A child without a gender challenges our preconceptions about sex | Polly Carmichael | Opinion
The Canadian health card issued to baby Searyl Atli marked with a U for gender highlights the increased need in society to recognise and accommodate diversity in gender identities and expression. Whether this U stands for unknown, undisclosed or unidentified is not clear. But a binary definition of gender and the assumptions and expectations that go along with this are problematic for those who do not feel they fit into this construct. And that binary model of gender is being challenged, with many young people conceptualising it in terms of a spectrum.
There is a need to be thoughtful about the language we use, and to differentiate between gender, biological sex and sexuality. While biological sex development can be ascertained, an individual’s gender and sexuality cannot be assumed on the basis of this. In general, sex hormones can be said to be binary in terms of their actions. “Male†sex hormones masculinise the body whereas “female†sex hormones feminise the body. However it is not just the physical body that is so strongly associated with gender. There are many other attributes associated with being male or female, including behaviours, activity preferences and individual characteristics.
There is continued debate about what aspects of gender are genetically or hormonally based and what are socially constructed. Some gender-linked preferences have been shown to be influenced by sex hormones while others are more likely to be social constructions. Do boys prefer blue and girls prefer pink? And if so does this reflect an inherent biological difference between the sexes or is it socially constructed? In fact it is only in recent decades that blue has become so strongly associated with boys; before that pink was just as likely to be associated with boy babies as girl babies.
The language around gender is evolving and becoming more nuanced. A person’s sex is not the same thing as their gender. There is however a general assumption that gender will follow the genetic male or female sexes. In reality gender identity does not always match the sex assigned at birth. It can be argued that as gender is most often assigned or assumed on the basis of external genitalia at birth, it is accurate to acknowledge that this is an assumption and assign “gender unknown†for all. In this sense “gender unknown†correctly acknowledges that some people will not feel the gender assigned to them is one they identify with or feel comfortable with.
Most often the gender assigned at birth, based on physical sex characteristics, turns out to be the gender we continue to identify with. But this is certainly not always the case. For gender-diverse young people, self-identified gender does not conform to expectations based on their external genitalia. While most trans young people identify with the opposite gender, other gender identities are emerging, including non-binary, gender queer and gender fluid.
For some gender-diverse young people there is huge distress around a physical body that does not match their gender identity and physical treatment to realign their body alleviates this. However, this is not the case for most gender-diverse young people and it is important not to make assumptions about how gender identity will develop or be expressed in the long term.
This Canadian couple, it is reported, intend to bring up their child as gender-neutral. In a largely binary-gendered world this in itself is not a “neutral†stance and will no doubt present many challenges for their child. It is not easy to identify as non-binary or gender queer in a binary world that constantly implicitly or explicitly forces a choice.
It would certainly be easier if fewer aspects of life were gender-based. If school toilets and changing rooms were not arranged around gender, if choice of PE class was based on preference rather than gender, if classes were divided by number rather than gender â€" the list goes on. In the same vein we should perhaps be asking questions about whether the physical body and gender identity are immutably linked or is it social expectations that mean a person does not feel authentic or comfortable in their identified gender unless their body matches their gender identity in the accepted way. If some of these suggestions prompt constructive and open debate, so much the better.
So how then should we helpfully respond to gender-diverse young people? Certainly with respect and acceptance, but also with curiosity. Young people should be supported to do what feels right for them. Simple things such as being thoughtful about pronouns and respecting their choices make a big difference to confidence and wellbeing. There is still much to learn about the trajectories of young people experiencing distress around their assigned gender and how best to support them.
The challenge is to recognise the complexity of gender identity in developing young people. While it is important to accept and support young people’s preferred gender identity, it is also important not to make assumptions or put in place inflexible legislation that does not leave room for young people to explore a range of ways to express their gender. It would be counterproductive if legislation created another category from which it was difficult to move. If there have to be categories, there is no point in having a category such as “unknown†on a health card if the young person cannot choose to change it at a later date.
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