Age 8 and Wanting a Sex Change
This is the type of thing that really interests me about this gender study. What makes someone male or female? I can't imagine feeling at age 8 that I wasn't the right sex but of course this is a lot more common nowadays. I'm not sure how I would feel if my child wanted a sex change, but if someone is so unhappy then happiness is more important that what society might say or think.
I can't help feel society has an input into why children feel like they aren't who they should be because literally being you is never good enough. I definitely couldn't cope with being a boy although I do wish it was as easy to get ready as it is for them :)
This is one of the comments on that page about the documentary:
'Look I'm transgender, born a girl, now a guy, I'm happy this way. I made this choice when I was 14, I'm now 22, at first my parents didn't accept it, said it was a phase, you'll grow out of it, refused to call me by my chosen name, refused to use mae pronouns, and tried to force me to be a girl.. It was too much I couldn't believe how unexcepting they were of it. After a month or so of this torment, I tried to take my own life. I thought that was better than being stuck in a girls body, being unhappy the rest of my life, thought i was causing all this distress on my family it was better that I was dead. I didn't die (obviously my attempt failed after i got rushed to hospital) after that my family tried harder to accept and now they do. They prefered to have me alive, boy or girl. But a lot of kids wont be so lucky. So any of you people out there who don't agree with what these parents are doing in this programme. Just think about that. Would you rather have your child alive and happy? Or unhappy then dead'
I can help but feel there's a hell of a lot of 'Over the top Americanism' to this.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me was the comment by EIGHT year old Kyla; 'If I had to wear boys' clothes and be a boy for the rest of my life, I'd probably die.'
What kind of an 8 year old says that? 'I'd probably die.' If she/he hasn't parroted that off of their parents or some adult tv show/film then american society has alot to answer for. Yes the 8 year old could by a highly sophisticated and free thinking but the comment seems ridiculous and melodramatic to me.
I agree that if you're unhappy then you should have the right to do something about it but 8 just seems so young. What 8 year old knows their own mind and their future mind?
It such a moral dilemma but I think these needs to be a maximum age and the causes of unhappiness in gender need to be studied.