This monologue about children and transexuality is making the rounds in Euskal Herria because itâs been eye-opening for many people. Actress Aitziber Garmendia plays Gorane, a 5 year-old, and her monologue is just gold.
Hereâs the translation:
I am in the class of 5 year olds; and in my classroom weâre 8 children, 4 girls and 4 boys: my best friend, Andoitz, is a boy. LucĂa is a girl. Sara is a girl. Haritz is a boy. David is a boy. Nora is a girl. Martina is a boy. And I am a girl.Â
Well, weâve been told this week that Martina has to change his name. Letâs see, the thing is that Martina is a girl name and heâs a boy and from now on, heâll be Martin. I like Martin better because it looks a little strange a boy with a girl name. The thing is Martin has always been a boy: when he was called Martina he was also a boy, itâs just that we didnât notice, but now we finally noticed.
Martin doesnât like to say heâs been born in a wrong body because he loves his body a lot, and his body is⊠super infinite beautiful. And miss Beatriz says there arenât wrong bodies but wrong ways of looking. But my mom says: âMartina is still very young to know that. Gorane, finish your breakfast right now!â.Â
And I donât understand. If they ask me, I know I am a girl. If they ask Sara, she knows sheâs a girl. If they ask Haritz, he knows heâs a boy. But when they ask Martin and he says heâs a boy, ah!, suddenly heâs too young. Why? Why is he young and we arenât if weâre all in the class of 5 year olds? And besides, wait for what? Right? I mean, until when? The thing is Martin wants to be happy now and not later.
Before, I was playing and my parents and Andoitzâs parents were talking, and Andoitzâs mom said it was too soon now to know that and that later, maybe, heâd change his mind, that it was a silly trend. And my mom told her:Â âMari Ăngeles, watch what you say in front of the little girlâ. They always say the same. And my father:Â âNo way, sheâs playing, she wonât noticeâ but I do notice, know this, that we always notice because we know how to look, listen and think, very often, unlike you. We do know who we are. We do know what we want. Things are easy, why do you complicate them?
Is that being an adult? That? Teaching your children your fear and your ignorance? Then if thatâs being an adult, I donât wanna be one.
And Korito said to Andoitzâs mom: âIf he knows heâs a boy, then heâs a boy. Period.â And Andoitzâs mom: âEnough already! If thereâs no penis, thereâs no boy!â. Hello?? Your son has a lazy eye but you have a lazy brain and thatâs worse. He needs to have a willy to be a boy? What kind of stupidity is that? Jaime, our school janitor, in an accident - he was in a car crash - he lost his left leg and he had to have his penis removed because it was very damaged. He doesnât have a willy so now because of that he isnât a boy? Is he? Would anyone say: ah, youâre no longer a boy because you donât have a willy? Well, itâs the same situation. And then Andoitzâs father said: âItâs true, what are those nonsenses? Whatâs in the crotch? A vagina, right? Then sheâs a girl, periodâ.
Since weâre born, you teach us that weâre either a blue prince or a pink princess, and quite usually, you donât realize we are multicoloured people. You want us to limit us to a single colour, and if we only got to choose that colour! But we donât. Nope. That colour is chosen by our crotch, always: if youâre a girl, pink; if youâre a boy, blue. If you just knew how to look in the eyes, you wouldnât need to look at the crotch.
My father always says nationality is something that you feel here inside, that heâs Basque, not a Spaniard. Well, dad, this is the same: what appears on your ID? What is your nationality, huh? Well then. If you are who you are, I am also who I am, and so is Martin. Thank you very much.
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