Key Points
- Jason Levis shares that he discovered his queerness through the internet.
- Kristyn had difficulties looking for a new school for Jason after he went through bullying from his previous one.
- Jason wants people to know that transness is normal and should not be seen as an agenda.
Listen to the interview
Pagharap sa pagsubok ng isang pamilya para protektahan ang anak na transgender
SBS Filipino
23/11/202211:25
"Jason's very artistic in visual arts and music. Very clever kid too...he finished with the Dux award in primary school. He's always top of his class," proud mum Kristyn Levis shares of her son Jason.
While 14-year-old Jason easily fell into his strengths, he admits that his identity required more arduous exploration.
Queerness and the internet
Jason admits that he blamed himself for being "annoying" and excitable, and therefore, susceptible to bullying.
The Levis family prior to Jason's transition Credit: Kristyn Levis
He turned to online communities for comfort and respite, admitting that he found out about his queerness through the internet.
I saw other queer people online, free to express themselves. I thought I would love to feel like that.
While he felt very hurt by others, internally, he was struggling with his own sense of self.
"Eventually, I identified as a bisexual, then a lesbian for a while…but things just kept on changing and I still wasn’t comfortable."
Jason, prior to socially transitioning Credit: Kristyn Levis
Jason admits, "I was always uncomfortable with myself in a way...in my own body.
It took me a while to think 'Yes, I am trans' because I was very scared.
"I thought that people wouldn't use my name or my pronouns, that no one would look at me like a real boy."
For Jason, coming out as trans proved to be a mental journey in learning to love himself and learning to lean on those who love him.
On defence mode
One of those he leaned on was his mum Kristyn, who fought hard for him and his mental well-being.
Kristyn says, "When we found out that he was [queer], it wasn’t really a big thing for us. That wasn’t the issue.
The issue was the bullying in school.
Kristyn and her husband didn't have time to process Jason's queerness because they needed to focus on addressing the harassment he was facing in school.
"When we found out that he was [queer], it wasn’t really a big thing for us. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was the bullying in school." Credit: Jason Levis
"We just had to go to defence and problem-solving mode which was really difficult.
"His previous school tried to be supportive and gave him a safe haven at school to avoid bullies."
However, the bullies were relentless, following Jason to his safe haven and waiting for him outside of school.
They would do stuff to him that were [only] borderline [bullying] so they wouldn't get into trouble.
"We would tell the teachers. The offence would be written down and they would just do it all over again. It was repetitive."
Wanting to break the cycle, Kristyn and her husband searched for a new school Jason could move to.
The process proved to be more difficult than expected.
"In Australia, you can't move schools that easily.
We were prepared to move him to a private school but a lot of them were religious or single-sex. Where do you put a trans kid in that situation?
"With public schools, you have to live in the [catchment] area before you get accepted in."
With paperwork from a GP and psychologist, Kristyn advocated for her son and eventually found a new school to take him in.
Jason, from day 1
Kristyn shares, "We had to ask help from the school principals. Basically, we pleaded our case - from one human to another. We were successful, but I don't think the system is friendly to trans kids.
"I treated this like a huge project. I was ready to do everything and anything to get him into a new school.
We didn't see him lasting in his old school and being okay.
While Jason continues to experience incidents of bullying in his new school, he says that they have been easier to manage.
"Now, I feel safer going to a staff member or teacher to tell them what happened. I have more faith that they’ll do something about it," Jason shares.
Aside from safety, what the new school afforded Jason was a chance to start anew as his true self.
"When he moved to this new school...From day 1, he was just Jason and that was it. That really helped him a lot." Credit: Kristyn Levis
Transness is not an agenda
While some opt to , the current priority for the teen is to transition socially.
Jason says, "It's what I need because being supported and being viewed as a man makes a huge difference to me.
"It's never really a full transition though, because you're transitioning everyday and having to explain (if you want to) to new people."
The Transgender flag Credit: katlove from Pixabay
She says, "Raising this child from a baby, choosing their name and having all these ideas for when they grow up...then they tell you they want to transition.
There's grief for all those imaginings but it's brief. It's not bad though. It's normal.
And when it comes to normalcy, Jason shares that that's all he ever wanted to be seen as.
"It's still difficult to be trans because there's this constant argument you have with people who still argue about your identity and who you should be.
"Being trans is not weird or scary. It's normal. It's not an agenda. We're not trying to control you or turn you trans.
"Being trans is not weird or scary. It's normal." Credit: RODNAE Productions from Pexels
