‘Boy or Girl?’ Gender a new challenge for schools

Associated Press ^ | May 28, 2013 12:41 PM EDT | Martha Irvine

[Olog-hai]

From the time they are born, we put our boys in blue beanies and our girls in pink ones. It’s a societal norm, an expectation even, that you just are what you are born—a boy or a girl. From early on, we divide toys and activities by very distinct gender lines, with superheroes and trucks and muck on one side and princesses and dolls and all things frilly on the other.

Many children land, enthusiastically, on the expected side. Others dabble in both “girl” and “boy” things. But what if your kid, even from an early age, mostly showed interest in doing opposite-gender things? More importantly, what if they wanted to BE the opposite gender—or a less-defined mix of both? And what if they wanted to test those limits in public places, like school?

Would you let them? …

Some experts predict that views on gender will evolve in much the same way they have for sexual orientation, since homosexuality was removed as a mental illness nearly four decades ago. Today, the gender spectrum includes those who are transgender, who see themselves as the opposite gender, and those who are gender variant, or gender nonconforming, whose gender is more “fluid.” For kids, it means they identify part of themselves as boy and part as girl. …

[apillar]

Another instance where the “normal” 99% are expected to conform to the whims of the abnormal 1%, instead of the other way around, as it has always been.

[TheBattman]

What challenge? Boys go to the boys room, girls to the girls room. If a child supposedly “doesn’t know” (aka - irresponsible parents), then they can just hold it for all I care. I am at the end of my rope with this nonsense. The actual number of cases where a child is born with a genetic abnormalities that could result in “gender” issues at all are so incredibly rare, and can be dealt with appropriately.

[TSgt]

Common sense has left the building.

[American in Israel]

since homosexuality was removed as a mental illness nearly four decades ago. Incorrect, it was removed from being classified as mental illness nearly four decades ago. It however still IS a mental illness. However in the case of transgender experimenting children, I suspect the mental illness is with the parents primarily.

[MrB]

Yep, it’s time for some “zero tolerance” of our own.

CEASE THIS FAGGOTRY AT ONCE!

[Resolute Conservative]

If you have a Y chromosome you are a boy.

[ro_dreaming]

Very simple way to tell if you’re a boy or a girl.

XX = girl
XY = boy

Doesn’t matter if you have the ‘add-a-dick-to-me’ surgery, or the ‘lop-a-dick-offa-me’ surgery, but the plain simple truth is XX is a girl, and XY is a boy.

[Tax-chick]

But what if your kid, even from an early age, mostly showed interest in doing opposite-gender things? More importantly, what if they wanted to BE the opposite gender—or a less-defined mix of both? And what if they wanted to test those limits in public places, like school?

I question whether this situation would ever arise without the intervention of crazy adults. It is natural - practically inevitable - for children to cross over arbitrary social "gender" lines. It is also natural for young children to be somewhat confused about biological sex.

It is only the response of adults that can turn children's natural behavior into an identity crisis requiring the overthrow of all previous societal norms.

[ClearCase_guy]

What if we ignored mentally ill people or intentionally let them make bad choices and let them hurt themselves? Cutting their arms to relieve stress? Elective surgery to remove "icky" body parts? What if society just laughed at such damaged and suffering people and said "Hey! Whatever you want! It's not my problem!!"

We'd have a pretty sick society then, wouldn't we?

Well, our society is sicker still -- we punish people who are willing to stand up and say, "Stop hurting yourself ... get some real help ... you don't have to live like that ... it's not normal ..."

That's when WE get labeled as the people with the "problem".

[nickcarraway]

bump.

If you see your daughter playing with a truck, do you think that's normal, or do you decide she is crying out to be a boy, and go from there?

[Olog-hai]

Why is any of that “natural” or “inevitable”? As a kid, I’ve never done any of that nor had any urge to. Certainly not as an adult.

[rbg81]

Mark my words, you will have Liberal parents telling their kids that they are really another gender. Just as some no doubt convince their kids that they are gay just to brag about it.

[Menehune56]

Most people, upon seeing her big blue eyes, long lashes and flowing blond hair, would never know she's anything but a girl. But underneath, she is still physically a boy.

Yes, that's the tone I got from the article. Everyone else is forced to accommodate this sick kid exploring his transvestitism obsession which has been encouraged by his sick freak parents. This is so wrong.

[Da Coyote]

“Common sense has left the building.”

Along with all children belonging to parents with standards.

[Las Vegas Ron]

BTTT, both of you!

[Fiji Hill]

Interestingly, “gender”—a term until recently confined to linguistics—has replaced “sex.” In recent years, virtually every form I’ve seen that asks about an individual’s sex uses the term “gender.” I assume that this is so because one’s sex is a biological fact, whereas one’s “gender” can supposedly be perceived in alternate ways.

[apillar]

Back in my day, you had the "tom boys" who were girls that preferred to get out there and slug it out with the boys, rather than play with the girls, and you had the "sissies" who were the boys who would rather play house with the girls than football with the boys.

However, all the ones I remember had become normal heterosexuals by their teen years. The former "tom boys" might still be interested in sports, but they had boyfriends and the "sissies" might still not like football but they had girlfriends. I don't think you do kids any favors by trying to alter their gender or even go as far as gender reassignment surgery before they even understand what being a man or women is really about.

[surroundedbyblue]

XX = girl
XY = boy

God dosen’t make mistakes.

[faithhopecharity]

if our schools can’t tell a boy from a girl, we need to shut them down and replace them with more capable/knowledgeable educators for our children