Irish politician raising baby gender neutral with 'they' pronouns

Your opinion is valuable, however you can understand people being slightly perplexed as to your reason for posting given that the comment before yours was made 11 months ago.

Everyone's opinion is welcome, and you have a clear right to express it of course. However, there are very few situations where everyone's opinion is actually equally valuable. Some opinions are based on false beliefs, or are prejudiced, or simply mistaken, or are unevidenced and so not necessarily accurate. Opinions are put forward into a debate to be discussed and potentially disagreed with, critiqued and so on.

@LauraRosaBY00 how does deliberately confusing a child, from birth, about their sex and teaching them (incorrectly) that they can change sex if they choose to, help to address sexism?

Excuse me but my opinion is just as valuable as yours. I thought this was a respectful chat and everyone's opinions would be welcome. Like in society, not everyone is going to think the same, thank god. There is no need to devaluate others' comments to make yours more valuable.

I suspect people are just trauling through batshittery to pretend it makes sense.

Edited: zombie thread

Thread claimed by the zombies.

Case closed.

This is a zombi thread.

I think this is a very good way to try change sexism in your own home. For me, it is clear that this couple are progressive and sensible. And that this kid will be loved and that is the important thing here. I hope we see more people like those in the future.

I recall Paloma Faith did that gender neutral thing, or attempted to, with her first child.....but now she very much has two girls.

I agree with this.
We need to know we live on earth, are human, either girl or boy and have a biological mother and father, whether or not they are present. We need food to eat and air to breathe. We are connected to the rest of the human race.
Even if all else goes wrong, we can be sure of these facts.
Things degenerate when we start putting fantasies above reality. When people believe that literal thin air is giving them sustenance, or they can photosynthesise like plants, just because they wish to, then things go down hill, and fast.
It might sound ridiculous, but removing life's hardships is possibly giving us too much time to come up with rubbish, and internet lets us spread it like a contagion throughout the world.

Nothing to add here but the man is a fool

It’s the sole aim to my mind, being done under the guise of feminism by a government that frankly couldn’t give a monkeys about feminism or mothers. There has been discussion around this clause in the constitution since I studied it 25 (how?!) years ago but there was never any traction to get a referendum on it when the discussion was led by actual women.

@Eyerollcentral
"The reference to the contribution that mothers make to society in the constitution is being aimed at solely because it relates to sex not gender. "

I am very concerned (also Irish) that this referendum will be used to further push the notion of gender over sex especially after what they did sneaking in the self-id amendment in the same sex marriage referendum.

Maybe! It’s so fucking depressing

What a sexist eejit.

Anyone else quietly singing 'A boy named Sue' in their heads right now? That Juniper is going to grow up one tough lad.

That's exactly it! By saying they will allow the child to decide if its a boy or a girl (although is a male) they are saying that a child who likes pink and dolls is a girl and a child who likes trucks and blue is a boy, thereby conforming to the exact gender stereotypes they claim to be avoiding!

He's such a dose.

Sexist stereotypes are now both a conservative and progressive value! Dolls mean girls! Football means boys! The only concession progressives make is that you can choose which stereotypes you follow, but stereotypes there will be.

I keep thinking of first and second wave dead feminist idols turning in their graves.

And there's me thinking being called juniper ffs!!! Was his worst worry!

I reckon he was meant to be Jupiter but they messed up the birth announcements, and had to pretend to be into the gender nonsense to avoid admitting the mistake

Yes Bogdan. This!
It would be such a simple and beneficial thing if a basic understanding of child development was something everyone got to learn along with numeracy and literacy. It's so fundamental and many people seems so unaware of it!

Paul and his partner seem to be very clear on which of them needed to go through the physical turmoil of ivf though, to produce this wonder of nature, a gender less form

@Eyerollcentral ,I wonder do we know each other?? The ever lengthening list of ways on which Irish good girls have to just keep on being better is a regular conversation with many of my friends.

But the real problem for Paul Murphy will be that because of their reluctance to state that the child is a boy and boys can play with anything/anyone they like, the child's interpretation will come only from the clearest stereotypes from the other children, because all Juniper will know is how three year olds think of what girls/boys are/like/do.

I sent my child to pre-school having a love of all coloured clothing, only to have them come back having tantrums if we put them in anything other than the colour associated with their sex stereotype. It took 8 years for clothes of all colours to return.

I wish anyone luck if they think that their child will remain unchanged by interactions with their peers on a daily basis. And I suspect that Juniper will quickly start stating their sex as soon as they are old enough to understand.