While transgenders in India struggle to be recognised, accepted as members of the society with regular jobs and benefits, across the ocean, in the USA, a different story is in play. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have consulted a transgender expert to address the gender issues of their nine-year-old child, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, the Hollywood couple’s first biological child is known for her tomboy style, and while there is nothing unusual about girls dressing up as tomboys, her parents now believe that Shiloh’s identity may be more about gender than fashion.
What’s more, in 2008, Brad Pitt told Oprah Winfrey that Shiloh preferred to go by the name John or Peter- a decision they supported.
And now the parents want to make sure Shiloh isn’t just a “tomboy” and wasn’t influenced into wearing suits – rather than dresses – by older brothers, Maddox, 14, and Pax, 11.
It seems like a very liberal and progressive decision, compared to the discrimination that other people with confused gender identities face. And a source close to the couple even told In Touch Weekly, “Brad and Angelina were only coming from a place of love and only wanting the best for Shiloh and that neither Shiloh, nor either of her parents, have concretely labeled her as ‘transgender’.”
On the other hand, it also seems like the couple may have jumped the gun. True, their daughter prefers a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to dresses, and likes to be addressed as John. But that isn’t unusual among girls while growing up. And the odd ones do extend it to a point where they prefer not to be called by their ‘feminine’ name. Regardless of whether they grow out of it entirely, it isn’t always a manifestation of confused gender identities. ‘More like a fad’ is what people would say.
But psychologists disagree. “When we start calling it a fad, we are putting down more people that way,” says Magdalene Jeyarathnam, a family counsellor from Chennai. “At the age of three, children with limited outside influences are very clear about their gender identitites. Phrases like ‘I am a boy’ and ‘I am a girl’ are uttered very confidently. But even then, if a child begins to question their gender, it’s something to watch out for. By the age of nine, most transgenders are fairly certain about what their gender should be.”
“Besides,” she added, “sex change becomes easier if it is tackled before puberty, so when hormonal changes occur in the body during puberty, their bodies grow along with it. The longer you wait, the less easy it is to switch genders, especially since your mental make-up is already set.”
Clinical psychologist, Sonali Gupta, from Mumbai, agreed and pointed out that parents reaching out is not unusual. “I have had Indian parents reaching out to me when their child was six or seven years old regarding gender issues because their child was teased at school,” she said. “Some of them are genuinely concerned about where this is going, how can they help and so on. It’s all contemplative, we don’t know what triggered Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to consult an expert, but it’s likely that they were genuinely concerned. Besides, puberty hits early for most kids nowadays, so the age of nine isn’t all that early either.”
“There are no concrete answers,” said the source close to the celebrity couple. “Shiloh could be a tomboy and as a teenager could become the most girly girl. Brad and Angelina are committed to giving Shiloh a loving family environment.”
Image Courtesy: Reuters
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