I did a blog simular to this about Japan...
http://www.progressiveu.org/211300-japan-beats-taboo-by-letting-boy-act-as-girl
A Florida school has allowed a young boy to enter school as a female.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jul 10, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A 5-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria will enter the school system in a Florida county as a girl.
The boy's parents, medical experts and school officials in Broward County, Fla., have decided that it is in his interests to live as a girl, the Miami Herald reported. When he enters kindergarten, the child will use a neutral name and wear neutral clothing. He will use unisex bathroom facilities.
''In addition to behaving like the opposite sex, a person with gender dysphoria naturally relates to the opposite sex,'' said Marilyn Volker, a Miami expert on gender identity. "They also have a persistent and recurring discomfort with their own external body parts and genitalia because it does not match their internal gender identity. Simply said, they were born into the wrong body.''
The boy reportedly insists on dressing in girl's clothes and says that he hates his male body.
We take a step forward today with this allowance, towards a country of tolerance and acceptance for those different from the norm. I know most still stop and giggle at a transgendered person (at least the one's obvious to us). I personally find such gawking horribly disrespectful and have (on-occasion) repremanded my parents or younger sisters for such lack of discretion and tolerance. The thing we have to understand is that, though a rare disorder, gender dysphoria is a REAL psychological disorder that can affect a person's well-being, self esteem, and social interactions. I think that by allowing this young boy to begin school as a girl will allow for those around him to become more comfortable with him (her). Children can be cruel, true -- but children can also be very open to differences for they have yet to learn all the social constraints placed upon gender roles. Additionally, by allowing the child to switch genders now prevents the inevitable harsh treatment in high school when such individuals are outcast for their differences. I applaud the Fort Lauderdale school district and the young boy's parents for their openness and acceptance -- hopefully, this type of acceptance will become the norm.
article from: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=456&sid=845811
That's cool. I hope this starts a world wide movement that allows this sort of thing.
If you don't want to change the world, then why are you alive?
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It is impossible to be born into the wrong body!
I don't have a problem with what the parents did or whatever. it's not my problem.
What bothers me is the whole "they were born into the wrong body"
This is not true. The doctors are stupid. there is no way that a person is born into the wrong body.
If the kid is gay, then ok so be it. but he was not born into the wrong body. That is just not logical. Talk to any doctor and they will tell you.
This disorder comes down the the mental self not equating to the physical self. And, YES it does happen. I wouldn't say that they were born in the wrong body, but they definately feel that way. Just as you can't really change how you feel about external issues, it is even harder to change how you feel about internal issues. In addition, scientific research into the disorder has determined that sex change operations are far more effective than therapy to 'convince' the person that their phsyical self is their true self.
It is NOT being born into the wrong body. Please do a web search for BSTc and Zhou. You will see that studies of autopsied brains of transsexuals show that their brains developed in the female pattern not the male pattern. This was not caused by later hormone use but developed as a fetus. How is this possible? Males require 2 waves of testosterone exposure in the womb to fully develop. It is quite possible when things go wrong to develop a male genitalia and still have a completely female brain. You are speaking out of fear and ignorance.
Gender dysphorics are not gay. Being gay or homosexual and sexual orientation are one thing altogether different.
I would also remind you that benjamin's syndrome (the correct name for transsexuals) is but one of the many intersexed conditions that occur when things do not go right in fetal development. There are many many cases where things get botched in different ways.
So no, there is not this simian pre-verbal retard concept of being in the wrong body. It is about a very real physical and biological cause of a different brain development from the physical sex development of the body. It is not a psychological condition at all.
As a transsexual (benjamins syndrome) person I believe I have reason to grip with this.
One problem is that it subjects real diagnosed people to ridicule. Also there is no discussion of the biological causes for gendery dysphoria which are well documented.
The netherlands has a very agressive program of treating children as young as 12 or 14. But treatment pre-puberty is quite controversial. Perhaps your dysphoria will go away.
The problem is to allow children to get a bit older to make an informed decision. This can be done easily by surpressing puberty until 16. Then at 16 starting estrogen treatment and then allowing the child to make an informed decision as an adult at 18 about reassignment surgery.
HOWEVER, I do believe that people should struggle through the wrong gender role even if it IS WRONG. Because you need that experience of everything being incorrect for so many years to have CONFIDENCE that you really do not fit in. By re-adjusting the kid at 5 yrs they will perhaps never develop the confidence that this was what they should do, or even if they do, it is an unexamined decision. This is such a big decision it should be weighed with years and years of experience and by placing the child already into a gender protected status they are hurting them.
I think it is wonderful what the Florida school has done. This helps kids like these feel more comfortable in their surrondings, and helps them shape thier life, and not make them feel like outsiders.
I never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain
Acceptance is still a long ways away even though this is a step (abeit a small one).
The best way to a man's heart is really through his stomach, that way you don't have to deal with that pesky rib cage!
~Anomous