Thursday, May 26, 2011

Parents Decide To Keep Child Genderless

A Canadian couple have decided to keep the gender of their child a secret so that the child can choose what sex they are when they grow up. The baby who is called Storm has only had their sexual identity revealed to a number of people which include the couples two sons. Why they haven't been raised in this androgynous fashion should also be queried. Should a child be deprived of such a fundamentally important part of their identity from such a young age? How will this affect the child's relationship with peers? Will the be more prone to bullying for example? Because the child will have to choose what gender they belong to could this lead to social isolation? Ultimately, should the parents who want their child to have the right to choose their identity have the right to refuse them their gender? I believe the repercussions that this decision will have will create numerous psychological and social issues for this child later in life. What a human grows up into a fully aware, rational, cognizant and logical (for the most part) adult is a long way from the plastic-always-learning brain of an infant. Stereotyping and categorizing are an important cognitive tool. For the child's own sake let's hope they make their own realisation sooner rather than later. 



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