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I respect your opinion. But I have seen rock-ribbed conservative families have one of their sons, often one with an older brother or two, be so affected. I’ve seen little masculinized girls from solid two parent decent families too. And conversely, I’ve seen very traditional gender play and identity from Heather and Hank with Two Mommies. I am sure the latter group is more comfy with homosexuality because they don’t know much else, but I think the child’s “play orientation” (children are not, and should not be, sexual) doesn’t depend on parents coddling.

And trying to beat an interest out of a child that young tells him he is “bad.”. It negates him as a human. Children should never be shamed until they are old enough to choose a wrong choice knowingly. I’m explaining that badly. Let’s put that differently: it’s not injuring a five-year-old who has sneaked a cookie before dinner to call him on it. But it is injurious to shame him for playing with his sister’s toys because he enjoyed it.

And remember that the child with loving parents WILL play with his sister’s Barbie no matter what. Most boys with their sister’s barbie will play like this:

- take off her clothes and laugh at the boobs
- cut her hair or some other wacky “mutilation”
- use her as a prop in his play world, like blow her up in a pretend war, or try to save her, or see what happens if you Vroom her around like a car

A feminized boy will play like this:

- Have her talk, play make believe with her
- comb her hair, fix it in styles
- change her clothes and talk about how pretty they are

It’s very different. And these are innocent kids who don’t have any political ideas about how they play. They just like toys and want to have fun.

We need to be as supportive of boys like that as the left is, and as we are of kids with other disabilities. It is NOT the fault of coddling parents who didn’t punish them enough. That is like saying that masculine boys were taught to be the wAy they are. They aren’t. They just are that way.