The-Ave.US

Last Friday President Obama issued a sweeping decree directing public schools to let students choose which bathroom they’ll use (boys or girls) based on whatever gender they declare themselves to be. You can argue that gender identity is more complicated than just picking a gender, but in practical terms the complexities won’t matter, because if a boy says he’s a girl or vice versa, that will now be the end of the discussion.
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I’m somewhat worried about the effect this ill-considered decision will have on school discipline, but I’m more worried about the effect it will have on the lives of those children who will inevitably take the cue and “identify” as something other than what they are, thinking that’s what the grown-ups are expecting them to do. This may lead to lasting harm to these children as their development into a well-adjusted adults is delayed by this potentially traumatic experiment.
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There’s no science that I’m aware of showing that a young child is capable of making decisions about what gender they will ultimately be, though there is evidence that the vast majority of people are comfortable with their biological destiny. Having raised two children (and of course having once been one myself) I know that children’s minds are flexible. It is not beyond the realm that ANY biologically well-adjusted child would go through a phase of pretending to be the opposite gender, associating mostly with children of the opposite gender, and so forth. Following Obama’s directive, some parents and teachers will now take such behavior for a sign that the child has changed (or is changing) genders and steer the child accordingly. Indeed, they may now be afraid not to do so. But what will happen to a normally developing boy if he’s steered into the girls’ bathroom at an early age? Will Mr. Obama step up and take the responsibility for that any damage that results?
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I went through a “pirate” phase at age 10, and I’m glad my mom had the basic sense not to dress me in pirate costume and send me to school that way, declaring that everyone had to humor me . . . or else. In making decisions that will affect millions of parents and children, President Obama would do well to think back on his own topsy-turvy childhood and reflect upon whether these kinds of emotional disruptions are good for a youngster or not. Let him experiment on his own kids if he feels that strongly about it. In the meantime, leave ours alone.