Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Too girly for a Boy, Too boyish for a Girl

There have been more and more stories about children getting suspended or expelled from school for not following the assigned gender norms by society. Just recently, there was a girl kicked out of a Christian School for not being "girly" enough. She was possessing masculine qualities such as short hair, boy's clothes and her preference in activities. Her guardians were took that she was confusing other kids and sending inappropriate messages (ex. cross-dressing). Just like this story, boys have been condemn from school for wearing girls clothing, heels or make up. The reason given-it poses as a distraction or that they are kicked out for safety concerns. However, we hear more and more about schools telling children that they are NOT allow to be themselves. That they have to follow the norm set up by society or face the consequences of their individuality. When does it end? If girls have the option of wearing skirts or pants than so should boys. If boys have the option of having extremely short hair than so should girls. Policy that are put in place by schools or any other organization/business should apply fairly to everyone. You cannot teach about freedom or about independence in school, if the school itself doesn't understand those concepts.

See below for links to above stories.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/christian-school-complains-8-year-old-girl-isnt-girly-enough/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/asante-cotman-gay-student_n_1321329.html

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