Irish politician raising baby gender neutral with 'they' pronouns

[Jumpersaurus]

This guy loves publicity but this is just beyond farcical.

"The role that they will perceive for themselves, the type of play that they will perceive for themselves by saying ‘you’re a boy or you’re a girl’. Just let them decide for themselves.
“You want to dress in pink? Fire ahead. You want to dress in blue? Fire ahead. You want to play football? Brilliant. You want to go dancing? Amazing... it’s just not to limit."

He's so close to catching on how ridiculous gender stereotypes are, so so close.

"Obviously, the vast majority of parents do gender their child and I’ve no criticism of that whatsoever, no judgment. But it is true that if you put the label, boy or girl on your child, you definitely increase the chances of them going down one road or another.”

Glad he isn't criticising the rest of us who are 'gendering' our children, whatever that means! Who knew the words we use to denote young humans were just labels 🤷‍♀️

www.independent.ie/news/td-paul-murphy-on-raising-new-baby-gender-neutral-were-describing-juniper-as-a-baby-but-it-is-male-42385502.html

yep.

Isn't it also completely within the realms of usual parenting to dress your child in a wide range of clothes and to ignore 'gendered' clothes and toys. Shite! My mum must of been well ahead of the curve as I got my brother's AND my sister's hand me downs - clothes and toys.

What a time to be alive, eh?

So I think it's potentially counterproductive.

He mentions sending the kid to creche without a gender. The other children will know what sex they are and will tell Juniper that they are a boy/girl depending on whatever they play with, and Juniper won't have the tools to hold against that.

Juniper: Dad, I'm a boy. I like playing with cars and the boys in creche like playing with cars so I'm a boy.

Paul: Well, not all boys play with cars...

Juniper: So I'm a girl?

Paul: Erm...

I don't see why he can't tell the child that they're a boy, but reaffirm that he can play with whatever toys he wants, wear what he wants, be friends with whomever he wants, etc.

Cause its not woke enough

For goodness sake. There are certain things children need in their lives as certainties in order to feel secure, grounded, included and nurtured. Part of understanding your own identity and self begins right at the start as a tiny child learning your name, your sex, where you came from, how you fit into your family unit.

This is too much! WHY?

There is no way one can be 'born' with a gender. It's something we learn. The idea that children will somehow alight on which set of arbitrary sexist stereotypes they feel somehow mirror their inner being is so illogical.

But will Paul allow Juniper to call him Dad, what with all the loaded meaning that comes with the names, Dad,Father,Daddy, Pa ,Mum,Mummy,Mother, Etc surely Juniper will refer to his egg and sperm donors as Parent as they care for him in a totally non gendered fashion.

'I don't see why he can't tell the child that they're a boy, but reaffirm that he can play with whatever toys he wants, wear what he wants, be friends with whomever he wants, etc.'

I guess because thats too normal and boring and makes too much sense. He wants a big shiny 'brave and stunning' badge for himself, hence talking such utter wank

This is what makes life so unfair. I only had an older sister so only inherited her handmedowns. Sometimes I wore the same dress for three or four years, deep hems let down, sewn up, let down again, smocking on the bodice accommodated body size increase. She also gave me all her old toys - except for the doll she immediately claimed back as it was her favourite ( and mine) . What chance did I ever have of growing up a balanced, rational , human being.

Poor child

I feel for you viques!

But Juniper IS a boy?

Why can't his parents accept that and let him know that as a boy he can achieve whatever he wants?!

I just don't get it, this child has a sex, they know he has a sex . He will know he has a sex.

Why are they making gender an issue?

He mentions sending the kid to creche without a gender. The other children will know what sex they are and will tell Juniper that they are a boy/girl depending on whatever they play with

And his peers will see his Willy when he goes to the toilet!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

All I can think of is gin when I read it - which to be fair isn't the worst think to be day-dreaming about, but probably not when you're in charge of a newborn.

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

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.

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.

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