Parents Share 5-Year-Old Son’s Transgender Journey

a reply to: SubTruth

These parents should be ashamed of themselves putting such adult themes into this kids mind.

Why do people keep saying that? No where in the article did it say that they are putting anything in girl's mind. Hell they did not want their girl to be a boy in the first place!

Let the kid be a kid

BINGO! I agree with you there!

a reply to: Deaf Alien
Is it right, no, but is it reasonable to punish them for child abuse? If you punished them, you would have to punish the majority of parents in society. We all do this to some extreme. We dress our girls in pink dresses and buy trucks for our boys and tell them not to cry. What has to happen is a change in the way society thinks of children and gender.

a reply to: calstorm

True. Parents do tend to force gender roles on their children. Generally those children have no problem with that because they identify themselves as genders their bodies were born with.

It's when certain children are uncomfortable with that the problem arises.

Here's some light reading:
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

Wow. This is going to extreme and horrible levels.
It's so very wrong to do this to a child.
I'm not going to go into details, but this could have easily happened to me as a child with the things I liked to do.
I'm so very glad my parents didn't take this route.
Let them explore a little. Let them be tomboys or boys that like girl stuff if they want.
But don't think that means they want/need to go all the way.

Choices like that shouldn't even be a possibility until the mid to late teen years if not afterward.

a reply to: gottaknow

Let them explore a little. Let them be tomboys or boys that like girl stuff if they want.

That's precisely what they are doing.

a reply to: Deaf Alien

No, they are labeling.

a reply to: calstorm

No, they are labeling.

Isn't that what all parents do? LOL. My children are this and that.

a reply to: Deaf Alien

And that is the problem

a reply to: Night Star

What a beautiful story about Jazz, a little girl who is so lucky to have such a loving and supportive family. She appears well adjusted and happy. Thanks for posting Night Star, I hope people take the time to watch.

Scally

a reply to: Deaf Alien
No. That's not what they're doing at all.
You don't let a little child change his/her name like that at that age. Teens, sure. Toddlers, no.
Letting them play with alternate gender toys and experiment with clothing now and then is fine.
Switching schools and referring to them as the alternate gender is beyond sick and demented.

Children that young do not get to tell you how things are going to be. Acceptance of your gender is a big part of growing up in the world. There ARE cases where people eventually want to go transgender of course, but it's a serious, very adult consideration that usually takes years to make that choice. Now, this child is psychologically a boy according to the parents and everyone else and will be forever messed up from that instead of growing up as they are supposed to.

Just because your child gets mad or expresses sadness/etc. at not being able to be the opposite sex does not mean they get their way.
Go ahead and break gender practices. If a girl doesn't wanna dress in pink and is into sports/whatnot, it's a positive thing to show her she can be a girl and still do those things. Same for boys.
But by telling them they can BE that other gender at THAT ridiculously low age is actually counteracting the stereotype issues and feeding into mental health problems down the road.

It's downright abusive.

originally posted by: BlueJacket
Listen...my daughter insists shes a super hero at 4 years old...should I graft a cape to her? That is until she decides shes a Girrafe at age 5 and we decide we had better lengthen her neck?

This recent trend is absurd....if we find out laterr the child is gay. .isnt that ok? What a bunch of foolishness reply to: Deaf Alien

My daughter thought she was a horse from age 2 until current (6). She's still waiting for me to buy an island so she can breed dragons and dinosaurs.

I'm really trying.

Sounds like this "team"needs their licenses pulled.

What is it with these stupid parents these days?

Zero discipline. Zero influence. Raised by media and schools.

They are breeding millions of zombie, entitled, non critical thinking feeders.

I cant stand watching it, it's like a slow motion train wreck.

"Oh, little Tommy didn't want to eat that."
"Oh little Susie didn't wanna go."

Just who the eff are the parents now?

Wait till that lack of direction and discipline given to them reaches about 15 yrs old, good luck.

The fact that people on this thread are cheering this passive parenting "technique" is absolutely terrifying.

Show some leadership for effs sake people.

a reply to: gottaknow

Toddlers, no.

Why do people keep saying that? The girl is 5 years old now.

Letting them play with alternate gender toys and experiment with clothing now and then is fine.

As I have stated that's what they are doing.

There ARE cases where people eventually want to go transgender of course, but it's a serious, very adult consideration that usually takes years to make that choice.

No it is not a choice. Gender identity is hardwired into their brains.

But by telling them they can BE that other gender at THAT ridiculously low age is actually counteracting the stereotype issues and feeding into mental health problems down the road.

Did you even read the article? Nowhere does it state that the parents wanted to tell their child that they can be that other gender. They do not want the girl to be a boy! Why do you think they tried to get help?

a reply to: Rosinitiate

My daughter thought she was a horse from age 2 until current (6). She's still waiting for me to buy an island so she can breed dragons and dinosaurs.

That is normal. Children at that age are very imaginative. They'll get bored quickly and move on to another thing.

originally posted by: Deaf Alien
a reply to: Rosinitiate

My daughter thought she was a horse from age 2 until current (6). She's still waiting for me to buy an island so she can breed dragons and dinosaurs.

That is normal. Children at that age are very imaginative. They'll get bored quickly and move on to another thing.

so why on earth than would we assume the child has any idea what their sexual identity is? They know boys stand and girls sit beyond that it's shirt colors. Even a boy or girl during adolescence can easily become confused by simply not fitting in with jerks in school. This is a very slippery slope indeed and can become the genesis to some really messed up psychological issues in adulthood. You know, like: "Damn, why did I have to go and cut it off?"

The normal parent thing to do is simply say: "leave it alone. Don't play with it or you'll go blind."

a reply to: Rosinitiate

If it's a phase then you have no need to worry.

so why on earth than would we assume the child has any idea what their sexual identity is?

It's gender identity not sexual identity (a mistake I corrected myself on first page).

You need to read Cuervo's posts again.

They know boys stand and girls sit beyond that it's shirt colors.

They do. No debating about that. The bodies are not in question. It's the mind. It's the brain.

This is a very slippery slope indeed and can become the genesis to some really messed up psychological issues in adulthood. You know, like: "Damn, why did I have to go and cut it off?"

The old slippery slope argument. What parent would allow their kids to be mutilated?

Why worry at all? Like other posters have stated... let the puberty decide.

a reply to: Deaf Alien

I did read the article.

5 years old is still mostly a toddler and the damage has already been done.

No - they've changed her name, refer to her as a boy and introduce her as a boy into society.
That's a FAR cry from letting them play with alternate gender toys/etc.

Gender identity is NOT hardwired into their brains. You can tout as many "studies" as you like. Sexual preference later in life has genetic aspects but not identity. There can be strong tendencies hardwired such as a more feminine personality for a boy and vice versa for a girl, that lead into a preference toward being that gender, but quite often, that's due to parental failure or environmental factors.

It's so scary for me to think that if I had been a young child now, that it would have been considered ok to do this sort of thing to me. I probably would have been made into a girl in today's world because I sure went through a big phase where I wanted to be one. I'm very glad my parents allowed me to do the things I did although it certainly didn't help me to be accepted socially. I'm very glad they didn't take it further.

a reply to: gottaknow

It's so scary for me to think that if I had been a young child now, that it would have been considered ok to do this sort of thing to me.

Nobody is thinking this is ok or doing anything to this girl. If you were a child right now and told parents you are a girl they would have laughed at you (maybe wouldn't be pleased but still).

I sure went through a big phase where I wanted to be one.

Yes if this is a phase then why worry? All kids go through phases.

I'm very glad they didn't take it further.

They didn't.

They decided this was the best course to MINIMIZE the risk of trauma and years of counseling. Let the kid outgrow it or be who he or she is.

Perhaps we all should wait till she gets old enough. I am sure they will do many interviews with her later asking her about her experience and how it was (never mind the other interviews already done).

That will settle our debate lol.

a reply to: Deaf Alien

I realize that they're on board with her going back to girl at any time. They've ALREADY done the damage though by allowing her to change her name, and be considered a boy in all aspects. They call her HE and HIM. That's plain sick.

And they ARE thinking this is OK. That's what the article is all about and the disturbing amount of support "he" is getting. You don't think that affects the child?

I'm not saying to force her into dresses (although it should be encouraged at least a little) and expect her to be all things girly, but no, she needs to understand fully that she is a female and what that means in terms of just basic comprehension. To allow her to live this fantasy of being a boy to this degree is not a good life lesson in any way.

This is only going to confuse her more and require loads more counseling down the road. I feel so badly for her.