Kendra Heathscott

Dear Governor Daugaard,

Recently I had read an article that had stated that you had never been aware of meeting a transgender person. Because of this article, I was reached out to by a couple of individuals who had worked at Children's Home Society during that time in my life. They called to remind me of a part of my early life, for which I had done the emotional work to move on from. They shared with me a vital part of my childhood that has shaped me into the person I am today, and I would like to share that story with you and the part in which you actually played an active role.

For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a girl. I always knew I was a girl. When I was very little, all that I identified with were female things. School was always very tough for me. Being bullied by other students and not having any understanding from the faculty has always affected me. I felt very left out during school. I felt as though no one really cared or truly understood. As a result, this affected my mental health on many different levels. It had gotten to the point that it was unbearable – I remember skipping school a lot and avoiding joining sports and extracurricular activities.

I had several Individual Education Plan meetings during my time in school. Most of these meetings consisted of people talking about my wearing makeup and jewelry and that it was creating a distraction in class. The IEP meetings were less about them discussing my education and were more about my gender identity issues. It got to a point that they felt public school was not the best place for me and that I needed to work on my "gender identity behavior problem."

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With that being said, they decided to place me into a Children's Home Society day program. The bullying that occurred at CHS was just as bad as it had been in public school. I was able to push the boundaries with my gender identification a little more at CHS. But not to the extent to where I felt completely comfortable. CHS was an amazing place and is where I learned the word "transgender," and I was so excited to finally have a word to identify with. A word that I could call my own.

At the time, you were the director of CHS when I attended the day program there. I have many fond memories of you sitting at my table and talking with the other students and me during lunch. I loved hearing the stories that you would share with us. Do you remember that story you used to tell us about the mountain lions? Or do you maybe remember the Christmas show we used to put on at Methodist Church? I had a solo one year – it was "Joyful Joyful" from "Sister Act." I always loved singing, which reminds me of the time I sang a Hilary Duff song at our talent show. I will also never forget the field days. Those were so much fun.

I hope that you remember me and realize that you have known a trans person all along and that I loved your stories and the positive energy you always had so much of. The genuine love and concern that you so freely shared back then helped to make a very difficult period of my life better.

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I am urging you not to pass HB 1008. This bill, as I am sure you are already aware, is an attack on transgender students in the Rushmore State. I know you have always had the children at heart, and I hope you still have that same huge heart I was aware of when I was 10.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

Sincerely,

Kendra Heathscott

MY VOICE

Kendra Heathscott, 22, is a speaker and transgender rights activist living in Sioux Falls with her cat, Blue. She also serves as a board member at the Center for Equality.

My Voice columns should be 500 to 700 words. Submissions should include a portrait-type photograph of the author. Authors also should include their full name, age, occupation and relevant organizational memberships.

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