Gender Neutral Kindergarten in Sweden

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by ScandalAndy

Am I correct in stating that we are both commited to the idea of a more inclusionary societal structure with it's accompanying set of terminology, despite our radically different approaches to the subject?

Yes. We are certainly both committed to that. I would feel better if we centered our striving for social inclusion to be centered on the individual instead of a collective identity. I think it is sufficient to say, for instance, that regardless of my being black, butch, lesbian, nerdy I should not be denied the right to vote, a fair shake at a job, equal pay for my labor, etc. It should not matter how I identify because my claim upon those rights are not based upon my various identities. Rather, those rights adhere to me for no other reason than that I am a member of Homo sapiens.

My concern here is that we are going down a road the consequences of which we cannot be certain of. I would like a world where if some little girl has as her fondest desires for her tenth birthday, a telescope, a microscope, a chemistry set and a summer at Space Camp or some science camp, she will be encouraged in those ambitions and no one will tell her that she shouldn't have those desires. If her brother should decide that *his* fondest desires for his tenth birthday are a pony, ballet lessons and a flute no one will think him any less a boy. No one will call him a sissy. Rather, it will be that Jane wants, more than anything else, to be an astronaut and Jack wants, more than anything else, to be world renowned ballet dancer. Nothing more and nothing less. No one will think it singular or odd that the aspiring ballet dancer is a boy or the aspiring astronaut is a girl. What's more, when they are grown, if Jack bursts out crying during some touching scene in a movie no one will think Jack an odd duck. If Jane tries to be cool-as-a-cucumber most of the time, no one will think her an odd duck either.

That is the world I would like to see. If the only way to get there is through gender-neutrality then so be it. I remain unconvinced that it is either the only or even the best way.

Cheers
Aj