So I grab one of the less-than-academic magazines in Lund to entertain myself while I run, and to my surprise and interest, I flipped the November 16th issue of In Touch open to an article on an 8-year old boy who, with the support, encouragement and aid of his parents, has started living as a girl. Not only is Josie Romero (formerly Joey) embracing the dress and appearance of a girl her age, but her parents have also changed her birth certificate, passport and social security number to appropriately fit her desired gender identity.
I can only imagine the reactions that this situation is receiving; people might be saying that Josie is too young to make such a permanent, life-altering decision (especially since she will start hormonal treatments soon); that her parents are reacting too sensitively to Josie’s feminine inclinations and that they shouldn’t be encouraging what most people would just call a “phase”. Nonetheless, these parents have chosen to be supportive of their child and open to other possibilities instead of contributing to the pressure that our society puts on gender roles.
* SO while I scanned the article I initially read, my limmited knowledge in technology prevented me from successfully posting it on this blog. However, please see the related links!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6333217/Boy-8-has-sex-change.html
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=joey+romero+sex+change&emb=0&aq=f#
