Reply to Girl's School and Gender Pronouns

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm surprised by the number of people in this disussion who are conflating biological sex and gender. Sex is biology (male or female genitalia and hormones) and gender is a social construct (how someone expresses themselves to conform or not to a culture's expectations of how a male or female behaves, whether through dress, parenting duties, length of hair, etc.).

Here's an explanation:  https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/difference-between-sex-and-gender.

Also, I just don't see why so many adults are upset about this.  I think the most recent studies show about 10% of teens say they are either gender non-binary or genderqueer or identify in some way that does not conform with the sex they were born with. It's just a fact of life. Many of our kids are just rejecting the binary world that many of us grew up in and are more comfortable expressing a broader range of gender.  We can try to shame and stigmatize, or we can try to understand.

I imagine if a kid no longer felt at home in an all girl's school, they would leave (unless the parents were not supportive). The question is whether a school can embrace a child who is on a journey to figuring this out.
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And yet, look at the Lia Thomas situation. Lia may identify as a woman, but has a male-sexed body.  Why is that person in women’s sports?   The schools under discussion here are “single-sex” schools.  Why should they change that?[/quote]

The problem with the original PP above is knowing where the line is between supporting students as individuals and changing the mission of the school.  That mission is to educate girls.  So if students don't identify as girls and they don't in fact leave the school, but instead want to change the mission of the school, what then?  School is free to do so obviously, but shouldn't be labeled transphobic if it chooses not to.[/quote]

My middle school daughter doesn't go to an all girl's school and I can't speak to the impetus behind the language questions since we don't go to any of those schools. However, I would question if it is the gender nonconforming kids/families driving the changes or the other girls at the school who want to be more inclusive? That's what I'm seeing at my daughter's school: kids supporting each other, not the marginalized kids pushing changes.

Again, I think our kids are light years ahead of parents on this topic (in this area, anyway).[/quote]

That is what I am seeing at our girls school as well - it is the parents getting their knickers in a knot, not the girls …[/quote]

Imagine that, parents who think that their know best, not their CHILDREN.  So many parents seem more than willing to let their children dictate values and learning.  Parents need to parent.  Just because the kids don't think their is an issue with a transgener student being at a single sex school doesn't make it so.  Kind of like claiming you are the opposite sex of how you were borne.  [/quote]

When it comes to my teen's gender, and sexuality, I don't actually know best because they are their own person and not a carbon copy of me. I can't control whether they are straight or gay, or gender conforming or trans -- and neither can anyone else. It is what it is, as their genetics have determined. As far as "dictating values," my values are to ensure my teen studies, is kind and respectful to others, and contributes to their community and family. None of that is affected by whether they are gay or gender nonconforming.[/quote]

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