School Helps Girl Student Change To Boy
School Helps Girl Student Change To Boy
March 3, 2005
By Jason Tait
METHUEN -- A fourth-grader who was attending Comprehensive Grammar School as a girl before the February break returned to school this week as a boy.
The parents of the 9-year-old say their child was born with the body of a girl but his real gender is male, and they have asked that he be referred to and treated as such by teachers and other students.
School officials said they are accommodating the family's request and, so far, other children seem to be taking the change in stride, though some parents have called with concerns.
The child's parents sent a letter to family and friends explaining the decision to let their child grow up as a boy.
The mother said this morning the decision was made in consultation with medical professionals but her child has not undergone any medical procedure to change his sex physically.
"My child has the brain of a boy," said the mother, who asked that her family not be identified.
"This is not a decision made in a vacuum," she said. "There have been a lot of medical professionals who have confirmed it."
The mother said that her child has never identified as a girl.
"Obviously in the beginning we dressed him as a female," the mother said. "When he began identifying at 2 (as a male), he was ripping the dress off his back."
The mother said that she and her husband at first thought of their child as a "tomboy." But as he kept insisting, "I'm a boy, I'm a boy," they sought medical help. Eventually, they reached the decision to change his gender identity at school, including changing his first name.
The mother said her child's condition is the result of a "birth defect that happens during the formation of the gender" in the uterus. "Basically the brain develops in one direction, the body the other," she said.
School Superintendent C. Phillip Littlefield said the grammar school is making "reasonable changes to accommodate the child," who the mother said has been a student there since first grade.
Littlefield said "curious and concerned" parents have called the school as they learned of the change from their children or other parents.
Littlefield said that because some people become fearful when they do not understand something, the school system is being "open and honest" with parents with questions.
"There is nothing harmful about this youngster being in school," he said.
The mother said that she hopes her child is accepted for who he is. "These few parents who are upset about it, I'd love to talk to them," she said. "My child is not a threat."
Littlefield said the child is "in the process of -- I'd call it a gender clarification," and school officials are treating him as a student like any other with special needs.
"I've never dealt with anything like this before," Littlefield said. "But we have unquestioned responsibility for dealing with the specific needs of this youngster."
The school has about 1,200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. About 150 are in fourth grade.
Littlefield said the parents of the 9-year-old spoke with Principal Brandi L. Kwong and Director of Pupil Services Ryan Plosker about their child and their plan to have him return to school as a boy this week, following February school vacation.
Littlefield said children at the school are adapting well to the change.
"For a lot of kids, (we tell them) 'We're going to call Phyllis Phillip now,'" Littlefield said, using different names. "They say, 'OK.' "
Dr. Stephanie Sidney, who practices psychology in North Andover, said she has dealt with childhood gender identity issues on a couple of occasions. She said there is still a great deal of research to be done in the field, as causes and treatment remain surrounded by mystery.
Sidney said treatment is a "Catch-22."
"You don't want to reject or deny a person's true identity or who they really feel they are," she said. "But there is a reality as to how society may treat this person."
Sidney said someone who commits to leading the life of the opposite sex may face "rejection and negativity."
The situation can be equally challenging for the parents, Sidney said.
There is a risk of depression for all those involved, she said, and the greatest obstacle can be talking about it and deciding how to deal with extended family, friends and the community.
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