No, Gov. Murphy, most NJ parents of trans kids won’t beat them (Opinion)

The story that just won’t end took yet another step forward recently.

The ongoing battle between what some say are parents’ rights and the transgender guidance handed to schools by the New Jersey Department of Education.

The big sticking point is schools hiding a child’s double transgender life at school from their parents at home. If a student born biologically one gender presents a different gender while at school and uses a different name and different pronouns, schools are told if the child is hiding this from the parent that they are to be complicit.

Teachers have been forced to be less than honest with moms and dads when calling home about other issues, carefully navigating communication and using names and pronouns different from what they’re required to use in class.

Now a father of three in the Cherry Hill district, Frederick K. Short Jr., has filed a federal lawsuit against the district and others. In an interview, he said the following:

I would feel pretty bad for a parent if their child lived a double life. Everyone always says parents would be mad at the kid or beat up the kid, but I’d be so mad at the school, that the school hid it.

The part that jumped out at me was these words…"Everyone always says parents would be mad at the kid or beat up the kid."

'Transphobic' parents

Therein lies the very motive Gov. Phil Murphy has for this controversial policy. His administration assumes many if not most parents of transgender kids will become so irate upon learning the news that they will disown and even physically harm their own child.

While things like this can happen, unstable parents already disown or harm children for a variety of reasons. I believe the view of average parents being so transphobic as to pose a danger to their own child is misguided and overblown.

A parent may be confused and even upset upon a trans child coming out. They may even raise their voice, cry, doubt themselves. Most of this will come from knowing the tougher road their child will unfairly have in life. Because they love them.

An offensive notion

This idea that parents are supposed to be without sin and almost robotic in our reaction to things is a product of a wokeness that is looking to turn parents into something less than human.

But this assumption that so many parents will disown their child, throw them out of the home and onto the streets, physically beat them for being different, even kill them, is beyond offensive. It’s the government once again deciding it’s a better parent than you could ever be.

Yes, in some sad and tragic cases, this may happen. I once had a friend who was thrown out of his home by his parents with all his belongings left on the doorstep simply because both parents were alcoholics. The kid had done nothing. It happens.

But for the Murphy administration to assume it will happen to trans kids in such a widespread way indicates they know and love your child more than you do. That is the most offensive thing of all.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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