Gender essentialism is at its core maintained by violence.
feministing
By Samhita
05 August, 2010
http://feministing.com/2010/08/05/gender-essentialism-is-at-its-core-maintained-by-violence/ (http://feministing.com/2010/08/05/gender-essentialism-is-at-its-core-maintained-by-violence/)
This story is so deeply disturbing. A 17 month old child, Roy Jones, was murdered by his mother's boyfriend through repeated punching and choking. The senseless act of violence was triggered by what Pedro Jones (the accused) felt was the young boy, "acting like a girl." What it means for a child less than two years old to "act like" any gender is beyond me, since at that stage they are still developing an awareness of the world around them and not yet even how they fit into it.