Article on transgender kids

[Beeks]

I think this article is really interesting: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... ds31m.html

Pretty sure this is why fundies homeschool - wouldn't want kids learning all that tolerance!

I'm also fascinated that the gender educator in the article is an identical twin!

[debrand]

This topic fascinates me. My sister was very boyish as a child. She wore boy clothes, played with guys and was very rough and tumble. As kids, we decided that she wouldn't be called a tomboy because she wasn't being unusual or boyish, she was being herself. Now that she is an adult, she is still a bit boyish but she is happily married and has children. Most people were pretty accepting of my sister's lack of feminity but I don't think that the same tolerance would have been extended if she had been a boy who wanted to act more feminine.

[xDreamerx]

Did anyone see the Barbra Walters' special on transgender children? It was a few years ago but it was very good. I always assumed that transgender people discovered their feelings in adolescence. Finding out that these feelings can, and probably often, occur in early childhood really made me think about it more. Much of gender is socially constructed, but it made me wonder if there is an innate quality in people that identifies as male or female. I'm trying to justify gender roles or dismiss social construction. It is very powerful force in our lives, but maybe it's more complicated than we thought.

I found a youtube link to the special. This person's channel has all three parts. I checked out his or her channel and it has a lot of videos, documentaries and movies that deal with LGBT issues, in case anyone is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/user/AllSortsOfS ... KyysbmItHk

[forever ago]

This topic fascinates me. My sister was very boyish as a child. She wore boy clothes, played with guys and was very rough and tumble. As kids, we decided that she wouldn't be called a tomboy because she wasn't being unusual or boyish, she was being herself. Now that she is an adult, she is still a bit boyish but she is happily married and has children. Most people were pretty accepting of my sister's lack of feminity but I don't think that the same tolerance would have been extended if she had been a boy who wanted to act more feminine.

Bolded mine.

The reason boys acting feminine is 'wrong' is because masculinity is seen as better than femininity. Of course, women have to be in their rightful place and all that jazz, but men belong with masculinity, and women- even fundie women- are expected to have some masculine traits. Don't show too much emotion, for starters... Women may wind up doing "men's work" at times, but a man doing woman's work? Unthinkable! Because femininity is not as good as masculinity.

[Antigone]

I've always been fasnicated by the topic of gender since I was young, due to seeing a huge difference between how I was treated when wearing girlish clothes vs boyish clothes (I actually did throw out all of my "girl" clothes and wore nothing but boys' clothes, had a bowl haircut, and wore swim shorts when swimming- the whole 9 yards). Now I am married and have a daughter of my own, and I actually enjoy being a girl and wearing girly stuff once in a while :)

I actually thought about majoring in gender studies for this reason. It troubles me that children can be subject to prejudice simply because they do not know any better than to be themselves, IMO. I doubt Sevy would have any gender issues, but if she does, Hubby and I are supporting her 100 percent in whatever she chooses for her life as long as she is HAPPY and it is HER choice based on HER desires, not any other person's opinion/desire.

end rant. :P

[BlackHawk]

Bolded mine.

The reason boys acting feminine is 'wrong' is because masculinity is seen as better than femininity. Of course, women have to be in their rightful place and all that jazz, but men belong with masculinity, and women- even fundie women- are expected to have some masculine traits. Don't show too much emotion, for starters... Women may wind up doing "men's work" at times, but a man doing woman's work? Unthinkable! Because femininity is not as good as masculinity.

Hmm I've never heard that argument before. It's definitely something to think about. My take was always more gender stereotypes. Not that femininity was "wrong" but not manly... and masculinity was not "better" but not feminine. I'd be interested to see how others take on this.

[Patsy]

I don't see it this way, but you could interpret it as an extension of women going into the workforce, etc. - moving into doing things that had been considered (not by everyone... and not all the way back...) men's stuff. The reverse did not happen, hence the 'second shift' - women now do mainstream paid work and housework and family management, whereas it's still not really expected that men do all three. So, an extension of that - women can wear pants and be boyish, but men can't be feminine.

I think it has more to do with women being inferior and weak, and therefore a male choosing to do those things is bad because he's demeaning himself and letting down the team. It's also why a male being FORCED into something girly (and I don't mean things that are seperately distressing and violent, like male rape) is totally diminishing and crushing. Being like a WOMAN? The insult!