~Genderless Baby~

Dabs

~Unpredictable~
May 13, 2011
8,144
1,481
48
~Tennessee~
How many have heard the story of this family, who have a 4 month old baby, but nobody but the parents, the siblings and the doctors know the sex of the child??
The parents want the child to decide for itself what it wants to be, a boy or a girl, so they have chosen to keep the baby's gender a secret!
How odd....what's everyone's opinion??
This is the article I obtained from my homepage.

www.parentdish.com/2011/05/31/paren...peak-out/?cid=maing-grid7|dl1|sec1_lnk3|67036


Following a flurry of criticism stemming from the announcement she and her family would raise their child as gender-neutral, the mother of Storm Stocker is speaking out.

Kathy Witterick, the Canadian mother of the 4-month-old baby, and her husband, David Stocker, 39, sent an email to friends and family following Storm's New Year's Day birth, letting it be known just a select few -- including the parents, midwives, a close friend and the couple's two sons, Kio, 2, and Jazz, 5, would know Storm's sex.

"We decided not to share Storm's sex for now -- a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a standup to what the world could become in Storm's lifetime," they wrote.

The family has declined any interviews since the story grabbed headlines following a report in the Toronto Star May 21, but Witterick defends the decision in a letter to the Edmonton Journal, published May 30.

"I'm shy and idealistic, and all my life I've worked in the field of abuse and violence prevention," Witterick writes. "... Jazz is 5 years old. Since he was a young baby, he's enjoyed color, texture and vibrancy. ... As Jazz grew, his love of bright colors (especially pink) and lots of fabric (especially dresses) continued, and he wanted to grow his hair. The older he became, the more he met with pressure from peers and adults to adjust his image and 'act more like a boy.' Jazz remained committed to his own style."

Witterick writes that Jazz, while listening to "Free to be You and Me" soon before Storm's birth, began asking questions about how people would treat Storm should he, too, like to wear pink one day.

"There are these moments as a parent when you wish your child could bring a different issue to the table -- but there it is, plop! And if you really mean what you say about being kind, honoring difference, having an open mind and placing limits thoughtfully where they help children develop competencies and be safe, then you better walk the talk," she writes.

"We agreed to keep the sex of our new baby private."

Witterick writes that the family believed people would understand their decision, and that the global frenzy that instead ensued was a big surprise.

"The strong, lighting-fast, vitriolic response was a shock," she writes. "These voices demonstrate how much parents are in the world's critical eye -- in particular mothers, who are judged based on little (mis)information and not offered opportunities to share, grow, learn and be supported and celebrated by the community to raise children."

Witterick writes that the family has declined all interviews, but they want the world to know they did not ask their children to keep Storm's sex a secret.

"Secrets are not safe and healthy," she writes. "... If I had to convince my children not to share Storm's sex (which I don't because my children simply are not interested at this point) -- I would teach them that someone else's genitals and sense of how they relate to their gender is their private business, to be shared by them or in a context where safety, acceptance and sensitivity are paramount."

For now, Witterick writes, the decision of gender will be up to Storm.

"Storm is my third child and this is what I know -- some day soon, Storm will have something to say about it, so in the meantime, I'm just listening carefully."
 
Last edited:
Another article from a different site.

'The View' discusses 'genderless' baby: Parents keep child's sex a secret -- what do you think? - Pop2it - Zap2it


On traditional birth announcements, parents proudly tell their friends a few things about their newborn: The child's birthdate, weight, length, and sex. One family in Toronto has opted not to share their baby's sex with friends and family.

"We've decided not to share Storm's sex for now--a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm's lifetime," they wrote on the announcement.

The only people who know whether Storm was born male or female are the baby's two brothers, a close friend, and two midwives. Even the grandparents have been kept in the dark (despite Whoopi Goldberg's comment in the video below.)

The hosts of "The View" weighed in on the unusual situation on Thursday morning. "I don't get it," Joy Behar says. "It's like, when the baby was born, they said, 'Congratulations, it's an it!'"

According to Barbara Walters, The "Today" show did a poll of 52,000 people, 11% of whom said this was a great idea, but 89% thought it was "terrible."

"It troubles me that this seems to be some sort of social experiment where they're using their child to send a message to everybody else," Elisabeth Hasselbeck adds. "I think that's selfish."

"I get it," Whoopi Goldberg says noting that people used to think her own daughter was a boy because of the overalls she wore.
 
Last edited:
This is a photo of baby Storm.
So, do you think the baby favors more the looks of a boy...or a girl??
I think the baby looks more like a little boy.
 

Attachments

  • $storm_rightsize.jpg
    $storm_rightsize.jpg
    23.9 KB · Views: 68
This is a photo of baby Storm.
So, do you think the baby favors more the looks of a boy...or a girl??
I think the baby looks more like a little boy.
I do to to. But I'll guarantee the babys' sex is on the Birth Certificate. If that kid grows up wanting to be a girl then finds out he's really a boy, wouldn't that be considered child abuse or neglect? What a fucked up thing to do to a kid just to show the world how "with it" and "modern" you are.
 
This is a photo of baby Storm.
So, do you think the baby favors more the looks of a boy...or a girl??
I think the baby looks more like a little boy.
I do to to. But I'll guarantee the babys' sex is on the Birth Certificate. If that kid grows up wanting to be a girl then finds out he's really a boy, wouldn't that be considered child abuse or neglect? What a fucked up thing to do to a kid just to show the world how "with it" and "modern" you are.

Yes I agree.
I can't imagine doing this to a child, that's part of the joy of having a baby, finding out if it's a boy or a girl, and sharing with others. So these people- wonder what they tell people when strangers come up to them and say- "Oh how cute, is it a boy or a girl??"
Seriously, I wish I could hear their response.
 
Stigmatizing your own child for life in a misguided attempt to 'make a point', strikes me as outrageously selfish, stupid and short-sighted.

But whatcha gonna do? :dunno:
 

Forum List

Back
Top