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Decatur First United Methodist to host Transgender and Identity Seminar

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Decatur First United Methodist to host Transgender and Identity Seminar

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Quinn and Millie Hudson are parents to four children, and their youngest son is Wallace, who is transgender.

Wallace is 23 years old and has been transitioning since 2013. Quinn, who is also the official spokesperson for DeKalb County Schools, said that he and his wife knew that “he self-identified more as a boy than a girl” at a young age.

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“As a family, we gave Wallace our unconditional love and learned a lot about ourselves as we learned a lot about Wallace,” Quinn said. “Among other things, we learned what a courageous, good, dedicated, industrious person that Wallace is. And, isn’t that what we want for ourselves and children?”

The Decatur community is working to provide a safe place for people who are transgender, like Wallace, and their family and friends. On Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., Decatur First United Methodist (DFUM) is hosting a Transgender and Gender Identity Seminar.

“There is a significant number of residents, especially children, in and around Decatur who are transgender or gender nonconforming who are suffering greatly,” Quinn said.

Hudson believes that a seminar like this will help further the understanding of what transgender means – it’s “about identity, not sexual orientation or attraction.”

“No one voluntarily wants to be transgender,” he said. “No one would ever subject themselves to the pain, suffering, confusion, and risks that transgender men and women face.”

Dr. Ren Massey, a psychologist who has been working in Decatur for 30 years, specializes in patients who are transgender at his psychiatric practice. He will be leading the seminar, and he plans to address the following questions:

– Do you know someone who is transgender?

– Have you wondered why anyone, especially youth, would “choose” to identify with a gender not assigned at birth?

– What’s the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation?

– What role do nature and nurture play?

Quinn recommends community members who are facing issues related to identifying as transgender to attend. He believes that finding a local safe space is important because being transgender “is about self-identity, self-image, and self-worth.”

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