Recently, a book was released titled, "Can I Tell You About Gender Diversity?" has garnered quite a lot of attention from teachers, parents and the media. It is apparently the first of its kind, in the way that it is explaining the medical changes that are happening in the body.
According to The Guardian, the book is being introduced to some primary schools as a resource for children but it has already attracted anger from various reputable sources who all claimed the book was not appropriate for the children it was aimed at. It was further argued that these children were not even ready to select their academic interests and subjects; consequently, it was unfair and inappropriate to force them to understand their own body and its biology.
The author, CJ Atkinson, an LGBT activist, criticized the media in an interview. Atkinson said that the misleading way the media was projecting this book could possibly lead to harmful social circumstances for kids who are transgender. The author also mentioned that this was creating panic and leading to higher suicide rates among transgender people.
Even though some argue that the concept of "boys and girls" should be dropped in schools, others debate that it was harmful to introduce small children to such sensitive topics at this tender age, as per The Daily Mail. Some even went as far as to say that for improving the lives of a small minority, the sanity of a large majority could not be risked!
The author also quoted the example of using colors and toys to create gender biases and differences. Atkinson then told in the interview that all the negative attention projected towards the book was not a surprise - it was expected beforehand. No matter how the media receives the book, it is sure to stimulate some serious discussions and spark questions about gender diversity.
As parents, what are your thoughts about Atkinson's book? Feel free to sound off below.
