To think a 10 year old girl shouldn't be encouraged to see herself as "nonbinary"

[MrsJamin]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37383914

How is this story so lauded by the right-on BBC? It's so very irresponsible of the parents to persuade a girl that she doesn't need to be a girl. Girls should be told that they are girls, and that doesn't prevent them from liking or doing anything that people say boys should only do. How does she even know what hormone blockers are? She could mess up her health forever by taking hormones in her adolescence. :(

(and yes, another trans thread - I don't care, this is SCARY SHIT right here when girls don't want to be girls)

Basil - I do hope my outcome is similar, that no surgery takes place, or no drugs taken.

Florafox - I will ask at our next appointment.

Youarenot - I am sorry to hear that you are going through the same issue as we are. Please try to stay strong - there are many different paths that this can take. I am hoping that our DDs grow up to be strong individuals who accept themselves as they are - whatever shape or form.

xxx

I listened to the interview, child wants to choose a boys name but isnt a boy, wants to use the boys toilet at school, because "it feels more right", Mother wonders why school wont allow this, - although the child who is physically a girl, wouldnt be interested in looking at what the boys have got! My youngest daughters friend was a Tom boy for many years cut her hair off (herself) wore boys cloths went round with the boys, then became a "girly girl" pink/sparkly clothes, never became interested in girls sexually, has boyfriends, and is what we would consider "normal", neither one way or the other, but certainly not pertaining to be binary, or gender neutral.I absolutely agree with all the other posts. Who is their right mind discusses sexuality in this way with a 10 year old child!If called "he" and Leo" how can this child say they arent a boy. I see the other child who "came out" as being vegetarian (really!!!) calls the child their sibling!

Yanbu

Oh deary me came out as vegetarian what's that about? May as well come out as special snowflake

My teenage daughter and I listened to this on Radio 4 together.

We were in complete agreement about it. When Leo says that she isn't a girl, it seemed clear that what she meant was that she rejected all the pink, pretty, girl, dolly stuff that goes with being a girl. Not that she is really a boy.

I was horrified when the mum said that when Leo had a choice between a pirates and princesses party, she chose pirates, and that was an indication that she was more of a "boy". But what's wrong with girls liking pirates? My DD had a pirate ship for years that she loved. She also used to enjoy watching Thomas the Tank Engine, and running around outside and climbing trees. She had boundless energy. It didn't mean she was a boy - just that she was a perfectly normal girl who liked doing things that are sometimes, in our imperfect society, deemed more appropriate for boys.

I heard this interview and was really disturbed by the phrasing and vocabulary used by the child. It sounded as if the child was the mouthpiece of the parents. No way should a ten year old be having these conversations. They should be climbing trees, playing with dolls, playing football. Not discussing their gender in the media.

DD would rather stick pins in her eyes than have a princess party as a kid there is to much emphasis on girl s are boys are and the parents are just coming across as abit dim but right on

A good time to remind everyone of this Lego ad and the days when the interest in pushing the idea of pink and princesses on little girls was a lot more muted:

thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/07/17/vintage-lego-ad/

Weird to think how we've gone backward in 35 years.

Jesus. This is where gender stereotyping has led us. To a place where if a girl likes pirates, she must actually be a boy or non binary (and possibly given hormone treatment), rather than the stereotype being wrong.

The BBC article read like a reverse or a piss take to me - so depressing that it's not.

I'm so sick of all this. I was horrified by puberty, I was horrified to find out the reality of periods. I am sitting here now, dosed up on anti-inflammatories, in pain and feeling belligerent as fuck. Fucking lucky me.

I was lucky that I didn't have much of a chest. My poor sister has large breasts and they have plagued her life, especially she is what used to be called 'a bit of a tomboy'. My breasts were huge when I was pg/bf. I was fucking glad to have them return to normal, not only because of personal comfort, but because I was fucking sick of men staring at them. But they were of use to feed my children of course.

I hate this 'feeling like a woman' pish. Or 'not feeling like a woman'. I am a woman. The biology stuff is shit sometimes but you can't fucking change it. And it's got nothing to do with feelings or pink

Yabu. She was being taught that she was more than just her sexuality. More girls and boys should be taught this tbh

Bollocks

When I was little I wanted to be a boy. I told my parents to call me by a boys name (Stephen) and remember trying to pee standing up over the toilet. I was quite tomboyish and wasn't interested in dolls and refused flatly to wear dresses or skirts. My mum rather airily said "if I'd wanted you to be known as Stephen, I'd have named you Stephen" and left it at that.

I grew out of it. I am married with kids and am quite girly. I no longer have any desire to be male.

This is why it concerns me when I read about situations. Like this child. It often is a phase. Stephen? Really? What was I thinking!!

Regarding the thinking that it is a hormone imbalance. Menopausal women have a hormone imbalance and lacking the female hormones. Are we saying they are men? Scientists will be saying that gay men have a hormone imbalance next!!!

I think parents and medics will be seeing multiple lawsuits in the near future from children grown to adulthood who were permanently disfigured and sterilised by the very people supposed to protect them.

I also think that people who cannot think logically enough to defend their arguments for transing kids should be roundly, publically mocked and then ignored.

Finish the following sentence thick'eds:
"X feels like a girl
BECAUSE GIRLS FEEL LIKE ..."

Oh, and YANBU

If there are cases someone really does have a hormone imbalance, surely the rational treatment is to correct that imbalance not exacerbate it.

I wanted to be Richard! What boring names!

The girl in the Lego advert is like me as a child, except I had a hideous bowl cut. All the rage for children of both sexes back then!

woody you sound like my friend. She never wore make up and even styled her hair like a boy. Now if you see her you'd be shocked how well she applies her make up and looks amazing.

I also played with cars when I was 3. I preferred cars and guns over dolls. Ffs if I'd been carted off to "specialists" over this it would have fucked me over for life.

#stoplabellingchildren!

RunningLulu I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that we want to reduce someone to their 'sexuality'? Your sex is something that's just an aspect of your biological makeup - you're not reduced to it? Also we're not talking about sexuality, i.e. orientation, we're talking about sex OF A CHILD.

Unicorn Please look at this website run by a mother in the same situation as you...
4thwavenow.com/

unicorn check this out before your next appointment. you might have some questions you want to ask them.... youthtranscriticalprofessionals.org/

This ten year old girl is getting messed with and it's not right. The mother has issues and doesn't sound competent. I think it's abuse. It's become trendy to have a gender-interesting child and some of these parents will do anything including brain washing or not so subtle influencing to lead a child in the direction they want. It's abuse. She's ten years old. I think it is criminal how she's being manipulated. Let children be children, no need for sexualising them in any way, that is so young, shouldn't be happening!

It's shameful that the BBC is joining in and applauding the abuse.

I largely agree with the criticisms this piece is getting. Be what you want, but the idea of permanently mutilating a 10-year-old's (!!!!) body is beyond awful.

With that said, I just wanted to dispute the "suicides of trans youth is a modern phenomenon, so it's modern & never happened" point back there. Because LGBT people were so taboo back then, it was almost "common" for the true reasons behind suicides to be covered up/not confronted. It was often denied they even were suicides, and it was possible to be forcibly institutionalised. (I know of this happening to lesbian & gay people.)

Just making a point. This so-called "fad" may not have appeared in only one guise.

Leo: "I don't want people to associate me with one gender or another."

Don't we all, sunshine. Don't we all.

How about we all agree that this whole gender business is completely, utterly pants, Leo, and no good comes from it for anybody. Lets instead concentrate on doing what we like, wearing what we like, treating others well and being treated like brilliant human beings.

You can be best friends with whoever you like, boy or girl, but leave the bodily stuff (toilets etc) to people sharing the same type of body. Toilet facilities are not designed to group people who feel the same or think the same, in any case. That would be bonkers! Places for intimate bodily (the clue is in the word 'bodily') functions are for people with the same type of body.

Oh, and try to love your body, no matter how it looks. Don't waste time wishing it was something it is not. We only get one body each. They are all amazing, whether they come with uteruses or penises, your body is your vehicle to carry you through your life. It isn't an ornament. If you take care of it well, it will see you through your life letting you live a rich and happy existence.

Good luck, Leo.

Love, Hairy.