Some horrifying news came out of Australia recently. It seems the Australian National University did a study and found children are being raised according to their gender stereotypes. Yes, it's true. For as long as humans have walked the earth, little boys and little girls were raised as little boys and little girls in accordance with both biology and cultural expectations.
This. Must. Stop.
Thankfully, the Australian National University discovered this sickening situation in time and is helping Victoria city councils guide parents, librarians and educators on how to put a stop to this untenable practice. Cultural expectations and biology have no place when it comes to the critical building of a gender-neutral society.
New guidelines are being recommended. The research found "prejudice along race and gender lines can be observed" in children as young as 3 years old, so "educators should avoid using the terms 'boy' and 'girl' and classifying children according to gender." Teachers will be encouraged not to select toys in "gendered colors" or use expressions such as "boys will be boys." Children's books are being reviewed for gender modeling and diversity, and teachers are asked to refrain from using feminine endearments to their female students such as "honey" and "sweetie." (Wait – "female students" – there must be a gender-neutral term for that – I'm open to suggestions ...)
Meanwhile librarians are being asked to promote "gender equity" and to "challenge gender stereotypes" in their book selections. This is critical, according to Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence Natalie Hutchins, since "the change needed won't happen" without gender equality.
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According to SBS News, "Deakin University sexuality and relationships expert Debbis Ollis said … a review of gender content of children's books and toys was necessary to build inclusive behaviors in children. 'We all suffer from unconscious gender bias, and this sort of critical practice enables students and teachers to see the sexist nature of some books and the implication of the messages children are getting about who they can be,' associate professor Ollis said."
(Ollis is a "feminist qualitative researcher interested in capacity building in sexuality and relationships education, pedagogy, teacher practice and professional learning, particularly as it relates to issues in health and sexuality and relationships education." Just in case you wondered.)
Unfortunately, the momentum to gender-cleanse children's books was halted by backward-thinking troglodyte parents, so hateful classics such as "Thomas the Tank Engine" and "Winnie the Pooh" will continue to poison the minds of young children and confirm gender stereotypes with offensive terminology such as "boy" and "girl."
"For goodness sake, this is social engineering gone crazy," snarled one knuckle-dragging parent. "Leave kids alone to be kids. Stop trying to destroy kids' childhoods."
Of course, I don't mean to highlight solely Australia in these notable efforts to eradicate gender differences. Thanks to the concerted efforts of social justice warriors the world over, we are becoming an international society less and less dependent on using external genitalia (much less muscle density, hormones or brain function) to determine how a child should behave or what pronoun to use. These noble activists are determined to do away with outdated, artificial and unneeded divisions such as male and female. Gender is something that should have been eliminated long ago.
But society has a long way to go before gender equality is reached. Not only should any toys and books that might promote stereotypes be removed, but we need to gender-cleanse other stereotyping items as well.
Clothing, for example, is a highly unacceptable indication of gender. Skirts, dresses, shoes, accessories and other apparel traditionally associated with one gender or another should be eradicated, particularly those with patterns or colors that might offer clues as to the DNA content of the wearer. A universal garment in gender-neutral colors and style needs to be devised that would clothe everyone. This would, of course, eradicate the multi-billion dollar fashion and beauty industry, but it's high time people stopped wasting their money on enhancing gender-stereotyped appearances anyway.
Biological traits should be similarly exorcised. Reproduction should be utterly banned, since engaging in such activities is the ultimate in gender-stereotyping. Instead, artificial wombs are the key to a gender-free society, and the gender-formerly-known-as-female would no longer be required to act as incubators.
Children must be raised in a strictly gender-free manner. Any and all actions, conduct or activity that promote a gender stereotype must be severely punished so the child will not repeat the offensive behavior. Dolls and all domestically themed items should be utterly prohibited, of course, along with any military-themed toys or other gender-promoting playthings.
Sports must also be gender-purified. Since both genders should be equal in all regards, there should be no further divisions in what sports are engaged in or who may participate. In the Olympics, for example, some sports (such as gymnastics or swimming) are divided along gender lines. This is wrong, just plain wrong. If there is no difference between the genders, there is no reason for divisional differences in sports. Everyone should be free to complete in everything.
Businesses would have a huge financial burden removed by eliminating bathrooms, locker rooms and other facilities built in duplicate to accommodate gender differences. Eliminate gender, and these separate facilities will no longer be necessary.
And of course, since we are working so hard to eliminate gender differences in society, careful scrutiny must be given to career divisions. Jobs that traditionally attracted one gender over another (such as construction, military combat, nail technician, fashion model, coal miner and of course professors of Feminist Studies) must have equal gender representation. This is a critically important part and must be forcibly addressed, if necessary. Half the people teaching Feminist Studies must be men. (I mean people who used to be men. Or not. This is so confusing.) To argue otherwise is antithetical to a gender-free university experience.
Of course, to know whether or not these critical changes are being met, it's necessary to determine whether a person is male or female, which goes against everything a gender-neutral society is striving toward. (No peeking.) Hmmm, the logistics of compliance may take some additional thought.
However I'm sure you'll agree the resulting gender-free society would be a Utopia on earth. It's never been done before, but that's OK. We have to start somewhere. And it all begins with avoiding use of the terms "boy" and "girl" and classifying children according to gender.
Now let's get crackin', sweetie. There's no time to lose. The species-equality proponents are awaiting their turn.