'Genderless' Child Ignites Firestorm in Canada

[Aaliyyah]

The Americas

'Genderless' Child Ignites Firestorm in Canada

 

By Joshua Rhett Miller

 

Published May 24, 2011

 

 

Storm, a four-month-old Toronto child being raised as genderless, smiles while being held by mother Kathy Witterick, 38, as father David Stocker, 39, and brother Jazz, 5, look on. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star/GetStock.com)

 

A Toronto couple raising their 4-month-old without identifying the child as a boy or a girl have created a media firestorm in Canada, where some have likened the scenario to a "bizarre lab experiment" that seeks to undo thousands of years of social evolution.

 

Kathy Witterick, 38, and David Stocker, 39, are raising their third child, Storm, to be free of societal norms regarding gender. Is Storm male or female? The parents won't say, so no one knows except Storm's older brothers, Jazz and Kio, as well as a close family friend and two midwives who helped deliver the baby, according to the Toronto Star.

 

Since publishing a story about the couple on Saturday, the newspaper has received a "rush of responses" from readers, including some who believe the Toronto couple is acting "very selfish" and "very inconsiderate" in their attempt to undo evolution. Others, meanwhile, told the newspaper that "breaking social norms" is not synonymous with bad parenting.

 

Attempts to reach Witterick and Stocker -- who reportedly works as a teacher at City View Alternative, a small middle school in Toronto -- were unsuccessful on Tuesday. In a follow-up Toronto Star story on Monday, the couple told the newspaper that they have decided not to conduct any additional interviews.

 

"We don't want them to feel like exotic bugs, and when consulted, they said no thanks to more media attention," Witterick wrote the newspaper in an email.

 

Clinton Anderson, director of the American Psychological Association's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns Office, told FoxNews.com that while the organization supports gender nondiscrimination, there is no research available regarding potential harms or benefits to raising a so-called genderless child.

 

"I don't think the APA has any basis for concluding one way or the other on that issue," Anderson said. "In the short term, in the long term, there's really just no basis for saying. This is not an area of research that exists, to my knowledge."

 

What is certain, Anderson said, is that a "supportive" environment for any child is one that provides them love, nurturing care and a "good enough" context to develop.

 

"Gender is, of course, hugely important and that is what these parents are trying to challenge," he said. "Gender is hugely important to people, and for most people, a fundamental part of their identities."

 

Other mental health professionals contacted by FoxNews.com said they saw several advantages to the atypical scenario, including true self-determination for Storm.

 

"The child has self-determination as to what its interests may be in life, the goals for that child and what direction the child wants to go in as far as all avenues in life, as well as sexuality," said Jeff Gadere, a clinical psychologist and contributor to HealthGuru.com. "They're banking on the child being genetically predisposed to its sexuality, as well as its station in life."

 

A potential downside, Gadere said, could occur when the child looks to its parents for guidance in areas of self-discipline, education and other topics associated with gender. But overall, Gadere sees little potential for psychological or emotional damage to the child.

 

"If the parents are able to fulfill all of the needs of the child and are able to meet the child's needs in terms of guidance and nurturance, I really doubt that there's going to be any real damage to the child," he said. "I'm more concerned about how other people are going to react to the child."

 

Gadere added: "We're looking at something that is different. Certainly when we're dealing with changing the status quo as far as raising children, people become fearful of that. And let's give them the benefit of the doubt because they're fearful of the impact on the child."

 

Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for government and public policy for the American Family Association, a Mississippi-based "pro-family" organization, disagreed with Gadere's assessment, claiming the child will grow up "terribly confused" regarding sexual identity.

 

"I don't think there's any question that this is going to do severe harm to this child," Fischer said. "That child is either a male or female, and it’s a tragedy that his parents or her parents are apparently unwilling to base their approach on scientific and biological truth."

 

The attempt to keep the child's gender a secret is simply a "terrible disservice," Fischer said.

 

"The vast majority of people have enough common sense to recognize that this is lunacy," he continued. "The vast majority of people are motivated by a deep level of concern of what's going to happen to that poor child."

 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/24/genderless-child-creates-media-firestorm-toronto/#ixzz1NlBhe4sA

[Che -Guevara]

The title is misleading and not everybody should be a parent.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Wax walba magac iska raadinaayaan. Well, what was on his birth papers were written? And the 'his' part is intentional, I believe it is a he.

 

Magac iska raadis u aqaan waxaan camal and it will soon fade away as soon as this child gets not even to school. Will they force the teachers, doctors, et cetera, to call him 'Storm' and not him/her?

[Aaliyyah]

^ lol they actually believe in unschooling system, where they dnt teach their kids anything. Just answer their kids' questions if they ever get curious abt anything lol..(weird thing is how will their kids get curious if they are not exposed to education)

 

laakin wa inta caruurtooda ee iskuulka hose ee ku jiraan I guess at some point their kids will have to go to school..

 

Anyways, inta noshahay u will see all kinda bizarre things. This is just one of those things LOL..I remember reading a comment from somewhere where they said maybe parents need license before they become parents LOL..hadii kale waxan oo kale aa walid noqonaya.

 

salaam

[The Zack]

Che -Guevara;724451 wrote:

The title is misleading and not everybody should be a parent.

Indeed. Based on the title, I thought the child was born with no gun at all

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Ahahaha, 'gun' kulahaa. Of course, not all children have or born with guns. Dah. Kuwa are born with sawaariiq iyo gantaalo gadaal kasoo rogaal kacaayo nooh.

[Aaliyyah]

Zack n Che I dnt think the topic is misleading, it is just a matter of how you understand it. It can be understood both ways I GUESS!..in this story it simply means the child is genderless ( that is no one is being told whether the baby is a boy or a girl)

 

salaam

[The Zack]

Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar;724466 wrote:

Ahahaha, 'gun' kulahaa. Of course, not all children have or born with guns. Dah. Kuwa are born with sawaariiq iyo gantaalo gadaal kasoo rogaal kacaayo nooh.

:D @gantaalo iyo sawaariikh. Kuwaas caadi ma aha.

 

Aaliyah, now I read the body of the story I undertsand it huuno.

[Che -Guevara]

How long you can hide a gender of kid?

[Aaliyyah]

Probably not that long! lol..we will see hw things turn out with this family!..stay tuned

 

salaam

[Axmed-InaJaad]

im almost certain its a boy, dese liberal hippy gaalo are always trying to feminize boys.

[Blessed]

Aaliyyah;724461 wrote:

^ lol they actually believe in unschooling system, where they dnt teach their kids anything. Just answer their kids' questions if they ever get curious abt anything lol..(weird thing is how will their kids get curious if they are not exposed to education)

 

De-schooling doesn't mean that you don't teach. Teaching is based on the child's interests and queries about their environment. Kids, adults and everyone is exposed to 'education' everyday and everywhere... There's a difference between education and schooling and one doesn't always benefit from being in the schooling system. In fact bright, gifted children and those with specific lerning needs domuch better in an irregular learning setting.. As long as those teaching are capable which is my only worry in this case...

[Aaliyyah]

I have actually read a bit about unschooling system... And, it seemed to me it was more geared to what the child is interested in instead of sitting with the child and teaching them reading, writing etc .....and that doesn’t seem to be a sound way to go abt teaching your children. But, each on his own right...

 

Also, the example you gave about gifted students. Usually parents homeschool their gifted student and teach them more than what is being taught in schools since the kids are ahead accademically. So there is clear different between the way parents go abt teaching their gifted students and simply saying im waiting for what my child is interested in and I will teach him whatever he or she asks me lol like what does a 5 years old know?!...

 

salaam

[Nin-Yaaban]

So what bathroom does he/she use?

[Aaliyyah]

lol I guess canadians will be forced to make genderless washroom ..you know in europe I was told especially amsterdam u will find washrooms that any gender can use....LOL

 

salaam