In the XNUMXst century, it is an issue that unfortunately still worries some parents. It is normal to be afraid that they suffer from the homophobia that we have seen family, friends, acquaintances and loved ones in general suffer. We still have many prejudices about homosexuality and transsexuality, culturally accepted, which are only myths.
We will try to explain below the reasons why you should not treat your child differently after knowing this condition, which is innate in him, just as heterosexuality is in other people.
Homosexuality and transsexuality in history and in nature
Contrary to what you might think at first, homosexuality exists in nature. There are numerous scientific studies that demonstrate homosexual behaviors in all the species studied. There are even annotations in these studies that highlight the anecdote that relationships between males have never been classified as sex, but rather as domination. Which could happen out of ignorance or out of fear of ridicule from colleagues.
Another phenomenon that also occurs in nature is transsexuality, There being certain species that change sex, either in appearance or in its entirety, sex. An example could be the clown fish, the cute little fish that plays the character of Nemo, has the ability to change sex.
As for the homosexuality and human transsexuality have existed and will always exist, because biologically we are animals. It is true that a capacity for reasoning is supposed to exist in us, not demonstrated in animals. However, intelligence and reason have nothing to do with the sexual condition of each one.
Homophobia, transphobia and prejudice
Homophobia and transphobia is by definition the hatred or rejection of homosexuality to transsexuality and therefore to homosexual and transsexual people respectively. Like all phobias, it is a rejection that starts from the fear of something that is not known.
This fear is fueled by prejudice and that means that fear and rejection are based on judgments about things that are not really understood too much. The most common homophobic and transphobic prejudices are that boys have feminine or masculine behaviors, girls, who are predisposed to play the gender role of the other sex, etc. These are all myths, they are not necessarily true.
To begin with, assign a gender role, is already prejudiced, and it can even be harmful to your child. A girl can play with a soccer ball without being a lesbian or a transsexual, she just likes soccer. A boy can play with dolls and mean that he will be a great father, not necessarily because he is homosexual or because he feels like a woman.
Prejudices are always harmful to our children, whether others apply them to our children, or if our children apply them to others.
If a child is not homosexual or transsexual and is surrounded by prejudices, he can demonstrate aggressive behaviors against those who are, due to the development of a phobia and this is harmful for him. If a child is homosexual or transsexual and is surrounded by prejudices, it is very likely that he will apply them to others and to himself, damaging his self-esteem to unsuspected limits.
Therefore, we can say that in both cases prejudices are equally harmful.
How we parents should act in this situation
It is of utmost importance that let's educate our children from a young age in a sexual diversity. It is not necessary that we give them details, but rather that we explain reality to them in the simplest and most natural way possible. As we have already said, homophobia and transphobia are based on fear of the unknown. The more we educate on diversity, the less chance there is that there are prejudices that can feed it.
It is necessary to explain to them that love is love and that everyone must live according to what they feel. That a boy can love a girl or another boy in the same way, that there are boys who feel better being girls and girls who like being a boy more, nothing happens.
Especially, you don't have to put together a drama when you find out about their condition, however you find out. There is nothing wrong with it, it is not a mental illness, nor is it a physical one, it is not a disability. Your son is only different from you, he is like the one who has a vocation as a musician, teacher or engineer, nothing more.
There is no need to worry about the outside world, about the damage they will do to you. As long as they feel supported at home, nothing outside matters. They cannot do you more harm than you would because of your political ideas, or because of your religion, or because of a little understood work, etc.