Who’s wrong and who’s right?

Gender identity is not a new issue just one that has not been publically discussed in past decades. I know in my childhood and teenage years if you acted differently you stayed hidden in the closet so to speak. Then generations begin to change and people were referred to as “gay”. I believe people are people but I do know my cultural and religious beliefs teach me that homosexuality is wrong. I have friends that are homosexual and I do not judge them. I don’t understand so who am I to say what’s right or wrong. In this week’s video about the two families who ponder over their son’s gender identities was interesting. I did not even think about these differences surfing at such young years of age. Dr. ZUCKER suggest the more you engage in a behavior, the more likely it's going to continue. This is true. The more we engage in behaviors and habit the more it forms our identity or mold us to be who we are. Dr. EHRENSAFT states: If we allow people to unfold and give them the freedom to be who they really are, we engender health. And if we try and constrict it or bend the twig, we engender poor mental health. I agree with both doctors. So my question is: How do we as educators respond to children’s play preferences in the classrooms. I teach pre-k exceptional children and we encourage all centers of play to all genders. Are we doing the right thing? I think so. Boys have an opportunity to play in housekeeping while my girls have an opportunity to build with blocks. Resource Audio: Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons' gender identity: Psychologists take radically different approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences (22 minutes)