neighbors about what it means to be transgender. For NPR News, I'm Johnny Kauffman in Atlanta.
