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Rebekah Bruesehoff
Born2006 or 2007 (age 17–18)
Camden County, New Jersey, United States
Occupations
  • Activist
  • author
Years active2017–present
Websitewww.rebekahbruesehoff.com
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Rebekah Bruesehoff (born 2006 or 2007)[1] is an American LGBTQ rights activist, social media influencer, and author. As a child, Bruesehoff began attending protests with her mother; she became involved as a prominent supporter of transgender youth when many felt that the Donald Trump administration denied rights to trans students.[2]

Early life

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Bruesehoff was assigned male at birth and was gender non-conforming by the time she was two or three years old.[3] Bruesehoff suffered from depression as a young child, even attempting suicide.[4][5] She discovered the concept of gender transition at age eight, and strongly identified with the term "transgender". After informing her parents of her gender identity, they were supportive and allowed her to socially transition.[4]

Before her transition, Bruesehoff tried playing sports, including gymnastics and soccer, but felt out of place on boys' teams. She began playing field hockey on a girls' team when she was 10.[2] She later also began playing clarinet and taking ballet lessons.[6]

Activism

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Early advocacy and Marvel's Hero Project (2018–2020)

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As a 10-year-old from Vernon Township, New Jersey,[7][1] Bruesehoff spoke to a crowd of two hundred people at a Jersey City rally, sharing her experience as a young transgender person. She held up a sign that said, "I'm the scary transgender person the media warned you about".[8][9] A photo of her with the sign went viral.[2][10] Around this time, Bruesehoff's household was inspected by the Child Protective Services, due to an anonymous transphobic claim that her parents were "forcing" her to present herself as a girl.[11]

In June 2018, she spoke at a youth gathering at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Houston, Texas.[12][13] She was the first transgender person to do so,[14] with the intention to set a precedent for transgender participation in the church.

In December 2018, she testified before the state legislature in support of a bill that would require New Jersey schools to include notable contributions made by LGBTQ+ people in the statewide secondary school curriculum across all disciplines . The bill was passed by the Senate and Assembly in 2018, with governor Phil Murphy signing it into law in 2019.[15][16][17]

In February 2019, she published her first op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer. She wrote in support of the Babs Siperstein Law;[18] the bill was placed into effect, allowing her to modify the gender marker on her birth certificate to match her correct gender identity.[19][20] In 2019, she became part of Marvel's Hero Project as the first transgender "superhero", named Mighty Rebekah.[6][8][21]

Recent work and book publishing (2020–present)

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bruesehoff placed as a top-twenty finalist for Time and Nickelodeon’s 2020 Kid of the Year award. Live during the special, she shared an original story called An Act of Awesome, with Neil Patrick Harris introducing her and her work. Nickelodeon would go on to employ an advertisement featuring Bruesehoff for Trans Day of Visibility in 2022.[22]

On October 8, 2020, she was a figure of National Coming Out Day, featured on USA Today.[23]

In 2021, Bruesehoff published her first book, A Kids Book About Being Inclusive, in collaboration with fellow activist Ashton Mota and GenderCool.[24]

In 2022, she attended the Tory Burch Foundation's Embrace Ambition Summit in New York City.[25]

In 2023, Human Rights Campaign featured her and her mother in a video and article advocating for transgender rights in sports at the high school level.[2][26][27][28][29] In October 2023, she was named one of GLAAD's 20 Under 20.[30]

Personal life

[edit]

Bruesehoff's father is a Lutheran pastor.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ a b Maag, Christopher. "The day arrives when New Jersey preteen can change gender on her birth certificate", The Record, February 1, 2019. Accessed January 6, 2024. "Rebekah Bruesehoff became an internationally famous transgender activist by accident. It was 2017, and Rebekah and her mother traveled from their home in Vernon, Sussex County, to Jersey City to protest the Trump administration’s decision to rescind rules protecting transgender youth in schools."
  2. ^ a b c d "Why this 14-year-old activist is fighting for the rights of transgender athletes". CBS News. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  3. ^ Zaremba, Justin (2017-08-05). "10-year-old transgender N.J. girl: 'I feel way more happier now that I know who I am'". NJ.com. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  4. ^ a b Wiener, Robert (November 15, 2017). "A mother embraces her daughter's gender identity". New Jersey Jewish News.
  5. ^ Rocha-Keys, Camile (2017-07-27). "Transgender girl, 10, launches campaign to spread awareness of equal rights". The Mirror. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  6. ^ a b Ennis, Dawn. "This 13-Year-Old Girl Is Out To 'Change The World'". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  7. ^ Bruesehoff, Rebekah (2023-10-19). "Trans Teen Activist Rebekah Bruesehoff on Her Advocacy". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  8. ^ a b Moroney, Murphy (2020-02-18). "13-Year-Old Trans Activist Rebekah Bruesehoff: "My Gender Is the Least Exciting Thing About Me"". Popsugar. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  9. ^ "10-Year-Old Busts Myth About Trans People With Powerful Sign". HuffPost. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  10. ^ Greenfield, Beth (2023-02-28). "'Trans people go to dances and find joy and are whole': A mom's viral photos of her daughter send a powerful message". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  11. ^ Bruesehoff, Jamie (2022-03-07). "I'm a parent of a trans kid. I was investigated for supporting her right to be herself". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  12. ^ "2023 Youth Core Leadership Team". ELCA Youth Ministry. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  13. ^ Potter, John (2020-03-19). "A hero rises". Living Lutheran. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  14. ^ Collington, Faefyx (24 May 2023). "Rebekah Bruesehoff Is The Heroic Trans Activist You've Been Warned About". INTO. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ^ "New Jersey Governor Signs Bill Requiring LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum In Schools". HuffPost. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  16. ^ Adely, Hannan. "New Jersey becomes second state in nation to require that schools teach LGBT history". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  17. ^ "NJ Public Schools to Teach LGBTQ History | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  18. ^ "Amend Sex Designation to Reflect Gender Identity on a Birth Certificate". www.nj.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  19. ^ Maag, Christopher (2019-02-01). "The day arrives when New Jersey preteen can change gender on her birth certificate". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  20. ^ Bruesehoff, Rebekah (2019-02-12). "After N.J. law, my birth certificate finally matches who I am | Perspective". Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  21. ^ Yamada, Haley (2023-06-21). "Transgender high school student speaks out on restricting trans kids in sports". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  22. ^ Schemmel, Alec (2022-03-31). "Nickelodeon highlights transgender 12-year-old in 'Trans Day of Visibility' ad". KRCR. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  23. ^ "National Coming Out Day: Rebekah Bruesehoff shares her story". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  24. ^ "A Kids Book About Being Inclusive". akidsco.com. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  25. ^ Gariano, Francesca; Kacala, Alexander (2022-06-18). "How the daughter of a pastor became an accidental advocate for the trans community". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  26. ^ Rude, Mey (2021-04-13). "Meet Rebekah, a Trans 14-Year-Old Who Just Wants to Play Sports". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  27. ^ Meet the Girl Who Lawmakers Want to Ban From Playing Sports, 13 April 2021, retrieved 2024-01-03
  28. ^ "Transgender high school student speaks out on restricting trans kids in sports". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  29. ^ "10 Trans & Gender Fluid Youth Who Are Working to Change the World". Human Rights Campaign. 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  30. ^ "Meet the Trans Superstars of GLAAD's 20 Under 20, Thriving in Joy and Activism | GLAAD". GLAAD. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  31. ^ "Yes, Queer Kids Can Grow Up With Faith and Church—But It Takes a Village". Parents. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  32. ^ Herpen, Bob (2020-09-25). "St. Michael's Lutheran Church welcomes new spiritual leader". The Sun Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
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