December 16, 2011
One teachers approach to preventing gender bullying in a classroom

"It's Okay to be Neither," By Melissa Bollow Tempel

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-bollow-tempel/teaching-gender-variant-children_b_1163459.html

http://togetherforjacksoncountykids.tumblr.com/post/14314184651/one-teachers-approach-to-preventing-gender-bullying-in

Allison was biologically a girl but felt more comfortable wearing Tony Hawk long-sleeved T-shirts, baggy jeans, and black tennis shoes. Her parents were accepting and supportive. Her mother braided her hair in cornrows because Allie thought it made her look like Will Smith's son, Trey, in the remake of The Karate Kid. She preferred to be called Allie. The first day of school, children who hadn't been in Allie's class in kindergarten referred to her as "he."

I didn't want to assume I knew how Allie wanted me to respond to the continual gender mistakes, so I made a phone call home and Allie's mom put me on speakerphone.

"Allie," she said, "Ms. Melissa is on the phone. She would like to know if you want her to correct your classmates when they say you are a boy, or if you would rather that she just doesn't say anything."

Allie was shy on the phone. "Um ... tell them that I am a girl," she whispered.

Nice article.  Thanks for posting it.