[markomalley]

Full title: Why I let my son live as a girl: Mother of boy who returned to school in a skirt bravely tells her extraordinary story

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This "mother" has done almost surely irreparable damage to her son.

[Tanniker Smith]

I was just reading this on digg. Had to comment. I'll be branded one of the "insensitive bigots" for sure.

The child needs help and the parent is enabling the condition rather than treating it.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Boy in a skirt—I’m thinking of Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” here.

[coloradan]

Livvy might be a chimera, in which case the mother is exonerated.

[Tanniker Smith]

By the way, if anyone is on digg.com, here's the link to the comment thread:

http://digg.com/news/offbeat/why_i_let_my_son_live_as_a_girl_mother_of_boy_who_returned_to_school_in_a_skirt_bravely_tells_her_extraordinary_story.

There are only a few sane people on the thread at the moment, and, sadly, the most outspoken one also has the foulest mouth, and isn't really forwarded the argument in a way I can give a Thumbs Up to.

[humblegunner]

I thought this would be a Justin Bieber thread.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

I knew he’d have to get tough or die...

[Jack Hydrazine]

Why not just send the lesbian, homosexual, transvestite, and bi-sexual students to a school where they can all be one in their deviancy?

[Anima Mundi]

Bravery isn’t what it used to be.

[Cowboy Bob]

I didn't bother to read the story...

But I'm wondering - is there a father?

[HomeAtLast]

If I click on the link, is there any hope at all of seeing the phrase “the boy’s father?”

[G Larry]

Parents need to learn to parent again.
This requires they play the roll of the adult and not indulge every crazy notion that enters the kids head.

[mrs. a]

I read the article...the father says they are “just a normal family”...why do all these families with weirdness running amok keep referring to themselves as “normal”? I’d respect them more if they said, “Our family is different and this is how we are dealing with it.” But to insist that they are “normal” shows a lack of knowledge of both statistics and natural law.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Prison Counsellor: Why do you say you feel “trapped” in a man’s body?
“Trapped” Convict: Well, sometimes I get them menstrual cramps real hard.
-Raising Arizona (1987)

[texmexis best]

The key to the story is the name Livvy. Neither male nor female.

This kid should be removed and the parents prosecuted.

[blueunicorn6]

Never have so few, done so much, to help so many, have a really good laugh.

[jtal]

Hmm ... have they checked this child’s testosterone levels? I think I’d start there and see if there is a problem there before I went along with this.

Even so, I think it best to make the kid nut it out until he’s 18. Then he if he wants to pull a chaz then it’s his problem.

I can’t beliee they are seriously considering (female) hormone replacement ON A GROWING CHILD!?

[Pollster1]

This is not a common mental illness, but the "remove male genitalia" manifestation is not its only form:

http://www.biid.org/

When a person's idea of how they should look does not match their actual physical form, it can be caused by Body Integrity Identity Disorder. This condition affects a small percentage of the population and is commonly manifested by a desire to have an amputation of a specific body part. In most cases, the limb that the person would like to remove is actually in healthy working order and there are no physical problems with it.

Many psychologists and neurologists have ventured theories into what causes this type of thought. The common leading idea is that Body Integrity Identity Disorder, or BIID, occurs when the brain is not able to provide an accurate plan of the body. In this case, the brain sees the offending limb as being foreign and not actually a part of the person, thus the desire to have it removed.

Some medical experts have also come up with theories that explain a more psychological source of the issues. One of these theories is that a a person with BIID may have seen an amputee at an earlier age and this image has replaced their own thoughts about what constitutes the ideal person. Therefore, to become a better person, they feel that a certain limb or appendage will have to be amputated. Unfortunately, there are no known surgeons that will carry out this type of amputation without a medical reason to perform the operation. In the most severe cases, a person with BIID may do bodily harm to the limb that they would like to have removed, thus necessitating an amputation operation. Others manage to cope with the illness by using canes and prosthetic attachments to help them feel complete. Cases of BIID are often separated into those which have an actual physical problem and those for whom the issue is psychological in nature.

I wonder if this mother would be as supportive if her son wanted to remove an arm or a leg as she is of his illness as it is displayed. It's sad when a child has mental illness, and even worse when a parent exacerbates the problem.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

This "mother" has done almost surely irreparable damage to her son.

I can't believe a boy or girl would want to wear the clothes of the other sex without serious parental maladjusting. Hopefully, this kid will get the ultimate victory and revenge over this perversity by choosing to be a normal, healthy man when he comes to the age of decision and freedom to really think for himself.

[JHL]

I spent some time in the UK this summer. I was shocked at how far that nation has gone down the road of cultural decline. All I could think was "is this the same country that gave us Kipling and Churchill? "

If you want a picture of where America is headed in a few years, visit the UK. I weep for that once-proud nation.

[madprof98]

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the progression in this propaganda campaign. First, we were told that behavior once treated as both a crime and a mental illness--homosexuality--was perfectly normal and even cause for celebration. Those who disagreed were written off as bigots. Now that the public has bought that line, we're told that transvestites and other "gender challenged" people are also perfectly normal and should be encouraged in their perversion. And, of course, the pedophiles are also waiting in the wings for social affirmation.

All coming soon to an elementary school near you!