What it Says About Us When a 17-Month-Old Boy Is Beaten to Death for "Acting Lik

[Shana A]

Michael Rowe
Posted: August 5, 2010 02:13 AM
      
What it Says About Us When a 17-Month-Old Boy Is Beaten to Death for "Acting Like a Girl"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rowe/what-it-says-about-us-whe_b_671373.html

At approximately 8:25 p.m. last Sunday night, the New York State Police on Long Island logged a 911 call about a toddler in cardiac arrest. The boy, 17-month-old Roy Jones, was rushed from the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, N.Y. to Southampton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:11 p.m.

snip

But there is an added and significant dimension to the tragedy. The reason given for the beating is that, even at 17 months, the toddler was perceived by his killer to be effeminate. Madhouse logic indeed, but to Pedro Jones there was a way that little boys should act and a way little girls should act.

While Jones is a tragic example of the paradigm taken to deadly lengths, society's discomfort with gender variance permeates nearly every part of the national dialogue and runs through every part of the culture.

[Gwenhyvar]

Incredibly impactful article.

Well worth the read - as are the comments below.

-Gwen