This is interesting

[conuly]

Here's an article about a family in Sweden that's keeping the sex of their kid secret. Which reminds me of this story except of course it's in real life. (Don't read the comments, btw.)

Well, maybe read the comments. Some of them make reference to David Reimer, and - as I've actually read his book - I'm not so sure of the relevance. His problems seem to me to be much deeper than simply being raised as a girl when he wasn't - a lot of his "therapy" described in the book seemed to me to be very dubious or abusive even. *shrugs* (Which isn't to argue the matter of innate gender or whatnot, just that I think that in that specific case which is the one people always bring up when talking about gender anything (have you noticed?), there's a lot more stuff going on.)

Comments

[siderea]

Some of them make reference to David Reimer, and - as I've actually read his book - I'm not so sure of the relevance.

I think it's very relevant. They're trying to let the poor kid assert whatever gender and gender expression comes naturally. Just because the kid's probably got gender-identifying genitalia doesn't mean that's the gender identity that the kid would pick for hirself. They're trying not to do accidentally to their kid what was done to Reimer deliberately: force a gender on the kid that's not the kid's. Bully for them.

[conuly]

That's a good point, although the people mentioning Reimer are saying that the kid is going to end up suicidal like he was... and quite aside from the fact that there are many factors that can lead to a person's suicidal tendencies (or lack thereof, let's hope) I keep thinking that out of his childhood experience his therapist's weird ideas (I have to re-read this, at the time they struck me as a form of molestation, frankly, but it was a long time ago) about how to "socialize" him to be a girl were probably a bigger factor than the fact that this was occurring at all.

Which is to say: I agree with this comment, but I felt I should rehash what I already said anyway because I like to talk too much.