ABSTRACT draft

Traditional gender roles have a negative impact, especially on children. Traditional gender roles can absolutely make a child believe the worst about themselves and their abilities; the subsequent stigmas negatively affect a child’s psyche. Young children exposed to traditional gender roles will be more likely to perpetuate them later in life. Everyone can benefit from gender-neutral parenting. Some people totally miss the point of gender neutral parenting and proceed to spread the wrong information. Gender-neutral parenting is not trying to erase gender by being completely against femininity or masculinity, does not alter your child’s sexuality, and is not only for parenting trans* children. Children should be raised without traditional gender roles and as gender-neutral as possible to allow them to develop their own identity and ideas about gender and sexuality in general and in regards to themselves. 

OUTLINE draft

1. Introduction: I define my topic briefly and state my thesis.

1. Traditional gender roles have a negative impact on children. 

1. Traditional gender roles can absolutely make a child believe the worst about themselves and their abilities. (Jacobs & Eccles)

1. Traditional gender roles and subsequent stigmas negatively affect a child’s psyche. (Halim et al)

1. Young children exposed to traditional gender roles will be more likely to perpetuate them later in life. (Halim et al)
2. Many parents perpetuate traditional gender roles, making it hard for children to create their own ideas about gender and their own gender. (Leaper)

1. Gender-neutral parenting is extremely beneficial. 

1. GNP is not trying to erase gender by being completely against femininity or masculinity, does not alter your child’s sexuality, and is not only for parenting trans* children. (Lucas-Stannard)

1. Some people totally miss the point of gender neutral parenting and proceed to spread the wrong information. (Villalva)

1. People overreact to gender-neutral parenting when, in actuality, they do not understand. (Gibson)
2. Children that are forced into their sex-type stereotypes have a harder time developing their own identity. (Knafo et al)

1. Thesis statement: Children should be raised without traditional gender roles and as gender-neutral as possible to allow them to develop their own identity and ideas about gender and sexuality in general and in regards to themselves.

1. Background: Traditional gender roles and sex-typing

1. A child’s perception of self is developed by a combination of their sex, their sex-specific stereotypes, their teacher’s ability rating, and, most of all, their mother’s perception (which can be affected by their internalized misogyny) of them. (Jacobs & Eccles)

1. A family with traditional gender roles is going to probably raise a child with more positive ideals about traditional gender roles. (McHale et al)
2. The idea that men should be the head of the household and following traditional gender roles can be harmful for children and families. (Qualls) 
3. “Think Barbie saying “Math is Hard” and then ponder why so few women enter science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Think “boys don’t play with baby dolls” and then ponder why men don’t have the same skill level with newborns that women do”. (Lucas-Stannard)

1. A lot of girls go through a “phase” of rejecting all things girly and embracing traditionally masculine images. (Halim et al)

1. The older a child becomes, the more likely they were to participate in sex-typed activities. (Schuette & Killen)

1. Children pick up on gender-relative negative connotations when boys get praised for being strong, smart leaders, girls are being praised for their good looks and manners. (Halim et al)

1. school sexual education is lacking and is in need of a complete remodel, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. (Pyne)

1. Gender stereotypes greatly effected the psyche and ideals of people throughout their entire life. (Zucker)

1. Impact: Gender identity and sexuality

1. Gender binary classifies two separate sex/genders: ultra-feminine female and ultra-masculine male. 

1. From the very start, ideals about the separation of strict male and female genders are drilled into children’s heads.

1. The traditional gender binary causes people to have expectations for gender.

1. In ancient times, gender variations were not uncommon. (Chew)
2. There are biological and cognitive factors in gender development differences. (McGraw-Hill)
3. Gender differences in children raised by non-heterosexual couples are more accepted and understood. (Gato & Fontaine)

1. There are a lot of negative stigmas around non-heterosexual couples adopting children. (Gato & Fontaine)
2. “A child’s sexual orientation will be what it will be. Nothing a parent does will change that”. (Lucas-Stannard)

1. People are starting to recognize that some people find themselves outside the gender binary.

1. CJ is as an example of a child that falls outside the gender binary and should not have to conform or decide who, or even what, he is yet. (DiBlasi)
2. More and more places have started offering an “other” option beside male and female, but many continue to not recognize other genders. (Chew)
3. Without proper gender and sex education, children may believe they are “broken”, and that what they feel and who they are is incorrect. (Pyne)

1. FOR: Gender-neutral parenting

1. Raising children gender-neutrally can help children not feel so lost in their self-identification. (Pyne)

1. Recently, many children are identifying as non-binary and/or non-heterosexual at a younger age. (DiBlasi)
2. Some people have hard time labeling their gender and picking pronouns. (Chew)
3. Non-binary genders and other related topics are becoming more universally recognized. (Chan)
4. There are many factors that lead to gender identity issues in non-heterosexual youths. (Wood et al) 

1. Gender-neutral parenting is not a social experiment, but merely a way to expand what a child could and/or will become. (Lucas-Stannard)

1. Weighing all the physical and social repercussions from GNP can take a long time. (Parents Magazine)
2. Raising a child gender-neutrally can lead to questions from both parent and children who are not informed. (Parents Magazine)

1. Many people have ideas about how children should be raised, even if it is not their children.

1. Even when Sasha, a child raised with gender-neutral parenting, deemed traditional gender values stupid, a lot of people claimed that Laxton and Cooper’s parenting style was child abuse and brainwashing. (Gibson)
2. Children like CJ (Trans*) would benefit from gender-neutral parenting. (DiBlasi) 

1. People overreact to GNP when, in actuality, they do not understand.

1. Some people totally miss the point of gender neutral parenting and proceed to spread the wrong information. (Villalva)

1. A family with traditional gender roles is going to probably raise a child with more positive ideals about traditional gender roles. [why this is bad, reference above points] (McHale et al)

1. Conclusion: Gender-neutral parenting is the future. Gender-neutral parenting “expose[s] kids to a wide range of gender-types and give[s] them the freedom to explore without judgment those that call to them”. (Lucas-Stannard)

RATIONALE draft

I will define my topic (gender-neutral parenting) and explain why I think this issue is important (the negative impact of traditional gender roles). To further explain, I will make a few points about how bad traditional gender roles are, especially for children (see outline).  Then, I will explain more about gender-neutral parenting and the varying opinions on the matter. As I am not an esteemed expert on this topic, I will reference some of the well-known scholars I found in my research. I will paraphrase some of their research in order to provide background and context on my subject. At the end of my introduction, I will state my thesis in an obvious fashion so the themes I write about will not seem foreign to the reader and clearly make this an academic paper which will add to my credibility in this field. 

Chapter 13

A paper with proper organization is a better paper, as chapter 13 of the Bedford Researcher explains. When a reader can expect what will happen next in your document, they will be more engaged and interested. Choosing an organization pattern is one step in organizing your document. The Bedford Researcher has 10 examples of different organization patterns. By comparing your topic to the different organization patterns, it is easy to see what is the best fit. Organizing your evidence with labels, groups, or clusters can help you stay focused and keep your ideas together. With all of your evidence coordinated, you can go on to create an outline: first informal, then formal.

The last section of chapter 13 is very useful for what we are doing in class right now. As we create our outlines for the final research paper, these tips and instructions are just what I need. Having examples of the transitions from informal to formal topical and sentence outlines is really nice to see. Being able to really connect how the different outlines help an author succeed in writing an actual draft of their paper is interesting and makes writing an outline easier for me.

Chapter 19

The Bedford Researcher's chapter 19 continues the design theme of chapter 18. Chapter 19 is a broader view of how to design big-picture documents and presentations, versus chapter 18's general design rules.
This chapter has instructions for designing academic essays, multimodal essays, articles, web sites, and oral, multimedia, or poster presentations. Many of the instructions for each type of document or presentation are similar. The Bedford Researcher suggests and author consider their purpose first and foremost for each document or presentation. The tips for documents tend to be almost identical, with some variations depending on the medium. 

I will probably be able to utilize the information on design later in my life. Being able to create presentations that are both engaging and informative may help my end-goals. As my big-picture dream job is traveling to high schools talking about suicide prevention and good mental health, the subsections on oral, multimedia, and perhaps poster presentations will probably be useful. Even if I do not come back and reference this book when creating my presentations, the information I read is probably internalized and will help me create an interesting presentation that people can learn from. 

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of the Bedford Researcher is all about principles of design. Although we have been coached from childhood to "not judge a book by it's cover", it is an indisputable fact that design can sway how a person feels about something. A badly designed paper can create unsettled or even negative connotations in the reader, leading them to associate the topic with bad feelings. This is something no writer wants to happen. Using the top five principles of design, an author can create an aesthetically-pleasing paper so the reader can focus on the information. Balance, emphasis, placement, repetition, and consistency can help an author "accomplish [their] goals" (286). Different designs can convey different ideals. When considering a design for your paper, it is important to decide your goals. Are you designing for a purpose? Or for your readers? Or are you designing to address genre conventions? These are questions an author must answer before creating their paper's aesthetic.

The subsection on design elements of this chapter is very informative. This chapter explains how to further support your argument through design elements. Design elements are options like fonts, line spacing, alignment, layouts, color, shading, borders, and illustrations. This chapter's information on illustrations can be applied to my work on my research paper. By explaining how to use illustrations, the Bedford Researcher helps implementing more design elements into my paper easier.

Chapter 12

It is pretty obvious that a well-developed argument is essential in any research paper. Chapter 12 contains instructions on how to support your thesis statement with an accurate and unquestionable argument. Your "effective argument" is more of a game plan then just producing information about your topic. Using good reasons, authentic evidence, and authoritative appeal can construct an argument that boosts your thesis to make you, as an author, seem more legitimate. An argument can and should appeal to different parts or feelings people have. Arguments can appeal to authority, emotion, values, character, and/or logic. A well-made argument with integrity without fallacies is the best type.

A thesis statement is not as powerful without a strong, backing argument. An important part of an argument is ensuring it does not contain any fallacies. This chapter helps an author sift through their argument for questionable assumptions, misrepresentation, and careless reasoning. Some of the sources with a negative view of GNP I found in my research have fallacies based on these three categories. Even though the information may not be accurate, people can spread allegedly bad news and incorrect information through the power of assumption. This chapter can help me prove the negative articles wrong.

Chapter 11

Instructions for developing a thesis statement are found in chapter 11 of the Bedford Researcher. Thesis statements can be tricky and hard to create. It is important to continually reference your position and review your notes to find the right information and ideas you want to express in your thesis statement. Your thesis can be taken from a research question, feedback on sources, and an evaluation of any research done. The Bedford Researcher explains that a thesis statement is "the most important idea or argument you want to convey" (203) in your paper. Many authors have various drafts of their thesis statement before they decide on the best, most focused version.

This chapter explains how to make the best thesis statement for your topic. If a thesis statement is too broad, it does not do its job properly because it cannot be argued. Being able to draft your thesis by considering all aspects of your topic and project with this chapter is really nice to have. Your thesis statement essentially sets the tone for the whole paper. A weak, badly constructed thesis can make a reader feel negatively about your topic before they have even read your whole paper.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of the Bedford Researcher instructs writers on how to "write with style". This chapter includes instructions on how to keep your writing concise and how to consistently keep a point of view using active/passive voice correctly. There are many words and phrases authors should learn to avoid. Unnecessary modifiers and introductory phrases such as "really" or "very fine" and "there is" or "here are" clog up sentences and should be eliminated, a long with stock phrases. Too many words in a sentence may make an author feel more professional, but can just confuse the reader and could even change the sentence's meaning. Using passive and active voice can provide emphasis, but if used wrong or combined can make the author seem uneducated. This chapter also helps an author carefully choose their words to framing your argument. Distinguishing when it is appropriate to use formal language versus more casual or specialized language can help polish the written work.

This chapter's section on transitions is very useful. Transitions can make all of the difference in a paper, and having a lot of transitional words displayed and explained is useful in the writing process. As it is expected to reference other authors or scholars in my research paper, the subsection with examples on creatively introducing other authors will be very handy. A paper full of boring transitions or even no transitions is not a good paper.

Lit Review

Raising Children Gender-Neutral: The Parenting Style of the Future

Traditional gender roles have a negative impact, especially on children. Traditional gender roles include stereotypes like a breadwinning father and a homemaking mother. These sex-based stereotypes can prevent a child from establishing their own gender identity, sexuality, and sense of self. Traditional gender roles are perpetuated by religion, stereotypes, and misogyny (internalized or otherwise). Gender-neutral parenting (GNP) is the best way to raise children without the negative side effects of traditional gender roles. Gender-neutral parenting means avoiding raising a child either androgynously (completely without gender) or in a strict gender binary (sex and gender as only two completely separate forms of masculine males and feminine females). Some people believe that raising children gender neutrally can be harmful to the child and is simply forcefully pressing the parents’ beliefs on a young, impressionable future voter. This, however, is untrue. Children should be raised without traditional gender roles and as gender-neutral as possible to allow them to develop their own identity and ideas about gender and sexuality in general and in regards to themselves. Most articles I found and utilized in my research falls under three basic subjects: gender-neutral parenting, traditional gender roles and sex-typing, and gender identity and sexuality.

Gender-neutral parenting is the best way to allow a child to develop their own perceptions of self. Gender-Neutral parenting is a very controversial topic with a lot of wrong information out in the world. Paige Lucas-Stannard wrote "5 Myths About Gender Neutral Parenting” on EverydayFeminism.com in 2013 and introduces what gender-neutral parenting (GNP) actually is and attempts to clear up a few misconceptions. Lucas-Stannard explains that GNP is not trying to erase gender by being completely against femininity or masculinity, does not alter your child’s sexuality, and is not only for parenting trans* children. Lucas-Stannard clarifies that GNP is not a social experiment, but merely a way to expand what a child could and/or will become. Brittney R. Villalva has a very negative view on GNP that she wrote about in her article "Gender Liberation: The Harmful Effects of Raising Children 'Gender Neutral'" on ChristianPost.com. Her points are completely discredited by the aforementioned Everyday Feminism source. Villalva claims that GNP is a political statement that is harmful for children. This source to show how some people totally miss the point of gender neutral parenting and proceed to spread the wrong information.

Many people have ideas about how children should be raised, even if it is not their children. Megan Gibson wrote "Parents Who Hid Child's Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash” in a 2012 issue of Time Magazine. Beck Laxton and Kieran Cooper decided to not reveal their child Sasha’s gender to the world after he was born. Sasha was encouraged to play with all sorts of dolls and toys and wore whatever clothes he wanted to. After Sasha entered school, his parents decided it would be too difficult to keep his gender a secret. Many people and the media took interest in Sasha’s gender-neutral upbringing. Even though Sasha himself deemed traditional gender values stupid, a lot of people claimed that Laxton and Cooper’s GNP was child abuse and brainwashing. People overreact to GNP when, in actuality, they do not understand. It’s important that anyone, even people without children, educate themselves on various parenting styles including GNP. Parents Magazine published "Should You Raise a Gender-neutral Baby?" because deciding how to raise your child can be a tough decision. Weighing all the physical and social repercussions from GNP can take a long time. This article outlines most of the arguments around GNP. Raising a child gender-neutrally can lead to questions from both parent and children who are not informed. This article will be useful in showing both sides of the GNP discussion because it provides insight on many factors of GNP.

From the very start, ideals about the separation of strict male and female genders are drilled into children’s heads. Susan D. Witt wrote about traditional gender roles and what this means to children as they are developing in her article "Parental Influence on Children's Socialization to Gender Roles” published by Caly Poly College of Liberal Arts. Witt discusses how parents impact a child’s self-concept and how gender-neutral parenting is beneficial. However, Witt does call it androgynous parenting, which is not quite right. Janis E. Jacobs and Jacquelynne S. Eccles also wrote about children’s perception of self in "The Impact of Mothers' Gender-Role Stereotypic Beliefs on Mothers' and Children's Ability Perceptions" published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 1992 by the Research Center for Group Dynamics. The authors explain what factors create a child’s “perception of self”. A child’s mother has a very large influence on children’s thought about the world and themselves. Although their mother, and the mother’s internalized misogyny, is the most significant factor, a child’s sex, sex-related stereotypes, and a teacher’s ability rating all combine and effect how a child thinks of themselves and what they can do. Traditional gender roles can absolutely make a child believe the worst about themselves and their abilities. Campbell Leaper wrote “Parents’ Socialization of Gender in Children” in The Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Education in 2013 because A child’s gender may not match the sex and therefore gender they were assigned at birth. Campbell Leaper writes about families’ and especially parents’ effect on a child’s perception of their gender. Many parents perpetuate traditional gender roles, making it hard for children to create their own ideas about gender and their own gender. Home life and parents’ differential treatment of their children does have an impact on their gender development.

Even children are aware of the gender-based stereotypes and stigmas, as May Ling Halim and colleagues wrote in "Pink Frilly Dresses and the Avoidance of All Things ‘Girly’: Children's Appearance Rigidity and Cognitive Theories of Gender Development" published in The Social and Personality Psychology Compass in 2011. A lot of girls go through a “phase” of rejecting all things girly and embracing traditionally masculine images. The authors of this article discuss why this happens as children enter school. When boys get praised for being strong, smart leaders, girls are being praised for their good looks and manners. After seeing “tough” boys getting respect and “girly” girls being treated as trophies by adults, children pick up on these negative conceptions about their own genders. The authors show that traditional gender roles and subsequent stigmas negatively affect a child’s psyche. Young children exposed to traditional gender roles will be more likely to perpetuate them later in life. Ariel Knafo and colleagues wrote about sex-typing in "Masculine Girls and Feminine Boys: Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Atypical Gender Development in Early Childhood" published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2005. These authors studied children participating in sex-typed activities and how parent-encourage sex type actives are harmful to children. This article will be helpful in showing that children that are thrust into their traditional gender roles have a harder time developing their own identity.

Susan M. McHale and colleagues wrote on the same thread in "The Family Contexts of Gender Intensification in Childhood and Adolescence", published in Social Development in 2003. Boys and girls develop differently at adolescence. The authors of this article were curious if gender stereotypes and sex-role attitudes had any effect of this development. The authors found that family had the most impact of children’s development, which makes sense. A family with traditional gender roles is going to probably raise a child with more positive ideals about traditional gender roles. Families that perpetuate traditional gender roles negatively impact their child’s gender development. A lot of families rely on traditional gender roles for decision making. As William Qualls writes in "Changing Sex Roles: Its Impact Upon Family Decision Making" as published by The Association for Consumer Research in 1982, the idea that men should be the head of the household and following traditional gender roles can be harmful for children and families. Qualls looks further into what traditional gender roles means and what following them for decisions can do. Christine Schuette and Melanie Killen write about the impact of traditional gender roles on children at different times in their lives in "Children's Evaluations of Gender-Stereotypic Household Activities in the Family Context" published in Early Education & Development in 2009 by the University of Maryland. As children become older, their ideas about gender change.  The authors looked at three different ages: five, eight, and ten. Their research showed that the older a child became, the more likely they were to participate in sex-typed activities.

Recently, many children are identifying as non-binary and/or non-heterosexual at a younger age. Loren DiBlasi wrote about a couple raising a child, CJ, who they deemed “gender creative” in "Gender Creative Boy C.J. & Gender Non-Conforming Vs. Transgender" published by Recapo RSS. Though CJ identifies as the sex he was assigned at birth, he prefers traditionally feminine activities and dress. Though GNP is not discussed in this article, it seems that CJ would benefit from a more gender-neutral environment. CJ is as an example of a child that falls outside the gender binary and should not have to conform or decide who, or even what, he is yet. The traditional gender binary causes people to have expectations for gender. The author of "Gender Roles and Gender Differences” published in Gender Roles and Gender Differences by McGraw-Hill Higher Education outlines some of these standards and explains how these negatively affect a child. The author also describes biological and cognitive factors in gender development differences. The scientific definitions of non-binary “behavior” is useful in explaining what non-binary vs binary actually is.

Kristina Chew highlights the road blocks people are facing through their identifications in “Ze, Hir, Hirs; He, She, They: Which Pronouns Are You?" published by Care2. . One large problem is pronouns. More and more places have started offering an “other” option beside male and female, but many continue to not recognize other genders. Some people have hard time labeling their gender, and therefore have trouble picking their preferred pronouns. Chew also writes about ancient societies genders in stories, noting that gender variations were not uncommon. This source will probably not be useful, unless I write about how traditional gender roles can make non-binary children more comfortable. GrammarMudge also published an article about prounouns, entitled “The Great Pronoun Debate: An Attempt to Resolve a Touchy Issue”. Pronouns are a touchy subject, especially for people who do not understand the gender spectrum. This article outlines where pronoun differences come in and some historical information on pronouns. There is a lot of debate about using “they” as a singular pronoun, which is what some people prefer instead of “he” “she” or “ze”. This article explains why making singular “they” grammatically correct would be a good idea. Earlier in my process I had planned to focus on gender roles rather than GNP, so with my changed focus these sources are not as useful. People are starting to recognize that some people find themselves outside the gender binary. Gender binary classifies two separate sex/genders: ultra-feminine female and ultra-masculine male Amanda Chan writes "Gender Dysphoria: DSM-5 Reflects Shift In Perspective On Gender Identity" for The Huffington Post in 2013 about the definition of gender dysphoria found the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM), the most referenced and recognized mental health manual. People are starting to recognize that some people find themselves outside the gender binary. Gender binary classifies two separate sex/genders: ultra-feminine female and ultra-masculine male.  The DSM-5 recognizes gender dysphoria as distress rather than just an issue with identity. This source shows that non-binary genders and other related topics are becoming more universally recognized.

Hayley Wood and colleagues wrote about their research on correlations with gender dysphoria and sexuality in "Patterns of Referral to a Gender Identity Service for Children and Adolescents (1976-2011): Age, Sex Ratio, and Sexual Orientation”. These authors did a study and subsequently wrote about the factors that lead to gender identity issues in non-heterosexual youths. In recent times, it seems that many non-heterosexual youths with gender dysphoria also have an autism spectrum disorder. The authors note that even 10 years ago, this would have been a strange thing to see. This article provides context for gender dysphoria and other issues that non-heterosexual non-binary youths face. Jorge Gato and Anne Marie Fontaine also wrote about non-heterosexual couples’ children in "Anticipation of the Sexual and Gender Development of Children Adopted by Same-Sex Couples" published in The International Journal of Psychology. There are a lot of negative stigmas around non-heterosexual couples adopting children. Some “fear” that non-heterosexual couples will “make” their children prefer other genders than the opposite gender. However, this is a baseless claim. Jorge Gato and Anne Marie Fontaine write about how non-heterosexual parents are really not very different than heterosexual parents.  However, gender differences in children raised by non-heterosexual couples is more accepted and understood.

There are many studies done on the impact of gender roles on gender identity. Kenneth Zucker and colleagues wrote about their questionnaire in  "The Recalled Childhood Gender Identity/Gender Role Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties" published in Sex Roles in 2006. The authors of this questionnaire asked over 200 people 23 questions. The authors found that gender stereotypes greatly effected the psyche and ideals of people throughout their entire life. This questionnaire is hard evidence showing sex-related stereotypes and the effect on children’s development of their thoughts. Jake Pyne writes in his article "Gender Independent Kids: A Paradigm Shift in Approaches to Gender Non-conforming Children" published in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality in 2014 that school sexual education is lacking and is in need of a complete remodel, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. Pyne writes how important it is for gender fluid, non-binary, or transgender children to understand about themselves. Without proper gender and sex education, children may believe they are “broken”, and that what they feel and who they are is incorrect.

Raising children gender-neutrally can help children not feel so lost in their self-identification. Parents that do not conform to traditional gender roles will most likely be more open to their children, no matter their gender or sexuality. That being said, raising a child gender may not be easy. By making the decision to remove traditional gender roles in a society where gender is usually clearly separate, parents utilizing GNP ideals could potentially face a lot of backlash. Children raised gender-neutral may face extreme negativity from their peers that do not understand and were possibly raised with contrary ideals. However, the positive impact of gender-neutral parenting far outweighs any negative reactions the parent(s) and child may face. 

Annotated Bibliography

Works Cited

Lucas-Stannard, Paige. "5 Myths About Gender Neutral Parenting." Everyday Feminism. Everyday Feminism.. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/01/gender-neutral-parenting-myths/>.

Gender-Neutral parenting is a very controversial topic with a lot of wrong information. Paige Lucas-Stannard introduces what gender-neutral parenting (GNP) actually is and then clears up a few misconceptions. Lucas-Stannard explains that GNP is not trying to erase gender by being completely against femininity or masculinity, does not alter your child’s sexuality, and is not only for parenting trans* children. Lucas-Stannard finishes the article by clarifying that GNP is not a social experiment, but merely a way to expand what a child could and/or will become. I will use this source to attempt clear up some wrong assumptions about GNP.

Chew, Kristina. "Ze, Hir, Hirs; He, She, They: Which Pronouns Are You?" Care2. Care2. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.care2.com/causes/ze-hir-hirs-he-she-they-which-pronoun-are-you.html?page=1>.

People are identifying as genders outside of the gender binary (only two strict genders). Kristina Chew highlights the road blocks people are facing through their identifications. One large problem is pronouns. More and more places have started offering an “other” option beside male and female, but many continue to not recognize other genders. Some people have hard time labeling their gender, and therefore have trouble picking their preferred pronouns. Chew also writes about ancient societies genders in stories, noting that gender variations were not uncommon. This source will probably not be useful, unless I write about how traditional gender roles can make non-binary children more comfortable. Earlier in my process I had planned to focus on gender roles rather than GNP, so with my changed focus this article is not as useful.

Gato, Jorge, and Anne Marie Fontaine. "Anticipation of the Sexual and Gender Development of Children Adopted by Same-Sex Couples." International Journal of Psychology 48.3 (2013): 244-53. Ebsco. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2255/ehost/detail/detail?sid=e2749f4f-7f05-4aa6-beb3-97ff44c5580b%40sessionmgr4001&vid=0&hid=4212&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=89102291>.

There are a lot of negative stigmas around non-heterosexual couples adopting children. Some “fear” that non-heterosexual couples will “make” their children prefer other genders than the opposite gender. However, this is a baseless claim. Jorge Gato and Anne Marie Fontaine write about how non-heterosexual parents are really not very different than heterosexual parents.  However, gender differences in children raised by non-heterosexual couples is more accepted and understood. I will use this source to explain that non-heterosexual couples are actually superior (for lack of a better term) in raising their children with less normative views of gender and sexuality.

DiBlasi, Loren. "Gender Creative Boy C.J. & Gender Non-Conforming Vs. Transgender." Recapo RSS. Recapo. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.recapo.com/the-doctors/the-doctors-kids/gender-creative-boy-c-j-gender-non-conforming-vs-transgender/>.

Recently, many children are identifying as non-binary at a younger age. Loren DiBlasi writes about a couple raising a child, CJ, they deemed “gender creative”. Though CJ identifies as the sex he was assigned at birth, he prefers traditionally feminine activities and dress. Though GNP is not discussed in this article, it seems that CJ would benefit from a more gender-neutral environment. I will use CJ as an example of a child that falls outside the gender binary and should not have to conform or decide who, or even what, he is yet. 

Villalva, Brittney R. "Gender Liberation: The Harmful Effects of Raising Children 'Gender Neutral'" Christian Post. Christian Post. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.christianpost.com/news/gender-liberation-the-harmful-effects-of-raising-children-gender-neutral-68134/>.

Some people have very negative views on GNP. Brittney R Villalva has a very strong, anti-GNP stance. She writes points that the aforementioned source by Everyday Feminism completely discredits. Villalva claims that GNP is a political statement that is harmful for children. I will use this source to show how some people totally miss the point of gender neutral parenting and proceed to spread the wrong information.

Gender Neutral Bathroom Sign. Digital image. Liberty News. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://            www.libertynews.com/2013/04/word-police-throw-the-statute-book-at-gender-bias/>.

This is a picture within an article I am probably going to use on my cover page. It looks like a bathroom sign, with one person with half of the traditional female image basically copy/pasted next to the traditional male image.

"Gender Roles and Gender Differences." Gender Roles and Gender Differences. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072820144/student_view0/chapter15/index.html>.

Within the traditional gender binary, there are various stereotypes and expectations. The author of this source outlines some of these standards and explains how these negatively affect a child. The author also describes biological and cognitive factors in gender development differences. Having this source, with the scientific definitions of non-binary “behavior” will be useful in explaining what non-binary vs binary actually is.

Gibson, Megan. "Parents Who Hid Child's Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash." Time Magazine, 24 Jan. 2012. Time Magazine. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. <http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/24/parents-who-hid-childs-gender-for-five-years-now-face-backlash/>.

 Many people have ideas about how children should be raised, even if it is not their children. Beck Laxton and Kieran Cooper decided to not reveal their child Sasha’s gender to the world after he was born. Sasha was encouraged to play with all sorts of dolls and toys and wore whatever clothes he wanted to. After Sasha entered school, his parents decided it would be too difficult to keep his gender a secret. Many people and the media took interest in Sasha’s gender-neutral upbringing. Even though Sasha himself deemed traditional gender values stupid, a lot of people claimed that Laxton and Cooper’s GNP was child abuse and brainwashing. I will use this source to show how people overreact to GNP when, in actuality, they do not understand.

"The Great Pronoun Debate: An Attempt to Resolve a Touchy Issue." GrammarMudge. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/307084/22324.htm>.

Pronouns are a touchy subject, especially for people who do not understand the gender spectrum. This article outlines where pronoun differences come in and some historical information on pronouns. There is a lot of debate about using “they” as a singular pronoun, which is what some people prefer instead of “he” “she” or “ze”. This article explains why making singular “they” grammatically correct would be a good idea. This article is similar to the Care2 article, in that I probably will not reference it. The information is very interesting, however.

Halim, May Ling, et al. "Pink Frilly Dresses and the Avoidance of All Things "Girly": Children's Appearance Rigidity and Cognitive Theories of Gender Development." Social and Personality Psychology Compass 5/11 (2011): 933–949. Amodio Lab. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. <http://amodiolab.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Halim-Ruble-Amodio-2011.pdf>.

 Even children are aware of the gender-based stereotypes and stigmas. A lot of girls go through a “phase” of rejecting all things girly and embracing traditionally masculine images. The authors of this article discuss why this happens as children enter school. When boys get praised for being strong, smart leaders, girls are being praised for their good looks and manners. After seeing “tough” boys getting respect and “girly” girls being treated as trophies by adults, children pick up on these negative conceptions about their own genders. This article will be very useful in explaining how traditional gender roles negatively affect a child’s psyche.

Jacobs, Janis E., and Jacquelynne S. Eccles. "The Impact of Mothers' Gender-Role Stereotypic Beliefs on Mothers' and Children's Ability Perceptions." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63.6 (1992): 932-44. Research Center for Group Dynamics. University of Michigan. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. <http://www.rcgd.isr.umich.edu/garp/articles/jacobs92.pdf>.

A child’s mother has a very large influence on children’s thought about the world and themselves. The authors of this article explain what factors create a child’s “perception of self”. Although their mother, and the mother’s internalized misogyny, is the most significant factor, a child’s sex, sex-related stereotypes, and a teacher’s ability rating all combine and effect how a child thinks of themselves and what they can do. This article will be vital in showing how traditional gender roles can absolutely make a child believe the worst about themselves and their abilities.

Knafo, Ariel, Alessandra C. Lervolino, and Robert Plomin. "Masculine Girls and Feminine Boys: Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Atypical Gender Development in Early Childhood." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88.2 (2005): 400-12. Ebsco. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?sid=7e57c164-885d-410b-bb73-fb11fcd86c15%40sessionmgr114&vid=0&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=15956992>.

Young children exposed to traditional gender roles will be more likely to perpetuate them later in life. These authors studied children participating in sex-typed activities and how parent-encourage sex type actives are harmful to children. This article will be helpful in showing that children that are thrust into their traditional gender roles have a harder time developing their own identity.

Leaper, Campbell. "Parents' Socialization of Gender in Children." Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Education (2013). Ebsco. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. <http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/documents/LeaperANGxp1.pdf>.

A child’s gender may not match the sex and therefore gender they were assigned at birth. Campbell Leaper writes about families’ and especially parents’ effect on a child’s perception of their gender. Many parents perpetuate traditional gender roles, making it hard for children to create their own ideas about gender and their own gender. Home life and parents’ differential treatment of their children does have an impact on their gender development. This article is useful because it shows not only parents’, but also how siblings and parents’ treatment of different-gendered siblings impacts children’s gender development.

McHale, Susan M., Ann C. Crouter, and Shawn D. Whiteman. "The Family Contexts of Gender Intensification in Childhood and Adolescence." Social Development 12.1 (2003): 125-48. Sanchez Lab. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://www.sanchezlab.com/pdfs/familycontext.pdf>.

Boys and girls develop differently at adolescence. The authors of this article were curious if gender stereotypes and sex-role attitudes had any effect of this development. The authors found that family had the most impact of children’s development, which makes sense. A family with traditional gender roles is going to probably raise a child with more positive ideals about traditional gender roles. This article will be handy in supporting how negative traditional gender roles are and how families that perpetuate gender roles negatively impact their child’s gender development.

Pyne, Jake. "Gender Independent Kids: A Paradigm Shift in Approaches to Gender Non-conforming Children." Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 23.1 (2014): 1-8. Ebsco. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. <http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2255/ehost/detail/detail?sid=cf80e7b4-6219-4651-8d31-7afc3e693d35%40sessionmgr4002&vid=0&hid=4109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=95572517>.

Children are being raised with incorrect understandings of gender. Jake Pyne writes that it is becoming increasingly more important to understand children who do not fit the traditional male or female gender. School sexual education is lacking and is in need of a complete remodel, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. Pyne writes how important it is for gender fluid, non-binary, or transgender children to understand about themselves. This article will be useful in providing ideas for how to conduct gender-neutral teaching (in sexual education classes) to support gender-neutral parenting. 

Qualls, William J. "Changing Sex Roles: Its Impact Upon Family Decision Making." Association for Consumer Research (1982): 267-70. NA- Advances in Consumer Research. 14 Oct. 2014. Ebsco. <http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=6006>.

A lot of families rely on traditional gender roles for decision making. As William Qualls writes, the idea that men should be the head of the household and following traditional gender roles can be harmful for children and families. Qualls looks further into what traditional gender roles means and what following them for decisions can do. This article will be useful in further explaining what traditional gender roles are and why they are a bad thing.

"Should You Raise a Gender-neutral Baby?" Parents Magazine. Parents Magazine Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.parents.com/parenting/gender-neutral-parenting/>.

Deciding how to raise your child can be a tough decision. Weighing all the physical and social repercussions from GNP can take a long time. This article outlines most of the arguments around GNP. Raising a child gender-neutrally can lead to questions from both parent and children who are not informed. This article will be useful in showing both sides of the GNP discussion because it provides insight on many factors of GNP.

Witt, Susan D. "Parental Influence on Children's Socialization to Gender Roles." Caly Poly College of Liberal Arts. Web. 04 Oct. 2014. <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~bmori/syll/311syll/Witt.html>.

From the very start, ideals about the separation of strict male and female genders are drilled into children’s heads. Susan Witt writes about traditional gender roles and what this means to children as they are developing. Witt discusses how parents impact a child’s self-concept and how gender-neutral parenting is beneficial. However, Witt does call it androgynous parenting, which is not quite right. This source will be useful by supporting Janis Jacobs’ and Jacquelynne Eccles’ research.

Wood, Hayley, Shoko Sasaki, Susan J. Bradley, Devita Singh, Sophia Fantus, Allison Owen-Anderson, Jerald Di Giacomo, Kenneth J. Bain, and Kenneth J. Zucker. "Patterns of Referral to a Gender Identity Service for Children and Adolescents (1976-2011): Age, Sex Ratio, and Sexual Orientation.". Web. 05 Oct. 2014. Ebsco. <http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=67c8f207-58ab-4986-94f4-c321c08e51b1%40sessionmgr111&vid=2&hid=116>.

There is science and research done on correlations with  gender dysphoria and sexuality. These authors did a study and subsequently wrote about the factors that lead to gender identity issues in non-heterosexual youths. In recent times, it seems that many non-heterosexual youths with gender dysphoria also have an autism spectrum disorder. The authors note that even 10 years ago, this would have been a strange thing to see. This article will be useful in providing context for gender dysphoria and other issues that non-heterosexual non-binary youths face.

Zucker, Kenneth, Janet N. Mitchell, Susan J. Bradley, Jan Tkachuk, James M. Cantor, and Sara M. Allin. "The Recalled Childhood Gender Identity/Gender Role Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties." Sex Roles 54.7/8 (2006): 469-83. Ebsco. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2067/docview/225372877?accountid=2203>.

There are many studies done on the impact of gender roles on gender identity. The authors of this questionnaire asked over 200 people 23 questions. The authors found that gender stereotypes greatly effected the psyche and ideals of people throughout their entire life. This questionnaire will be useful in showing hard evidence about sex-related stereotypes and the effect of children’s development of their thoughts.