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Friday, June 3, 2011

Genderless Baby: What Does the Future Hold?

Is baby Storm a boy or a girl? Mom and Dad aren’t saying.

Kathy Witterick and David Stocker of Toronto, Canada, have chosen not to disclose their child’s sex for the time being, saying that they want to raise their child in a way that he or she can develop a sense of self without the stigma of what might be considered gender norms. The only people who know Storm’s actual gender are the parents, siblings and the midwives who took part in the delivery.

Naturally, there are folks who vehemently disagree with the family’s choice, because it goes against what they consider traditional family values or concerns for possible psychological affects for the child later in life. Others applaud the parents’ decision since it removes all the gender labels that tend to be attached to boy behavior and girl behavior from birth.

Some question whether it will even be possible to continue hiding Storm’s gender as he or she gets older. And, will the parents even be able to stop themselves from unconsciously treating their child as one gender or the other?

Tell Us What You Think
How do you feel about a child being raised as gender neutral?

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Posted by: Leona Perry at 10:18 am

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