not just a stork anymore
Oct. 2nd, 2003 06:43 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
banshlily.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
transok, so, for my "social construction of human sexuality" class, we read an article about sex-education books for young children. many existing books were cited, and i was very upset by how closed-minded they were.
some of the problems i had with them were:
-they make it seem like people only have sex as a means of procreation
-much of the language describing sexual intercourse portrays the man as active and the woman as passive
-it is assumed that sex occurs only between mothers and fathers
-if homosexuality is discussed at all, it is discussed very briefly and in a very clinical, demeaning way
-the illustrations are of mostly white people, and there are no interracial families or same-sex parents
call me crazy, but I have decided I want to write a childrens sex-education book myself, and try to address these problems. Someone needs to do it, so, why not me?
Children do not need to be sheltered from the truth. I want to teach children about how real people live, not only about the ideal nuclear family. They need be taught early about alternate lifestyles, and need to start their life with an open, accepting attitude for people different from them.
One of the problems i'm facing while thinking about this is the issue of transgenderism. I definatly want to introduce this idea, but I don't know how to explain it.
I could say,, "some people are born with girl parts but feel like a boy" and vice-versa, but how exactly does one "feel" like a girl, or "feel" like a boy? and that use of language would just reinforce the bimodal gender system i'm trying to avoid.
does anyone have any thoughts on this, orideas on how to address transgenderism without promoting the bimodal gender system?
some of the problems i had with them were:
-they make it seem like people only have sex as a means of procreation
-much of the language describing sexual intercourse portrays the man as active and the woman as passive
-it is assumed that sex occurs only between mothers and fathers
-if homosexuality is discussed at all, it is discussed very briefly and in a very clinical, demeaning way
-the illustrations are of mostly white people, and there are no interracial families or same-sex parents
call me crazy, but I have decided I want to write a childrens sex-education book myself, and try to address these problems. Someone needs to do it, so, why not me?
Children do not need to be sheltered from the truth. I want to teach children about how real people live, not only about the ideal nuclear family. They need be taught early about alternate lifestyles, and need to start their life with an open, accepting attitude for people different from them.
One of the problems i'm facing while thinking about this is the issue of transgenderism. I definatly want to introduce this idea, but I don't know how to explain it.
I could say,, "some people are born with girl parts but feel like a boy" and vice-versa, but how exactly does one "feel" like a girl, or "feel" like a boy? and that use of language would just reinforce the bimodal gender system i'm trying to avoid.
does anyone have any thoughts on this, orideas on how to address transgenderism without promoting the bimodal gender system?
