Fascinating article about transgendered kids

[jelazakazone]

I found this article through Lauren McLauglin's blog (she wrote Cycler, which unfortunately is not in my library, yet).

So,go read: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/transgender-children

Comments

[argentla]

This is an interesting article, but it makes me deeply uneasy.

I feel like both the nature (hormones/brain structure) and nurture (learned behavior) schools willfully ignore what I feel is the biggest problem: the idea that there are two stratified genders, and therefore people must be wedged into one or the other. Why should the impulse to be pretty and flouncy be female, or the impulse to play with monster trucks and climb trees be male? Everyone on both sides is relentlessly determined to preserve heteronormative standards, and it's disturbing.

[jelazakazone]

Exactly! You've put a very fine point on it!

[thomasyan]

One thing I have trouble wrapping my head around: If there aren't stratified genders, would people still feel transgendered? My inability to think about this makes me feel stupid.

[argentla]

Aside from my boundless confidence in the human ability to become uncomfortable with any situation, I imagine there would still be people who would feel discomfort with their natal sex for various reasons. So, yeah, I think.

[jelazakazone]

But would those people necessarily be "transgendered"? I think this is where I favor the term "genderqueer".

[argentla]

At that point, the (apparently now politically incorrect) term "transsexual" once again becomes more apropos.

[jelazakazone]

Really? Maybe I just have my definitions really screwed up then. To me, someone who is transsexual or transgender has extreme discomfort in their biological body whereas someone who is genderqueer might have some discomfort (or might not), but it is not to the point where they would ever have the desire or motivation to change their bio sex.

Did that make any sense or am I way off base?

[jelazakazone]

Personally, I think anyone can feel uncomfortable in the body they were born with for any number of reasons. Most are not going to be gender dysphoric. My guess is that most of have a certain amount of gender discomfort. Some people experience to more or lesser degrees, if that makes any sense to you.