tsurara

An 8 year-old child is causing a bit of a stir in one community after his parents requested he be re-enrolled in school as a female student. The school has been amazingly supportive: creating special bathroom facilities, handing out awareness pamphlets, providing sensitivity training...

YouTube - Kim Pearson Interview On CNN Concerning Transgender Student

The question: is an 8 year-old really in a position to declare himself "transgendered"? Is his comfort worth turning a school system upsidedown? How will other parents explain this to their children? Should they have to?


Personally, I think the acceptance and support on display in this particular situation is genuinely heartwarming... but I do think I'd be a little confused about how to explain the whole issue to my own children. I know I would manage, but I wonder how other parents with less liberal backgrounds will. I also worry that those not-so-accepting in the community will use this as a reason to teach their children to HATE this child.

While it may indeed be the best thing for him PERSONALLY -- are they condemmning this child to social outcast status before he even hits puberty?

If there's anything in the Western world MORE misunderstood than homosexuality: it's gender identity disorders...

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dark angel

wow i think its a little weird... but yet its good for the child.... i dnt c nething wrong with wat they are doing.... and it just seem like the childs parents only have is interest at heart... and i think ppl who teach their children to hate the kid for who he is then they need a reality check.... and i dnt think its going 2 b that hard to explain it 2 ur child... i mean its perfictly normal and im proud that they dnt hide it...

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****<darkangel>**** the darkness will always come... just never like u exspect....

Miroku4444

Exactly

How does a 8 year-old really know hes a female in a males body?? He might be just confused on certain things? I wonder if this is just a parents assessment of the situation or did the kid see a shrink and was evaluated to be this way?

I assume that means he gets his own bathroom? I know the girls would be wierded out to see a guy in their bathroom.

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See Ya Later Space Cowboy....

aceman67

Personally I think its a load of crap for a kid, thats what he is, a kid, to think that he's Transgender. There is no way in hell he would understand that topic, he hasn't even hit puberty yet for pete's sake.

If he was in his mid to late teens, then I would be understanding, but not 8 years old.

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Abu Dhabi

O.o i didn't know children were really aware of themselves at that age, but i guess everyone is different, right?

honestly, nothing matters when it's YOUR child that comes to you, saying that he/she doesn't want to be who they are. it would be something Darling and i would have to discuss as parents, but... i would be a little sad that my little angel isn't happy with who they are... that's the heartbreak for me.

and, if at all possible, i'd want him/her to stay in the school, even if they did change... a big part of life is dealing with people... and even more important, learning HOW to deal different people...




P.S.: Soshi says, "Work with what ya got."

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solking

I get the feeling that the parents of this child were upset that they had a boy instead of girl and raised this kid as a girl.

Someone who didn't reach puberty yet cannot fully understand the differences of the two genders. Then for an entire school system to completely change for one kid. Thats just not worth it. Its true the kid has its rights, but what if in a few years the kid wants to be a boy? The parents can't force him to be a girl then. And if they start teaching kids about being "transgendered" wouldn't they have to start teaching sex ed. and all the other things related to it as well? Even if they those kids still won't get it. All the 8-year-olds I know only care about playing and cartoons. I don't think gender issues are on their discussion list.

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Miroku4444

Yeah, but from an 8-year old? I dont think we see him/her examining their gender at 8. lol I agree with solking. "I get the feeling that the parents of this child were upset that they had a boy instead of girl and raised this kid as a girl. " <--Word!!

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See Ya Later Space Cowboy....

abby724

Brings up an interesting question... Has the kid even reached puberty yet? If he has—and it's possible, third grade is actually the age I went through it—, well then hey, I can't hold it against the kid for discovering herself, but if he hasn't, then I'm not sure he's lived long enough (and, well, the mental capacity) to truly know his gender identity.

I'm actually pretty delighted the school is supportive. The earlier children learn about these things, the better... Sure, yes, they may have to teach Sex Ed., but chances are, many 8-year olds at the school are pretty informed with the issue. And in my experience, the earlier a child knows about these things, the less crude jokes they make about it... And possibly, the more accepting they wil be of issues like that. So that might temper the amount of stigma the boy gets later on.

Concerning the pressure the parents of the school have to go under... Yes, it may seem a little unfair, especially to parents who are... less open-minded, but to me, it doesn't like there's any harm in educating your children about this.

"[Insert name here]'s is just a girl in a boy's body; he was just unlucky enough to be born a boy when his [brain, mind, soul, sense of gender identity, you name it] that of a girl's."

To me, stigma from this is mainly based out of fear of something unorthodox and not commonly faced with. And perhaps... it's better not to explain to your children. The boy might explain to classmates on her own, and her message might be conveyed better that way. "I was born a boy, but I just don't feel like a boy." Kids his age are straightforward with their thoughts and feelings like that, aren't they? Well the ones I know...

To conclude my thoughts, I don't believe the boy is a danger to society, nor the school, unless she actually has some dangerous mental disorders that make her loony in the head.

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GALERIE : Limited Internet access for certain reasons...

Miroku4444

You reached puberty at 8? Is that even possible? The earliest i heard is 9, and most go thru it between 10-13, with the latter being the most common. Remember when the brady kid went thru it, he was thirteen.

So i highly doubt this kid is going thru puberty at 8.

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See Ya Later Space Cowboy....

abby724

Well... I was 8 and 7-and-a-half months old. I still wasn't 9 years old, though. Going through it early runs through my family, especially on my mother's side. We get through it early, too...

But, if this kid did go through puberty at this age, it doesn't matter if he doesn't have the mental maturity to... Well, truly know these things. Maybe she does, and heck, maybe her family is full of people who reach puberty at a young age and are quite intelligent compared to other people at any age. —that ran in my family, both sides... and not to brag, got passed down to me too, but so did quite a few mental disorders—

I'm sorry to say I can't make a clear, justifyable assessment of the situation without actually meeting the kid, going through his history, family history, family line (genetic) history, and interviewing his relatives... But if the case is what I think it is, it's probably too early to label him as transgendered. Probably. But in my experience the youngerones are more... accepting of things than teenagers... maybe going on like this will save him from big mental scarring from the future, like say when he peers have grown up, and perhaps accepted his identity crisis, being educated about it an an early age.

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Heartless_mage

i know a lot of ppl are going to give me ish for this....

i believe if a person if they want to be gay bi (pun untended) all means be gay

but i do find it somewhat disturbing that they want to actually "change" their gender.....ewwww

but on topic

its 8 years old (its, rofl) it has no understanding of anything really....i believe the school is semi autistic for even taking into consideration this blatent lack of parenting......there is no way that this should be allowed......the child is not old enough to kno wat it wants .....if it wants to watch pokemon or naruto.....ok thats a decision its old enough to make......but the changing of its gender........OMGWTFBBQ......

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