Genderless Child Controversy

[Cartfartium]

but part of me feels like this is only going to make the child's life harder.

This will just blow up in the parent's faces when the child hits high school. This is another bullying suicide case waiting to happen.

[Der Teutoniker]

I don't like the poll. These parents are not at all stopping the child from conforming to traditional gender roles. They are simply hiding the plumbing. There is nothing stopping her from liking boys and make-up, and there is nothing stopping him from boobs, and cars. Generalizations... but that is a traditional gender role for you.

[Ceannairceach]

I don't wanna debate this, I don't wanna discuss this, I just wanna give a simple statement.
I believe Storm's parents are simply acting stupid, they should quit acting like morons and just tell us the gender of the child and quit practically encouraging their kids to be crossdressers/transgenders. The kids are impressionable so really, the parents aren't actually letting them have a choice in everything, they're just about pressuring them to be progressive and different like they are. honestly, I REALLY dislike Storm's parents over this and I can safely say I would NOT want them even in the same community as me and my family.

Why? They are simply allowing the child to do what he would eventually; chose how he wants to be seen by the world. The difference is, the child will actually have a say, and won't be influenced by the stereotypical genders as forced by most parents as determined by sex. This said, they aren't releasing the gender because they don't know; they might release the sex at some point, but that's an entirely different thing.

[Takaram]

I don't wanna debate this, I don't wanna discuss this, I just wanna give a simple statement.
I believe Storm's parents are simply acting stupid, they should quit acting like morons and just tell us the gender of the child and quit practically encouraging their kids to be crossdressers/transgenders. The kids are impressionable so really, the parents aren't actually letting them have a choice in everything, they're just about pressuring them to be progressive and different like they are. honestly, I REALLY dislike Storm's parents over this and I can safely say I would NOT want them even in the same community as me and my family.

They aren't encouraging this child to be anything but itself. They're telling this child that they expect nothing from it but for it to be honest to itself. If it's gender doesn't line up with it's sex, they're willing to accept that and trying to avoid putting pressure on it to act one way or another.

[GBeckastania]

Except they won't know what a boy is, or a girl. They can only act how they feel, so keeping them from knowing what that feeling is will only confuse and bother the child. Ignorance won't change the child physically, or biologically, but it could do quite the toll mentally.

Again, no. The child will, of course, know it's own sex. It's kind of hard to keep that from someone. And I doubt that its parents will be keeping gender roles from it. They just won't treat Storm like one or the other. They'll let it decide it's own gender.

Well if that is the case, that they will still educate the child on gender roles, then I have misunderstood the article. As I read it, it seemed that the point is not to teach the child about gender roles, and let it be whatever it wants for whatever reason. If it is the case that they will explain gender roles, then I am of course incorrect. However, you are right in saying that the child will know it's own sex. In that case the child will decide on it's own, whether or not the parents agree, or, as with this family, don't care. Then, however, I see no point in the stunt, as it is merely depriving others the knowledge of the child's sex, and not actually affecting if the child wants to be a boy or girl.

[Sailsia]

The thing is, they are assuming their children can make the choices of an adult. Children do down right stupid things, and to let them have free reign over themselves is not going to end well. And this unschooling bull is also troubling. The way I see it, the ONLY place for their children as adults is the wonderful career of a hippy. Unless they actually grow up and realize how bat shit their parents were, and essentially re-raise themselves. Might as well take the kids away now, their parent's are hardly doing their legal jobs.

[Der Teutoniker]

This will just blow up in the parent's faces when the child hits high school. This is another bullying suicide case waiting to happen.

Why? The child will be well aware of it's own sex well before high school. If the parent's repress that information (through homeschooling and a total lack of sex education?) then they should be jailed for horrible negligence.

The child will learn their sex before too long, and if given a proper education, will have plenty of time to reject their traditional gender, or assume their traditional gender. People do both already as it is, so I'm not sure what huge breakthrough is expected.

[Tergnitz]

but part of me feels like this is only going to make the child's life harder.

This will just blow up in the parent's faces when the child hits high school. This is another bullying suicide case waiting to happen.

Which is exactly what I think. These parents have made their children's lives a much harder just to make a political point.

[Takaram]

Again, no. The child will, of course, know it's own sex. It's kind of hard to keep that from someone. And I doubt that its parents will be keeping gender roles from it. They just won't treat Storm like one or the other. They'll let it decide it's own gender.

Well if that is the case, that they will still educate the child on gender roles, then I have misunderstood the article. As I read it, it seemed that the point is not to teach the child about gender roles, and let it be whatever it wants for whatever reason. If it is the case that they will explain gender roles, then I am of course incorrect. However, you are right in saying that the child will know it's own sex. In that case the child will decide on it's own, whether or not the parents agree, or, as with this family, don't care. Then, however, I see no point in the stunt, as it is merely depriving others the knowledge of the child's sex, and not actually affecting if the child wants to be a boy or girl.

So that there is no pressure from the outside world forcing this child to act one way or the other. Now, why they had to announce this like this is another issue, and one I find far more troubling.

[GBeckastania]

I don't wanna debate this, I don't wanna discuss this, I just wanna give a simple statement.
I believe Storm's parents are simply acting stupid, they should quit acting like morons and just tell us the gender of the child and quit practically encouraging their kids to be crossdressers/transgenders. The kids are impressionable so really, the parents aren't actually letting them have a choice in everything, they're just about pressuring them to be progressive and different like they are. honestly, I REALLY dislike Storm's parents over this and I can safely say I would NOT want them even in the same community as me and my family.

If you don't want to debate, don't post in a thread! And why not debate? It is the only way we learn others views.

[Beldonia]

It's a nice thought in theory.....but I just don't know. Generally, if a child has a penis, it's male. A vagina, female. The chance of he/she being a transgender is so unlikely, they should just tell the gender. It's so unlikely that it would be better if the real gender would be told and attention would be avoided. If the unlikely happens and it is transgendered, then it's no big deal if he/she was called what he/she was born as in the early stages of life.

Sex and gender aren't interchangeable, mind, and its a good decision to let the child decide on his or her own what he identifies as.

The chances of the child deciding to be the atypical sex and/or gender are very unlikely, so it just creates an awkward situation. I guarentee that some peers will heckle this kid for being gay or transgendered just because of this, even if he indentifies as a totally straight person. It just doesn't create a good situation. He can be transgendered without the parents creating all this attention.

[GBeckastania]

So that there is no pressure from the outside world forcing this child to act one way or the other. Now, why they had to announce this like this is another issue, and one I find far more troubling.

Well then there's something we agree on.

[Atlantian Empire]

Whether or not you tell the child its gender, it will hormonally feel the same way. You don't "decide" if your a boy or a girl, you have a certain biological system which makes you a boy or girl. People who have transgender surgeries and the such do so because they don't feel comfortable in their body, which is something you know at heart, you don't just "decide" it.

I think it's more to the fact that Boy's tends to get balls and cars for toys while girls gets dolls and kitchen playsets...

by keeping the sex of the child a secret, I think they are trying to avoid the stereotyping.

tho, if the grandparents want to know... all they need to do is voulnteer for babysitting duties.

You dont need to do this in order to avoid stereotypes. I can avoid such things without hiding their sex. I wouldn't buy my daughter dolls and kitchen playsets anyway, Doesn't mean I need to not tell her she is a girl to do it. If something happens later on that causes her to no longer indentify with being a girl, I would deal with it when it happened.

[Wamitoria]

Sex and gender aren't interchangeable, mind, and its a good decision to let the child decide on his or her own what he identifies as.

The chances of the child deciding to be the atypical sex and/or gender are very unlikely, so it just creates an awkward situation. I guarentee that some peers will heckle this kid for being gay or transgendered just because of this, even if he indentifies as a totally straight person. It just doesn't create a good situation. He can be transgendered without the parents creating all this attention.

So, nothing will be different...? If this is remembered in 15 years by the kids' bullies...

[Syvorji]

Good job, comrades, for defying the imperialist ideas of gender. Manse to them!

[Ceannairceach]

Sex and gender aren't interchangeable, mind, and its a good decision to let the child decide on his or her own what he identifies as.

The chances of the child deciding to be the atypical sex and/or gender are very unlikely, so it just creates an awkward situation. I guarentee that some peers will heckle this kid for being gay or transgendered just because of this, even if he indentifies as a totally straight person. It just doesn't create a good situation. He can be transgendered without the parents creating all this attention.

So we should fault the parents or child for the hypothetical situation that may occur, in which the child is tormented by others? How does that work? As I said earlier, do we prosecute victims now?

[Unicario]

...These people are stupid.

Comrade Stalin says, "To Siberia with them!"

[Takaram]

So that there is no pressure from the outside world forcing this child to act one way or the other. Now, why they had to announce this like this is another issue, and one I find far more troubling.

Well then there's something we agree on.

That they're doing this for their child and willing to be so accepting of who he/she/it is is perfectly cool by me. That they're putting it all out their like this annoys me. If they hadn't advertised that they were doing it, most people would never have known and the social troubles later in life would have basically been completely averted. Now, however, pretty much everyone knows.

[Ceannairceach]

...These people are stupid.

Comrade Stalin says, "To Siberia with them!"

I thought Stalin was against western ideas...

[Tawny Port]

Do the parents plan to pay for therapy and gender realignment surgery for all their children if required?

[Ceannairceach]

Do the parents plan to pay for therapy and gender realignment surgery for all their children if required?

I'd imagine, if they're willing to cause such a fuss.

[Unicario]

...These people are stupid.

Comrade Stalin says, "To Siberia with them!"

I thought Stalin was against western ideas...

...They're left-wing. So I used one of the most extreme left-wing people to portray that they're not even on the political chart. They're in /dev/null.

[GBeckastania]

Well then there's something we agree on.

That they're doing this for their child and willing to be so accepting of who he/she/it is is perfectly cool by me. That they're putting it all out their like this annoys me. If they hadn't advertised that they were doing it, most people would never have known and the social troubles later in life would have basically been completely averted. Now, however, pretty much everyone knows.

Exactly, the parents have managed to create a situation in which the child will suffer due to their own need to broadcast a personal family decision.

[Beldonia]

The chances of the child deciding to be the atypical sex and/or gender are very unlikely, so it just creates an awkward situation. I guarentee that some peers will heckle this kid for being gay or transgendered just because of this, even if he indentifies as a totally straight person. It just doesn't create a good situation. He can be transgendered without the parents creating all this attention.

So we should fault the parents or child for the hypothetical situation that may occur, in which the child is tormented by others? How does that work? As I said earlier, do we prosecute victims now?

No, we don't fault them. I censure what the parents do because it creates unnecessary attention and possible future bullying.

[Ceannairceach]

I thought Stalin was against western ideas...

...They're left-wing. So I used one of the most extreme left-wing people to portray that they're not even on the political chart. They're in /dev/null.

Mmkay... Now, why are they stupid, exactly? Rather smart, actually, giving the child the ability to decide what it wants to be.