Transgender Second Grader

[R2D3]

The number of children born "intersexual" and the subsequent decision of a doctor to perform surgery (for aesthetic or social purposes) to "assign" a gender is much higher than many would ever know. This can lead to gender confusion, as you can guess; some kids notice it earlier especially in these days of much more openness about gender issues.
I don't find the article or issue all that surprising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A843176

[euphoriatheory]

A similar thing actually just happened at a junior high school near where I live. I was taking a class on U.S. "Social Policy" at the time, and we talked about the issue... how the school was dealing with it by sending a letter to all the parents explaining what was going on and offering pointers on how parents could talk to their kids about it.

Personally, I think it's great that the schools are being accomodating. Maybe some parents don't want their children exposed to things that they consider "abnormal," but the reality of the situation is that there is no safe place on earth where you can control 100% of a child's environment. (If you want to try that, homeschool. I was homeschooled by two working parents, it can be done. Course, I don't exactly thank them for it.)

The one thing that concerns me in cases like this is that 2nd graders seem a little young to fully understand the ramifications of changing gender... If you don't know anything about sex yet, are you really equipped to make that decision? Maybe this kid IS, maybe he'll never regret it.... or maybe in 6 or 7 years, he'll just realize he's gay and maybe likes to cross-dress, and not that he considers himself female.

[Pie]

Originally Posted by euphoriatheory

The one thing that concerns me in cases like this is that 2nd graders seem a little young to fully understand the ramifications of changing gender... If you don't know anything about sex yet, are you really equipped to make that decision? Maybe this kid IS, maybe he'll never regret it.... or maybe in 6 or 7 years, he'll just realize he's gay and maybe likes to cross-dress, and not that he considers himself female.

Well, it's not like they're looking into radical gender reassignment surgery. He's changing the way he dresses and the name he is addressed by. That's hardly cast in stone... If "Joe" becomes "Josephine" becomes "Joe" again when he's 16, what's wrong with that? He'll have some strange childhood pics, but then hey, who doesn't?

[Flint]

Originally Posted by R2D3

The number of children born "intersexual" and the subsequent decision of a doctor to perform surgery (for aesthetic or social purposes) to "assign" a gender is much higher than many would ever know. This can lead to gender confusion, as you can guess; some kids notice it earlier especially in these days of much more openness about gender issues.
I don't find the article or issue all that surprising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A843176

Yet, a person who has had an arbitrary decision made regarding their gender, without even the possibility of their consent, will be treated as some kind of oddball, if, at the time of their dawning awareness of this predicament, they notice that the doctors chose the wrong gender.

I don't know if that's the case here, but the numbers are really quite high, for something that almost nobody acknowledges as a factor.

[R2D3]

Originally Posted by R2D3

The number of children born "intersexual" and the subsequent decision of a doctor to perform surgery (for aesthetic or social purposes) to "assign" a gender is much higher than many would ever know. This can lead to gender confusion, as you can guess; some kids notice it earlier especially in these days of much more openness about gender issues.
I don't find the article or issue all that surprising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A843176

[lookout123]

so, what exactly does that have to do with this? the issue isn't whether or not the kid feels something. it is whether or not we expect schools to make concessions because one kid, one very young kid, feels different.