Gender identity is an outlet many people use to express how comfortable they are with being masculine, feminine, both, or neither. Many kids are harassed at a young age because they do not feel comfortable with themselves. Teaching gender identity to children would help them find where they comfortably stand on the issue. Teaching children who are already comfortable in their gender identity would show more empathy for kids who struggle with their identity, and it would create a more educated world when in effect.
The first, and most important issue is how the children that do not know their gender identity or are trying to find their comfort zone would benefit from the class. First, the children would learn what it means to feel one
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This will cause children that fear for their safety to be silent about what they truly want which will hurt them in the long run because according to the DSM-5, “In children, the desire to be of the other gender must …show more content…
Cisgender children will learn that “Gender expression is how a person signals their gender identity to the world. From clothes to mannerisms to the role one assumes in society, gender expression can be conveyed in many ways. Depending on the individual” (advocatesforyouth) it is very crucial for both groups of children to understand this to create a middle ground between cisgender and transgender people, because as of now, without a class on gender identity, the transgender youth are facing clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (DSM-5) and the school system is only taking baby steps to address the causes of anti-trans violence (Transquality). Now, it is understood that this is a political issue where people would not want their children learning about the transgender community for many of the same reasons they do not want the rest of the LGBT community in the curriculum, also they may believe that being another gender on the inside is a sign of a disorder or an overactive imagination but to face facts, the world is dealing with a marginalized group who has a 50% chance of attempting suicide at least once before their twentieth birthday (YSPP) and when the youth are trying to commit
Topics concerning transgender can be very overwhelming for some. When one thinks of the term transgender, one may think of the process of an individual identifying as the opposite sex. The opposite sex of what he or she was born as. For some, this may involve undergoing surgical procedures or taken hormonal medications to fulfill their desire. However, when thinking of this process, one automatically thinks of transgender adults. This is rarely a topic that one would assume would be racing through the minds of young children, but in fact it is. More children today than ever, are either speaking out about their identity concerns, or displaying it in their lives. In fact, according to Date Line NBC, “The handful of American doctors who specialize
If we start discussing the various gender identities at an early age in schools, perhaps it will help to resolve the isolation that these individuals feel. It will not change everyone’s views, but we can start the discussion early on in hopes that we can have a better understanding and become more compassionate. After all, we don’t choose to be who we are, that is decided while we are still in our mother’s womb. We should all be free to live our lives the way that we want
The role of gender roles/stereotypes in our society has greatly diminished. Only those who cling to the past and who benefit from the oppression of one group believe it is still an important factor in our society. These stereotypes are harmful and create a rift between two groups of people from an early age. Children should grow up without the label a gender chosen for them and away from the toxicity of gender stereotypes and conformities in toys and activities. When kids are treated differently from a young age they grow up under the impression that they are drastically unalike and that one group shouldn’t be like the other.
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has received an increasing number of questions from parents and schools regarding civil rights protections for transgender students. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination in educational programs/activities based on gender, including discrimination based on a student’s gender identity or transgender status. This letter, while it does not add requirements to applicable law, provides significant guidance and encouragement regarding a school’s Title IX obligations for transgender students and how a school is evaluate for compliance with these obligations.
In the documentary, Noah, an 18 year old male to female transgender, many people in school ask question about her gender over and over again. Because of the harassment, many tend to drop out from school. “Harassment and bullying lead almost one-third of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) students to drop out of high school” (T Salazar). For most of them dropping out from school means working at a lower wage. Or even worse they became homeless. Some people argue that we should create a separate school of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. However critics say that it means of “segregation or shielding the youth from the real world.” Giving a class about LGBT people in schools might be the solution, since students then will be aware of it. Education about LGBT people teaches not only students, but also the whole generation. Therefore, schools should be the primary targets to teach the society about LGBT
The world is filled with many different kinds of people, no one is the exact same. Gender and sexuality have been stretched in the last few years, but the ordeal with gender has been getting out of hand. Most people ask; are transgenders even real, aren’t they just normal children, and what does society have to do with them? These are very important questions that need to be answered because it affects child and teenage lives every day. It is important that we all are safe, and loved, not judged and scared. The world is filled with a diverse population, no one is the
Environmentally, a child’s experiences impact gender identity. Depending on family values or morals, a child could be confused by their gender. When a baby is born, there is much control on colors (if boy or girl) and ideas of the parents on how they would want to raise their daughter or son. For an example, a father would treat his son in a rough or unemotional way, while a girl would be protected and nurtured. Known as traditional roles, a boy doesn’t cry or play with dolls, but he can roll
This article will immensely add to my paragraph on childhood gender roles. "Children 's Gender Identity Development: The Dynamic Negotiation Process Between Conformity and Authenticity” provides evidence that child are indeed aware of the stereotypes that come with gender, and allow that knowledge to effect their everyday lives.
[The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at my high school, which meets twice per month, generated a list of concerns that they shared with school administration. The focus was specifically about gender identity, the lack of support from school staff, and the daily scrutiny they face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through collaboration with my colleagues it was evident that there had been an increase in teacher and student referrals surrounding gender identity. The feedback from GSA clearly identified that as a school we are not meeting the needs of our LGBT students and those struggling with sexual orientation. Members of the GSA clearly feel that teachers ignore negative comments like “gay” and “faggot” when they hear them in class, that teachers may not clearly understand gender neutral language, and that our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students do not feel safe and protected in school. Students needed support advocating for their right to use a restroom, correct pronoun, etc., requiring district, community, parent, and colleague
Gender and gender roles are a somewhat complicated idea to understand. Contrary to popular belief, gender and sex are two different things in that “gender is not inherently nor solely connected to one’s physical anatomy” (“Understanding Gender”). When parents automatically assign their child a gender based on their sex organs, it leaves very little room for change later in the child’s life, because children born with female sex organs are not necessarily girls, just as children born with male sex organs are not necessarily boys. Rather, gender is based on mindset, personal identity, outward presentations, and behavior of the individual. Binary genders, or the broadly
Single-gender classrooms would allow boys and girls to be instructed in a way that is conducive to them. Literature choices could be offered to girls that are different from the ones offered to the boys. Science experiments for the boys could be more hands-on and messy as opposed to the girls’ science
Gender neutral parenting causes a child’s confusion about gender, opposite sexes, and his or her identity. This parenting method will not only affect your child’s knowledge about the basic elements of gender understanding, but the role they will soon be playing in society. Many cases of children who were brought up gender neutral feel like they do not have a place in belonging and are often bullied. While gender can be irrelevant to innumerable aspects of life, community, and industry, it is certainly applicable to the child 's individuality and sense of selfhood. It will soon play a major role in the way she is perceived by others, in both positive and negative ways. How she perceives herself may
One of the most important good effects is that it would help them feel --since they are young--, the way they were supposed to be when they were born, with the gender they feel most comfortable with. Also, starting this process before hitting puberty, will help them feel more confident and be happier in their adult life.
What makes this so different from other educational topics is that the transgender debate is not yet settled. While one can easily make the case that sexual orientation is fluid, it is much more difficult to say the same about gender. From
Males and Females no matter the age face gender stereotypes everyday of their lives. As we are brought up we are taught to be our own individuals with our own ideas, but society tends to break that down. When we think about school, Gender Stereotyping doesn’t really come to mind, but if you think about it that’s where is all begins. In school, they have “dress code”, wear everyone falls under, meaning you can’t just wear whatever you want. Also, in schools when it comes to activities boys are pushed more to do outside activates compared to girls that do inside activities. Overall kids themselves start to separate themselves into two categories, boy with boys and girls with girls. Even though males and females are different, we should still take the time to teach kids that they aren’t put into two separate categories, but that they should be the person they want to be.