Mother of transgender teen hopes to start campaign to beat prejudice
01/12
A MOTHER whose daughter claimed she was bullied for being transgender has vowed to overcome prejudice by educating teenagers about the issue.
Hannah Whetton, 18, was born a boy called Arron but always felt she was a female trapped in the wrong body, so started a new life as a woman. But she said she has since suffered bullying and has decided to quit her course in animal care at the Broomfield Hall campus of Derby College as soon as she can find a job. Now her mum, Carol McNellis, says young people's lack of knowledge about the subject must be tackled. She has already arranged for a volunteer from local charity Derbyshire Friend, which supports the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, to speak at Broomfield. Now she is hoping to work with the charity on a more widespread campaign. The 46-year-old said: "There's nothing in schools teaching kids about people who are transgender. "I think if they understood the issue, then it would be far more widely accepted. "I'm going to see if I can do something about it." Her efforts have been given the backing of Broomfield's Eileen Swan, who is head of the faculty. She confirmed that Derbyshire Friend would be giving a talk at the college in January and said: "The family's proposals are an excellent idea. "My experience is that the vast majority of young people in particular are very accepting of their peers who are transgender." The Government recently published new proposals to increase education in colleges about transgender issues but is yet to announce details. The talk at Broomfield will be given by Beth Seymour, a transgender woman who works as a development officer at Derbyshire Friend. She said she was waiting to see whether the Government would make money available in Derbyshire. She said: "If we had more funding we'd try to get into schools. It's a case of one step at a time." Hannah, of Aston Close, Chellaston, is hoping that eventually she will be able to support her mum's efforts. She said: "When I'm happy with myself, I want to go into schools and talk about my experiences. "I know I've got the confidence to do it." Hannah said she had suffered verbal abuse, with peers asking whether she was a man or a woman. She said: "They would call me 'it'. "One day I was sitting in the classroom and everyone was staring at me like I was in a freak show. I got up and left." Carol said: "The college was very good about it and dealt with it very quickly. " Ms Swan confirmed the matter had been dealt with. She said: "The one incident that happened earlier this year was quickly sorted simply by explaining the situation to the students involved and, once they understood the facts, they really respected Hannah for making the brave decision and recognised the difficulties that she faced." If you are transgender or want to help Carol with her project, e-mail carolmcnellis@hotmail.co.uk. Source: Derby Telegraph, http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Mother-transgender-teen-hopes-start-campaign-beat/story-14259291-detail/story.html