In one of their episodes, NBS Night News told the audience the story of an eight-year-old transgender girl named Malisa. Malisa was born as a boy, but at a very early age, they decided that they wanted to be a girl. Seeing the consistency and insistence of their child, the parents chose to support the idea of transitioning to a new gender. As the family started to present and treat Malisa as a girl, the child became more satisfied with life and started to feel more natural than before the transition. The video is getting a lot of emotional response from the audience, and the opinions are polarized, dividing people into strong supporters and fierce critics of such practice. It is essential to develop a better understanding of the concept of gender in relation to children and their development to ensure the protection of the interests of all people and, thus, improve their lives.
One crucial problem is that it is doubtful that children can have a clear understanding of gender roles and differences. Oversimplified visions of differences between sexes may mislead a child. It might result in the idea that having interests or personality traits that are traditionally viewed as of the opposite sex are a sign of the necessity for a transition. Another problem is the fact that the transition to the new gender will require medical intervention, and the complete change is impossible for biological reasons (NBC Nightly News, 2015). It leads to the situation when children who were born with well-functioning bodies will lose their ability to reproduce and become dependent on medication. At the same time, it is essential for our society to accept such children and provide them with the possibility to live the lives they feel are right for them.
Thus, it is essential to develop a more complex and nuanced understanding of gender roles. From a very early age, people should be tough to be able to express their personality and healthily integrate all their traits in life. It is essential to accept people who decided to change their gender. Yet, children should not be encouraged to do so without medical reasons, as the transition has multiple limitations and consequences. Society should not impose simplistic role models, and people need to be able to define themselves the way they desire without rejecting their biology.
Reference
NBC Nightly News (2015). Growing Up Transgender: Malisa’s Story [Video file]. Web.