My Aunt recently posted a link to this article on Facebook, commenting "Whether you agree or disagree, it certainly gives one pause to think."
I agree with her. I really can see both sides, but I'm not sure whether or not I can choose one yet.
For the longest time I also said that I would like to raise my someday child in a genderless way. It would certainly piss my Mom and Dad off, but it would be a neat social experiment too. I like the idea of letting my child choose their gender identity. I also believe that announcing a child's physical sex to the world and then showing them that they can choose their gender identity sets a child up to feel odd in the world if they choose to go against what everyone else is reinforcing.
However, I can also see the logic in the assertion that not making a choice is also a choice. The kid would also get flack for not announcing its identity...
This one is so complicated. I'm really looking forward to hearing other view points.
I read this article a few times and saw it posted on different internet pages. It was interesting to me to see this topic get such a national reaction. I assumed that media would blow it off as crazy hippie liberal talk/agenda. And maybe they are?
ReplyDeleteLike you Abby, I think that there could be many different things that happen for this kiddo growing up without a gender to define them. I also like the perspective of letting a kid know or even their family and community know the sex, but make it clear that they are being brought up in a gender neutral way. Giving choice still in how they kiddo wants to express their gender in a gendered world. I think promoting more and more flexibility in our society is the best step. Creating more options and freedoms for expression and acceptance is a good road to go down. Maybe going in an extreme opposite direction is too much too soon? I don't know? I also would like to say that parenting and making these choices seems incredibly difficult and scary....
Thanks fot the post!