In another class today, we discussed the nature of differences - how they are often hidden away in order to progress equality instead of being embraced. (Think back to our discussion on "born this way" to re-center yourself on the topic) Later on in the day I encountered a news story that focused on a transgendered man (FtM) who had recently given birth. The initial segment was of course interesting in and of itself; the journalists spent an exhausting amount of time explaining how it was a scenario like this could have happened, and why this man was still a "mother". What was more interesting, however, was the comments.
In case you didn't know, comments on news stories are almost always the most entertaining things to read.
The people commenting on this story seemed to be divided on their beliefs. In one group - people used this story to argue that the normalization of transgendered identities was unethical. The rights and welfare of children born to transgender parents (or any LGBT parent, it seems) are severely compromised. This argument seems fairly ridiculous, as there is very little evidence to prove it. Another group argued along a tangent that LGB parents were fine, but that having transgender parents could irrevocably harm a child. Again, there are no studies which clearly support this claim. One final group argued that there is little evidence to suggest that having transgender parents will negatively impact a child. A transgender mother or father will be a parent just like any other parent.
In case it is not clear, I much prefer the third group.
That being said, I also hate it.
I do not believe that LGBT parents will harm children anymore than heterosexual parents will. That does not, however, mean that both sets of parents are statistically the same. In fact, I'd be willing to say that children of LGBT parents are more likely to explore their sexuality and develop a better sense of self. There are likely differences that exist between the two - and these differences should not be assumed to be bad.
Maybe a fourth argument could be made. Maybe having a transgender mother or father DOES impact you differently that having a heterosexual mother or father. And maybe that difference makes your life effin' awesome.
Everyone has different parents. There must be traditional couples that are much worse at parenting than some LGBT couples. The news about transgendered parents giving birth to children may purely out of curiosity. It is a rare occurrence. For the commenters that say the parents are unethical because they are transgendered are making the mistake that what only traditional couples can be good. Anything deviating from the traditional is bad. The fact that the parents are transgendered does not say anything about how loving they are or how well they could act as role models for their children. Maybe we can anticipate issues that would arise when the child finds out that his/her parent is transgendered, but we should not let our mere suspicions cloud our judgments. Personal situations are much more different than when they are put on paper. Family relationships is one of those personal situations that are extremely hard to examine from an outsider's point of view. I say the most ethical way to comment is to congratulate the parents for the start of a life journey in raising another human being.
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