Lobby group asks US schools to stop using the words “boy” and “girl”
hrc.org
hrc.org
http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/four-ways-to-make-a-classroom-...
- "For example, when lining students up for lunch, rather than saying, “Girls line up first,” try saying, “Anyone wearing a green shirt can line up,” or “If your name has an ‘E’ please line up.”
- instead of addressing your class using “boys” and “girls,” try something new. Words like “friends,” “students” or “scholars” allow all students to feel included
- On paperwork, avoid asking students to identify as male or female unless it is absolutely necessary. If it is necessary for students and their families to do so, consider adding a third write-in option for those who have non-binary gender identities or to allow students to elaborate if neither “male” nor “female” fit.
- Similarly, make sure that forms do not have specific spaces for “mother” and “father.” If a form requires the name(s) of legal caregivers(s), the form can just say “parent,” “guardian,” or “caregiver.”
However, the part about kids having "non-binary gender identity" is f-ing scary. First of all, documents only offer 2 checkboxes (Boy/Girl) because this is the sex of the kid they want you to fill out and as far as I know there are only 2 sexes. I know that most documents actually use the term "gender" but this is incorrect.
Kids don't have to define their gender identity, they're just kids. Can we just let them be without asking them to place themselves on a gender spectrum or whatever the F?
There are more than two sexes. Even if you stick to chromosonal definitions of sex there are more than XX or XY.
You claim that they want to know the sex, but then say that other forms ask for gender but that those forms are wrong.
The forms are asking about gender because that's the important part for most of these forms.
> Kids don't have to define their gender identity, they're just kids. Can we just let them be without asking them to place themselves on a gender spectrum or whatever the F?
You make the mistake of thinking that children have no clue about gender identity. From the little bits of reseach we do we know that many children have firm ideas of what they consider themselves to be. Why can't we respect that, and allow them to live their lives free of oppression?
As a side note, what are the other sexes?
How is asking them to place themselves into two specific buckets less limiting than letting them pick their place?
For example, when lining students up for lunch, rather than saying, “Girls line up first,” try saying, “Anyone wearing a green shirt can line up,” or “If your name has an ‘E’ please line up.”
For example, rather than only inviting girls to learn a dance during recess, invite all students, including the boys, to dance.
And one of the recommendations is "avoid asking students to identify as male or female unless it is absolutely necessary". So I guess I don't see where you disagree with the article, since it says pretty much the same thing.
My hypothesis is that there are no valid reasons to ask them to state their identified gender, therefore the aforementioned forms are asking about sex and there are only 2 options, so no need for an empty line.
I may be wrong. Other commenters wrote that - there are no valid reasons to ask for sex either, but they didn't provide an argument - there are more than 2 sexes, but didn't mention any other option.