Re: Mother wants transgender daughter to be able to use girls' bathroom in kindergart
Fighting about her life? Fighting about her well being? No she isn't. She made the decision for her son, when he was only 3 years old, and mentally incapable of making this kind of life changing decision himself.
Please understand that, while I am LGBT friendly, I strongly believe that what this mother is doing is wrong.... So very wrong.
I would like to have a rational and honest discussion on this. At what age is a person is mentally capable of deciding what gender they are? My answer to this is definitely not 3 years old, which is the age that this mother began dressing her son up as a girl, and began treating him as a girl.
Article is here.
Actually, 3-year-olds have a very clear concept of their own gender, and express it both verbally and aesthetically. This is accepted paediatric fact. Most trans people do start displaying gender non-conformity around that age.
However, it is premature to say they are transgender at that age. We only say they are displaying gender non-conformity, or in extreme cases, perhaps displaying gender distress.
The brain factors involved with being trans are very complex, and don't completely cement themselves until after puberty. Puberty is when we see GDD really taking off.
Gender non-conforming children can wind up becoming any kind of adult: cis, genderqueer, or trans. There is no way to know in advance which one they will be, although they are dramatically more likely to be trans than children without strong non-conformity in early childhood.
Childhood development is unpredictable, just like some children born with blonde hair can wind up with nearly black hair as adults, or start out with allergies that spontaneously resolve, etc.
However, regardless of what kind of adult they wind up becoming, it is important we respect their gender at any age. It is fairly likely they will wind up being genderqueer or trans, and trying to force them to conform could lead to serious mental health problems down the line.
Even if they wind up being cisgender, you are telling them that who they are and how they feel is not ok, and that's not healthy for any child.
I am also fairly certain that 5-year-olds don't generally feel motivated to molest and rape people, and are actually generally quite blasé about things like who has what genitals -- not that they can even see them in most bathroom facilities. They tend to strip out of their clothes any time you turn your back for too long on a warm day, after all.
I can pretty much guarantee you these children don't care. I only wish the adult world was so well-adjusted.