Posted by Suplee_Mental at 209.107.0.57 on February 26, 2004 at 10:04:34:
In Reply to: SeriousPoll based on 60 minutes last night posted by Paul U on February 26, 2004 at 09:27:23:
I believe very much in the whole born-as-a-different-gender thing. Hell, if a baby can be born with another head and partial face attatched to it's own head, then certainly someone who is mostly woman can be born into a male body.
the big question though is at what age can a child realize this, and when should (or should it?) be acted upon by the family.
My experience with the gay thing: While I remember being very, VERY young when I recognized I was different than my brothers, I didn't have a real adult-type grasp on why or how exactly I was different. My parents knew I was different, much to my fathers dismay, and my brothers certainly knew I was somehow different. But again, no one really understood exactly what was out of place. It wasn't until I was much older that I began to understand sexuality and gender and who I really am.
That said, I think it's terribly irresponsible for a parent to encourage any type of sexual identity crisis with any child under the age of, say roughly, 13 or 14. I know if my parents encourage me to be homosexual, that I would always wonder if it was nurture vs. nature. But having fought with this my entire life, I now know exactly who I am and that I'd be this way regardless of upbringing. I think that's incredily important for my self esteem.
so, I guess I'm saying that issues of a sexual nature should not be addressed until later in a childs life, when he or she is more able to understand these things...if only so they can say "look at my journey and know that I fought hard to find who I am" rather than "I got this idea when I was very young and every one encouraged it in me...who knows who I'd be if they left me to take my own journey"
and you know what? I am rethinking the 13 or 14 age thing. Dude...I wasn't brave enough o even tell myself "face it...I'm all gay" until I was 17 years old. There is so much growing and changing that takes places during those teen years. I guess I'm thinking that it should probably not be addressed before 13 or 14...anf should not be encouraged until the bulk of the teenage years have passed.
whatever...the bottom line is that gender reassignment is not an issue for children. Never ever.
: Not even from a parents point of view but that is where I am coming from...
: on a segment of 60 minutes last night they were talking of transgenders. The most disturbing one was of an 11 y/o girl who wants to be a boy. She claims to have only boy thoughts and want boy things. Toys, cars, haircut etc. Not only was the mother acknoledging this but perpetuating this girls want to become a boy by taking her to a doctor and being psychologically tested to determine if she should take hormone shots since no Dr. will do the surgery (thank god). To add to it, the mother, not once referred to her daughter as SHE, every reference was HE.
: Now my questions are.
: 1. Would you even humor your kid in this idea to change sexes?
: 2. If you humored the idea would you go as far as allowing hormone thereapy?
: 3. How old do you think a person is capable of making the transgender decision?