https://www.yahoo.com/health/transgender-parents-speak-out-about-what-makes-a-family-94649793492.html

The article, “Transgender Parents Speak Out About What Makes a Family” discusses the situation of two parents, Bianca and Nick Bowser. Both Bianca and Nick are transgendered; Bianca was born a boy named Jason, and Nick was born a girl named Nicole. The two fell in love and desperately wanted to start a family. Neither Bianca nor Nick had gone through a sex-reassignment surgery because they could not afford it. Bianca and Nick put the children before themselves, and Nick carried Bianca’s babies, which was mentally and emotionally challenging because he identified with the male gender. Bianca and Nick have decided they will tell their children that they are both transgendered while the two boys are young, and they believe the boys will understand. The couple lives a normal life; they are two parents working late and getting up early to take care of their kids. The transgender community is extremely supportive of them, along with friends and family.
In Bianca and Nick’s unique situation, many people are concerned about the children’s well being. The two boys must attempt to understand how their mother was originally born a boy while their father was born a girl. This concept is confusing for many people to grasp, but especially for the transgender couple’s children. Nick and Bianca’s decision to tell the boys while the boys are younger is a smart and bold decision. Some may argue that young children are not able to comprehend that their mom and dad changed genders, but keeping their original genders a secret would most likely blow up in Nick and Bianca’s faces later in the boys’ life. The boys will be much more accepting and understanding while they are young, compared to when they are older and gender stereotypes and societal norms become a huge, unavoidable aspect in their lives.
Bianca and Nick may be a little different than every other set of parents on their street, but being transgendered has nothing to do with the parenting of their children. The couple works hard to support their children, and they exemplify loving and honest parents. Anyone could tell how badly the two wanted to be parents; Nick carrying Bianca’s children is an extremely selfless act. Nick had fully identified as a male, but he was willing to use his female reproductive parts and carry both of his children for nine months. The mental and physical toll of even being a pregnant woman can be challenging for some mothers, but I am sure Nick’s confusion and frustration while carrying this child and walking around with a baby belly while being a man was no easy feat. Fulfilling the main purpose of the female body while Nick mentally felt like he was a male proves how badly he wished for children to complete his and Bianca’s family.
Much controversy has always surrounded transgender people, especially transgender parents. With gender stereotypes being so prevalent in our culture, many people cannot wrap their minds around a woman identifying as a man or a man identifying as a woman. Everything is always strictly male or female, and society believes there is nothing in between. Bianca and Nick are similar to every other loving set of parents. They will most likely not raise their children with any crazy, different values or different parenting techniques that are out of the ordinary just because they are transgendered parents; if anything, their children will grow up being much more accepting than other children because of their unique situation. Critics believe their transgendered relationship is wrong, and some may believe they do not have the right to have kids. Though the children may possibly go through confusion with both of their parents being transgendered, believing that Nick and Bianca are not fit to be parents because they are transgendered is extremely untrue.

Parents Who Hid Child’s Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash

The article “Parents Who Hid Child’s Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash, written on the TIME website, discusses why parents Beck Laxton and Kieran Cooper decided to raise their five year old child, Sasha, gender neutral. The article also discusses why other parents and critical commenters believe Sasha’s parents are crazy and raising their child as gender neutral should be considered child abuse. Only Sasha’s close relatives were told Sasha’s true sex while everyone else was not told what sex he was. Sasha’s parents raised Sasha gender neutral in every way they could, including: painting his room yellow, buying him both traditionally girl toys, like dolls, and also traditionally boy toys, and also allowing Sasha to wear girl’s clothes, like tutus and little girl’s bathing suits, as well as boy’s clothes. Sasha’s gender was finally disclosed once Sasha began primary school at five years old because his parents believed school would be too much of a challenge without identifying as a specific gender.

When Sasha was asked about gender, he said that gender stereotypes and roles are silly. The article points out how critics of Sasha’s parents are not thinking about the difference between sex and gender. Sex is biological while gender is made up of the social and cultural aspects of being either male or female. Sasha’s parents let him know his sex and what the biological differences are between males and females. Laxton and Cooper kept Sasha’s gender a secret because they did not want Sasha to be forced to conform to male stereotypes and roles. In past classes, we have discussed how almost every product on the market is ridiculously gender stereotyped. Sasha’s parents taking away gender stereotyped toys and clothes lets Sasha choose for himself what he would like to wear. Allowing Sasha to choose what colors he likes, what shoes he wants to wear, and if he’d rather play with Barbies or action figures, lets Sasha create an identity for himself that is made up of his own interests.

Society gives each gender a list of rules and regulations on how to behave properly to fit one’s gender role. Understanding one’s own sex and reproduction system is important, but the stereotypes and rules that come along with gender do not need to be forced onto a child to shape what they “should” be in the eyes of society. The article touches on how many critics of Sasha’s parents believe that not giving Sasha a gender would lead to confusion for Sasha about his sexuality and identity. Confusion for Sasha is a fair argument, but not assigning Sasha a specific gender would allow him to think for himself and figure out his own wants. With a strong selfhood built on his own interests, he would most likely come to a clear-cut understanding of his own sexuality.

The hardest part of being gender neutral for Sasha was the critics, bullying, and ostracism Sasha faced by his classmates. The harsh words of students at school and critical parents would most likely be the source and cause of any unsure, confused thoughts that Sasha had about his identity. Of course, in our world and in our society, not identifying as a specific gender is next to impossible, which is why Sasha’s parents finally disclosed Sasha’s gender. Paige, in the Invisbilia podcast, was not able to function and live a happy life in society because she flipped genders; however, unlike Sasha, Paige did not have a strong sense of identity. Society makes it extremely challenging to not identify as one gender, and those who do not identify as one gender are seen as crazy. Society does not recognize or understand people who do not fit into one clear-cut category, so those who do not fit in are shunned, like Sasha and his parents were. Though Sasha’s parents attempt at shielding Sasha from stereotypical gender roles was taken to an extreme, I do not believe Sasha’s parents were wrong for letting him shape his own sense of self, opposed to society shaping his identity for him in relation to his gender. If society was not so judgmental and gender stereotype-obsessed, Sasha could possibly live a happy life identifying as gender neutral.