For years, we had a simple process when it came to pregnancy. Shortly after receiving the news that you were pregnant, you would go to a checkup and find out from your ultrasound the gender of your child. It would either be male or female. Then, a baby shower would be held to celebrate having a boy or a girl, and you would receive gifts that would be related to one of those two genders. In today’s society, we have adopted more than just two genders. The idea of being transgender has gradually become accepted in today’s society, and transgender people are slowly reaching the amount of rights given to someone who is either male or female. But when should a person be able to decide their gender? And should a child know their gender?
The concept of “theybies” is surfacing throughout the United States, starting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pushing the gender ideology even further than it is today. The parents who participate in this ideology are trying to keep their child’s gender a secret as long as possible. While they are ignoring biology, they’re hoping that eventually the child will be able to choose their own gender—usually around the time they are four years old. Are children ready to make that decision when they are four years old? What decisions should we as humans make when we are four years old? What should we study? When should we get married? What kind of vodka should we drink? Are humans at this age able to understand the differences between gender than something other than the physical?
Experts are starting to argue that genders aren’t that different from each other. The only major differences, argued by some, would be that boys have a larger brain than girls, and girls have better language skills than boys. Despite these differences, experts don’t seem to think anything of it.
Classic nicknames and stereotypes related to each gender are also being frowned upon when used. The labels of a girl being a “princess” or a boy being called a “tiger” don’t conform to the idea of “gender neutrality.” The groups participating in these practices want everything to be neutral.
Why are parents obsessed with a baby’s gender before it is born? Could this be a societal issue? For several decades, we have seen sexism practiced in a variety of metrics, ranging from the household, to the workplace, and even in public. In the past, men have been seen as the “breadwinners” of the family and tend to be leaders; women were seen as the home makers, supporting the household and the family. In recent times, men and women have become more equal, but not completely. More recently, transgender individuals have gained more rights. We can see from both sides that yes, a baby can stay with the gender they were assigned at birth and follow the stereotypes put in place by society as to how they should act. Or they can also change their minds when they are a toddler and not conform with the gender bias and be who they want to be.
Should toddlers be able to choose which gender they identify as at such an early age? I would say no. At four years old, you may be lucky enough to know how to tie your shoe, or even how to ride a bike. Both are concepts that have a low level of skill for the human brain to process at that age. To have someone so young take on the responsibility of determining a gender and the emotional, physiological, and sociological influences and burdens that come along with it may be too much to handle. Toddlers don’t really know about the physical makeup of their opposite gender until they are at least eight to 10 years old, if not older. That’s a tough pill to swallow. Also, think about the society we live in. While most people have accepted the ideas of being non-gender conforming, not all of them have. If a boy were to wear a dress to school, there would still be controversy. Would this create more bullying and harassment from others? Possibly, yes. Especially in a school environment with immature human beings.
Should a child be able to know their gender at an early age? Yes. Obviously, when a child needs to use the bathroom, they will find out what gender they are. It would be difficult to hide this idea from a child, especially when people will use pronouns (such as he/him/his or she/her/hers), to describe people. How will they know which restrooms and locker rooms to use, if they are unable to identify themselves? By hiding this information from them, it will just create issues on a larger scale.
The ‘Theybies’ Dilemma
By Mitchell Martinez
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December 5, 2018