Sex Change Psychology in 3rd Grade

By Mimi Rothschild
One of my favorite bloggers, Gena Suarez posted an e-mail today regarding a harrowing tale of a mom asked a question that no mom wants to hear from her eight year old:

“Mommy, is it possible for a man to have an operation to become a woman?”

Yikes. What do you say to that?

“Transgenders and transvestites. These were the topics that a staff member at Franklin School in West Newton chose to teach to a class of third-grade children. The school’s social worker described to the children that some men like to dress up as women, and yes, some men even have operations to change into women.”

When investigating the matter, the mother came up against confrontation and arrogance from the school administration. When she was unable to get even the slightest apology, she announced that she’d be taking her daughter out of the public school and putting her into private school. The school administration was none too happy to get this persistent mom out of the picture.

Eight-year old children obviously lack knowledge of sexual desires (at least they should!), how could they possibly begin to understand what’s going on here. Furthermore, children at that age are so impressionable that they might be intrigued by the idea.

For example, consider a young girl who loves sports and traditional “boy games.” She often wishes that she were a boy so she could fit in better on the field. These types of conversations are the seeds of what could eventually turn into the young adult exploring lesbianism. This kind of trigger can push a child in that direction when they would not have otherwise pursued it.

To me, this is the biggest argument against the legalization of gay marriage. Public school children will be faced with these questions from a very young age. How can we expect them to cope with these confusing, mature topics when many adults don’t even know what they believe?