Transcripts For ALJAZAM America Tonight 20150919

I get to blossom into the beautiful flower i am. Lets get something straight. Are you a boy or a girl . Boy. 100 . Absolutely. 12yearold evan is like many boys in dallas, texas. He rides scooters and roughhouses with his friends. But unlike most boys he is biologically a girl. What age did you begin to realize that you were a boy . Well, the storys a little odd. My mom, shes giving me a bath, two years old. She said Something Like oh youre such a pretty girl. I said no im a boy. We had a little you know conversation about what being a girl was, being a boy. And we moved on. I didnt think about it again. I didnt think about it again until about a year later. He brought it up again. Reporter evan has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. A condition where ones emotion and psychological identity is different than their sex. Doctors believe thousands have gender dysphoria. But its not recognized especially in children. Evan is im sitting on the toilet running the tub for my children, getting it ready, he comes says, you got to move you got to move. I says go sit down. And me, he says im a boy, boys stand up when they me. I think something is going on. Evan sumped fro suffered from depression, the feeling of being trapped in the wrong body and no one understanding was almost too much to bear. Were trying to pigeonholing him into tomboy and its not working. And we get him this bike and we are a family of four, one income. And we buy him this like 100 bike from you know whatever sports store. And he doesnt want it. He says i dont want that bike. I say why dont you want that bike . Its a girl bike. Its a great bike. Its a girl bike. He says you never listen to me, im always telling you things and youre never listening. Hes screaming and of course we are in the driveway. I said i didnt want the bike, it was too girly, it was pink with flames. I said im a boy. I was like whoa i get it. Hes been saying it for five years. In english. But now i get it. Because i kept trying to make him not be a boy. She says like oh youre not a boy that switch flipped in her head. She was never like oh you cant be trans. I said okay, sorry, i get it. So i said, what if we go get your haircut, and buy you some new clothes. He said good. So then he transitioned. Thats when we started the transition. Im so sorry im so mushy about this. The hair was cut, the clothes were changed and mom and dad started using the male pronoun. Eveie became evan. At that moment he was sullen and hostile but the truth is he became a much easier kid to raise. And everything started to soften for evan when we started the transition for him. The change in evans behavior and emotional state was dramatic. But while his family came around, the kids at school were a different story. Theres no physical violence, but there was huge mental. They hurt my feelings. Not just my feelings, like they tried so hard to make me break down or do something. And to make me lose control. And people would always make fun of me. Not make fun of me but they would tease me but i would come home from school my mom would say, how is school today . It was great. But it wasnt great. It would horrible, i had no one to sit with, talk with, no one to be my partner. It hurt very much. School would not be his own challenge. Another transition was fast approaching. One evan and his parents deeply feared. The onset of puberty. Because evan is biologically female he would look more and more female every day. I was panicked. Evan had indicated self mutilation was absolutely on the list of possibilities should he develop breasts and stuff like this, he says im cutting them off. I said no youre not cutting them off. Breasts are coming evan so i dont know what to tell you. So i started looking well what to do with your kid. How many doctors did you call . I know i called over 100. Over 100 . Over 100 doctors. Im not exaggerating when im telling you we called other states, all the other cities in texas we couldnt find anyone. At the time, gender dysphoria was rarely studied in medical school. One doctor hesitantly agreed to calsee evan. When she got that frantic phone call she had no idea what was to come. Can you tell me about your first patient . He was nine and started to develop breaths breasts, said he wanted to die. I was willing to learn and it was something very new. Hello, hi, how are you. Convinced that what evan was feeling wasnt a phase, the doctor gathered information from the dutch protocol, delaying puberty to transgender children until they are old enough to determine their sex. They had just published data that said that once these 70 patients who had come through this protocol in their early 20s, their psychological wellbeing or quality of life was similar or better than the general dutch population. Reporter dr. Lopez assembled a team at the hospital to help evan with the transition. Today its known as the genesis program, designed for transgender children and their family, one of only a handful in the country. Doctors can prescribe medications. Puberty itself is a difficult time, the risk of suicide rises through roof. Because all their lives they are expecting that their body was going to be something different. And when youre a child you magically think that maybe one morning youll wake up and feel youre the gender you are. Suddenly, puberty is not only happening but going in the other way. Reporter not all doctors are comfortable using puberty blockers and even dr. Lopez admits not enough research has pen done on its long term effects still, the alternative can be deadly. Over 40 of transgender adults have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. More than 10 times the National Average and the rates are even higher among transgender youth. When these patients come to see us, theyre desperate. And theyve tried everything, any parent would try, any good parent, love, religion if its there, everything. And when your child wants to die and not live anymore thats what changes parents. Coming up. This is 2011. We are still identifying him as he. We meet one of dr. Lopezs patients whose transition has even been more difficult for parents. There did you know what trans was . We have to add another one in english. I want to make sure im doing whatever i can to make her happy and not feel like she has this condition, this bad things about her. Millions at stake. Shady investments. Limited oversight. Super pacs are part of the wild wild west of campaign finance. Could Actor Daniel Craig be the latest super pac scam victim . An ali velshi, on target, special investigation. 12yearold roxie castro was born biologically a boy. Right around the age roxie came in and said she felt like a girl. It was devastating for her. We would force her to wear what we bought her more masculine clothes and she would cry. She would tell us, thats not me, mom. Reporter she knew . Yes, yes. At the age of 8, roxies parents allowed her to begin identifying as a girl. Because she transitioned so young, roxie hasnt experienced the same situation that other children have but like many, roxies parents have had to make a transition of their own. This is 2011. We are still identifying him as he. And i said compromise on how the clothing, if you can see the shoes were flowery and stuff. Thats how we sort of negotiated. Because we found out, and we let her be at an early age. A lot of people might not think, oh, theres a loss there. But there is. You always think about the what if. And you just those feelings are not communicated to her. Memories that we have. You cant share with other people. Because you dont want to make her feel uncomfortable. Reporter the castros are originally from el salvador. Raising a transgender child was a test of their strict catholic beliefs. The culture does not allow you sometimes to live or to guide especially your sexuality outside the guidelines that its already settled. Masmasculinity, its very import in our culture. When you come and you tell this to people, that there is, that gender is a spectrum, and that we can all fall in different places, its they cannot grasp that idea. Could you grasp it before . No. I couldnt. I think theyre realize doing a lot of research, a lot of soulsearching. And having an open mind im starting to grasp it. Do you know what trans was . We didn didnt know what transgender meant. Im learning so many words in english, now learning another one. To look into the future and make certain what were going to do is going to be able to help roix roxie and move roxie forward as she become an adult. I want to make sure i do whatever i can to make her happy and not feel like she has this condition or this bad thing in her. It was the dorm. Reporter roxie shares a room with her brother danny. It is easy to determine whose side is whose. My mom and i decided we should divide the room. Me and my mom painted my side, that is how the splitside. Me me me and me and my brother. Lots of selfies. Yes. What do you want people to understand about gender dysphoria . We see people from every culture and religion, more monday hispanic, Single Parents both parents i think its clear and all the medical society agrees that this is not influenced by society and that psychological therapy to change that, to change your gender identity so it matches what your body is doesnt work and its even more harmful and it is considered unethical. Roxie and other patients like 12yearold evan aat genesis have started puberty blockers to buy them time. Blockers help delay their bodys development of sex. Im fearful of developing male features, i want to identify myself easily as a female, if i have beard side burns, chest hair, i would be devastated. Ftc. If i went through puberty i would probably be one of those kids that slices off my breasts, mom would come in and be like oh my gosh and id probably go into a mental institution. But it probably would be really awful. It would be bad. It would be bad. What would you say to people who think that a child isnt old enough to make this kind of decision . Were not which is why were delaying puberty. Lets be honest, children make awful decisions, ill eat twinkies, ill go to bed late, ill delay my homework. When you put a parent and you put a minimal amount of research into this you realize the studies indicate very clearly that these children benefit from pressing pause. What we do with dr. Lopez isnt entering into a physical transition. It is pressing pause on body changes that cannot be undone. It just gives everybody a chance to go okay, whoa, what are we doing here. When you first went in to see dr. Lopez what were you thin thinking . Very excited, im a woman already. Its actually a very long process. Youre not ready to start what we call the crosssex hormone. The decision is whether to give estrogen, the female hormone to roxie and testosterone, the male hormone to evan. This cross sexual hormone is irreversible. What would you say to somebody who says you are not old enough to make that decision . Id say well youre not the person to tell me who i am. If im bugging them, im going ha ha im trans, they have no right to come into my life and telling me what i need to do. Thats what my parents are for. My parents are doing a great job raising me. I do my anchors i clean my room, i dont gloat but im a great kid. Im getting as and bs in school and they have no right to come telling us our family what to do. As you approach this phase of your life toss that make you nervous or are you does that make you nervous or are you excited . I think im excited because i get to blossom into this beautiful flower that i am. I do tell her being a woman its more physical body its all about your essence, worry about your essence, not your physical body but any 12yearold is not worried about that yet. Were still building that. So she wants to become she cant wait for those breasts and normal things that she sees that her friends, some of her friends already developing. 20stwist, twist, you got to jump. When roxie and evan turn 18 they can choose whether to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Thats years ahead yet but for now theyre enjoying being the children they are. Coming up. What was it like . I was, what, youre real, youre not whoa i cant stick my hand through you. Youre not a ghost. Genesis provides an opportunity to meet other transgender children, often for the first time. I never thought i would meet transperson, it was always transgirls, will there be a transguy . He is basically the only one, you are the only one. Cuttingedge science. Weve returned this iconic mammal to illinois. With a much bigger longterm benefit. Grasslands have a Critical Role in climate change. Its exciting. Techknows team of experts show you how the miracles of science. This is what innovation looks like. Can affect and surprise us. I feel like were making an impact. Awesome techknow where Technology Meets humanity. Soats from a Small Program created to help evan with his transition, today, jen cyst has grown to a clinic that sees an average of 25 new patients every month. Still, evan and roxie recognize theyre among the lucky ones. Thousands of transgender children in the u. S. Doesnt have access to a clinic like genesis or supportive parents. Im glad because i get so much support but they dont much and it kind of makes me sad. Before i thought oh probably everybody gets this treatment but i later on realized that not everybody is accepted. When youre raising a transgender child you almost have to be constantly on guard as to how shes feeling . Is she feeling okay now . And as shes growing, hormones change, has she ever thought about committing suicide . I think thats right now thats our wiggest fear. If i didnt say anything, nothing would have happened. Would i have been a grumpy little girl who grew up and probably would have killed herself one day. Instead i asked for something, my parents dealt with that and now im a happy little boy whos never going to go through that and ive just opened my eyes a little bit and everythings better. Genesis also offers support groups providing many patients their first opportunity to meet other transgender children. Meeting asher was not the best day of my life, the best day of my life is when i got my haircut and changed my clothes but probably the second best day. We play around we joke around and he was probably my favorite person in the whole wide world. What was it like for you guys when you finally met each other . I was trying to, like, youre real youre not i cant stick my land through you. Youre not a ghost. Youre not a ghost, i did like oh hey. It was like that. It was like formal, then weve worked to best friends now. Has making friends been hard . Oh absolutely. The social transition is the hardest part. Because the physical one like all that can be changed by like hormone blockers and testosterone or estrogen or things like that. All that can done like that. But if you tell a friend and they dont want to be friends with you, theres no fixing that, nothing can help that unless they dont want to be friends with you. Then its not a true friendship because its based on a lie. Must have been cool to finally meet each other and have something in common. I didnt think i would find transperson. Is there ever going ton a transguy, he basically are the only one, you are only one. Age 12, 13, talking about girls, talking about boys . Its the focus of every teenager girl or boy. As the first generation of transgender use using puberty blockers grows up, it will be on a world where the question on gender identity continues to evolve. Are you afraid of the life evans going to lead . I think my first lot was who will love my child. Thats scary. You know, how do i protect my child and make their life easy. When i looked around, realized, we have good wings in our home. Well be fine, my children will blossom and bloom. Caitlin jenner says you can make jokes call me names doubt my intentions but the reality is, i can take it. The thousands of kids out there coming to terms with who they are. They shouldnt have to take it. And like caitlin jenner. I want to be that shield, take that bullet for the rest of the kids who are, gender fluid, gender queer, rolehate me, i dont care who you are, those kids who are so depressed so saddled for the rest of the people who say you cant do this, it is wrong, youre going to go to hell for whatever reason, i want to be that person who helps them get through it. Youre 12 years old. Thats a lot to take on. Yeah but if it means saving 100 kids lives from suicide, go ahead. Im going to be that person to help them get through it. Im ali velshi. On target tonight. Your donations dont always go where you think they do. Were on the money, to expose a system where almost anything goes and even the candidates themselves cant control it. There are still 14 months to go before americans vote for their next president in