Gender, Gender, Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Gender identity is a person’s private sense, and subjective experience, of their own gender. This is generally described as one’s private sense of being a man or a woman, consisting primarily of the acceptance of membership into a category of people: male or female. Some children may learn at an early age that their gender does not correspond with their sex. And that is exactly what the two families in “Two families Grapple with Son’s Gender Identity” are struggling with in the audio segment of this week’s resource. I know it is difficult for these two families to come to terms with what their children are trying to manifest as it concerns their gender identity.

Homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children through books, movies, toys and culture in our society today. Most of the movies, books and toys all have overt messages on what is accepted when it comes to sexual orientation.  Most families think that being a homosexual or transgender you will be able to infect their children, so as a defense mechanism so they try as much as possible to avoid transgender and homosexuals from taking care of their children. I feel the best way to avoid this is to let this families understand that if a transgender or homosexual takes care of their children that does not mean that their children will eventually become a transgender or a homosexual.

This journey of diversity development and  becoming an anti-bias educator creates room for us to embrace diversity in whatever context we come across it, be it ability, sexual orientation, believes and culture. My greatest fear is my discomfort when it comes to sexual orientation that is different from mine, how do I beat all the odds and accept a sexual orientation that is different from mine.

Reference:

Audio: Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons gender identity.