This gets easier every time, ha. This weeks subject matter regarding gender was thought provoking and very interesting. Just for grins all this week I have been looking and relating to gender and my way of thinking. I do regard children and people in general regarding their gender.
One thing I am a firm believe in is that if a woman can do the job of a man and meet the qualifications set for a specific job she should be considered despite her gender. My boyfriend and I had a lively discussion the other evening because he said that females in the military fighting on the battlefield was not a good thing. I begged to differ, told him to hand me a gun and I could be just as accurate and think logically to make my way on the battlefield. He was in the service and saw action and said he would have, how to explain this….he would have been concious of a female soldier and been distracted for her safety. I told him if a woman can meet the same qualifications of a man she should be allowed and treated the same. He agreed but he said that the armed services doesn’t make a woman meet the same qualifications as a man there are allowances for her strength and stamina being in some cases less than that of her compatriots. I did not realize concessions were made for females and I really have to say I don’t agree. I believe that if you want to be respected and given the same as a man you should have to meet the same qualifications. Anyway this discussion has been continuing on and off for a couple of days now and it has been interesting to say the least. I have to forgive him though because he cleans toilets and the whole bathroom….a chore I despise and will do dishes!!!! My son served a tour of duty in iraq and spent 6 years in germany with the army. I asked him what his opinion was of women that he fought beside and worked beside on base. He indicated that in boot camp concessions were made for women, for example, they did not have to do push ups feet and hands but were able to do them from on knees, but had to do as many as he did. Concessions were not made on the hikes but of course, they had their own bathrooms which he was very greatful. In Iraq he did 48 hours of duty in the dessert and the surrounding area and then had 12 hours rest and started all over again. He did not have any women in his rotation but the ones he dealt with worked just as hard as he did and got just as duty and put in harms way as he did. Todays army as opposed to yesterdays.
I cannot imagine what these children go through that had the surgeries when they were infants and grow up as girls when they really yearn to be a boy. The video Coming out of the Shadows tells the story and gave a lot of information. I stopped and thought about what my preference would have been if I were one of those children and grew up thinking I was a girl and really had been born a boy and surgery performed to make me a girl. It is hard to say…part of me would not want to know and would hope to adjust, part of me would have wanted my parents to explain as I reached my teenager years. As a parent what decision would I make….and the possible ramifications of my childrens future? Is it right to make decisions regarding a transgender child while they are still infants? I think most parents believe they are doing what is right for their childs’ happiness and future security. The parents in the article about the two little boys who wanted to be girls and their handling of the situation surely felt they were not being cruel but doing what they felt was right for their child. We all are human in the end and do make decisions based on emotion and how we were brought up.
The article regarding the woman receiving death threats was interesting. Had to think as it relates to what we are doing right now in this class. It is disconcerting for me to understand that people I do not even know might read this and judge my opinion and writing. I guess that is just the way of this blogging experience. Folks should be able to put their hearts on their sleeves but have to understand it leaves them wide open to the viewing and reading publics ridicule and opinions as well.
