The Stockers Essay

The Stockers are a Canadian family who has recently earned the appellation of “the most politically correct family in the world”. The family earned this title after the parents made the life-altering decision to keep the gender of their third child, Storm, hidden from everyone except themselves, Storm’s siblings, a close family friend, and two midwives who helped deliver Storm two years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Stocker claim that they are letting Storm decide his or hers own gender because they do not want the child to be bullied in the future due to being labeled as “straight” or “gay” by society. I disagree with the Stocker’s choice because I believe that letting the toddler decide his or her own gender is a decision that will be counterproductive to the parents’ purpose in the long run. Letting an underdeveloped mind decide whether it is a boy or girl before it has a concept …show more content…
That Storm lacks a gender indicates that he or she will one day lack a large part of his or hers personal identity. Storm will not know how to perceive him or herself and will be unable to find others that can help figure out who Storm Stocker really is, because this child’s parents have caused him or her to be predestined for alienation. Feeling obligated to deviate from social norms, Storm is likely to end up homosexual, assuming that his or her parents would abhor the idea that their child is heterosexual and following the inherent norms of society. That Storm could be so influenced by his or her parent’s decision to hide their child’s gender completely undermines the Stocker’s premise that hiding a child’s gender from the world is a “tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation.” Storm has no choice in the life he or she leads because the Stockers are refusing to educate him or her on the behaviors of both boys and girls, which will hinder Storm both socially and emotionally when