Gender

[hazydaisy]

Is it a good idea to tell 8 year olds that they can choose yheir gender?
Have teachers been trained to deal with this?
I doubt it
What problems will emerge on the future?

[Old_Geezer]

Fake information is never a good idea.

[rowanwitch]

.Children can be very unkind to anyone different especially once they start developing group mentality. It needs gentle management from early days, reinforcing the idea that it is ok to be different. Kindness needs to be taught

[naomi24]

//If not taught from a young age it leads to bullying//

//It needs gentle management from early days, reinforcing the idea that it is ok to be different. //

This is nonsense. How many of those supporting this idea were taught about trans-gender issues at an early age? Very few I’d guess – but clearly, despite their youthful ignorance, none have become bullies or unkind adults and that’s because they have been instilled with a sense of fairness and empathy for all – not just for specific sections of the community.

The ‘right on’ brigade are not teaching – they’re messing with young minds.

[rowanwitch]

That's why I said ok to be different, all differences can be bully fodder, obesity, wearing the 'wrong' clothes, birthmarks, disabilities, race,religion and gender. Teaching respect should be done gently with young people,ideally in the home and reinforced at school. Teaching empathy is harder.

[AuntLydia]

Choice is good thing. Telling a child they are bad/wrong/mentally ill/ will grow out of it etc. ,because they feel different, is Wrong.

[LadyCG]

Don't rise to it, Minty. You're better than that xx

[naomi24]

//all differences can be bully fodder//

Indeed – but that is not what is being taught here. This is an initiative designed by people with a specific agenda, the product of a mindset that focuses unambiguously upon one cause.

[kvalidir]

Because of the line of work my mother was in I grew up with black, people, white people. Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, thin people, fat people, straight people, gay people, drag queens, people with limbs missing, deaf people, blind people, men, women, kids, old people, gypsies, people with mental health problems, pierced people, tattooed people, bikers, bankers, aristos, homeless people, you name it and fortunately I was exposed to all of those wonderful people from a very early age, but that was a fluke because my Mum has a wide circle of friends and work colleagues and runs an open house where people just drop in and stay or lurk to eat or have a coffee or cry because their life is rubbish at the moment or whatever. If that is unlikely you are doing your child a massive disservice by not introducing them to this wonderous diversity VERY early on and allowing them to understand it's okay to be different, to be anything they want to be even genderwise, especially gender wise. As far as gender goes my child will be able to be whatever he or she wants to be, not constrained by their birth gender, and they will respect all people equally until that person behaves in such a manner as to lose that respect irrespective of their race, religion, sexual or gender preference.

[rowanwitch]

As I said 8 is probably too old and the methodology is wrong. I don't like the planned approach at all, it is not a subject to be taught rather one to be integrated into the everyday philosophy of the classroom. I do get where you are coming from it does seem like messing with their heads because the huge majority of small children know exactly what their gender is. Far better for it to be managed on a child by child basis but from a baseline of acceptance of difference.

[webbo3]

https://goo.gl/images/CxLCG1

[rowanwitch]

Kval,my working class mum to a lesser extent was the same, gay friends, very mixed neighbours,he was Jamaican she was mixed Italian, Spanish, Irish. The street I grew up in was very mixed which was unusual in the 1960s. I had older cousins who took 1960s freedoms pretty seriously it was a mad house especially as my mum used to take all sorts under her wing. It's a great way to grow up especially when you asked questions and got straight answers.

[AuntLydia]

Kvalidir, your mum sounds just like my Nana. I stayed with her a lot due to my own mother being a beech and abusive (that's another story) . She had loads of different friends, we went to stay with gypsies in caravans, there was often a tramp having a cup of tea in the kitchen and she had a friend who worked in the music halls..oh it was fantastic. I once told her I wanted to be a boy - she said yes well that's ok dear when you are older you can decide -and that was it. Is that not what this is all about? allowing children to realise they CAN make a choice even though probably 99% of them will stick to the gender they were born with?

[kvalidir]

I still love going to my Mums and never knowing who'll be there when I walk in :) x

[rowanwitch]

I was actually asked by a cousin, do you wish you were a boy, just in passing. My indignant five year old self probably went yuk boys are stupid or some such. My dear friend however might have said yes and things could have been a whole lot different

[AuntLydia]

I believe gender is on a spectrum. For biological reasons obviously one is born with female or male genitalia ( sometime both but very rare) but you get girlie glrls , tomboy girls, effeminate boys and rough and tumble boys, and all shades in between. The more intelligent a species becomes the less it is reliant on biological gender roles. We are among a small species of animals that have sex for other reasons than procreation and with that brings choices.

[AuntLydia]

tambo you are extremely rude!

[kvalidir]

Yes agreed about a spectrum of both gender and sexuality. I'm bi but with a VERY strong male preference, but I am not a particularly girly girl in everyday life and I can see the attraction in being male, although I'm quite happy as a female.

[tamborine]

agreed, am rude ALydia interfere in the rearing of my proginy & am akin to a lioness.