Censorship as a means of escaping what you find unpleasant

You know what's awkward? Trying to explain your transition to little kids. Not just your little brother and sister, but people around their age. Like their friends.

Little Sister and Youngest Little Brother tend to introduce me to people as, "(Girl name), my big sister." When this happens I have two options:

a) Ignore it

b) Correct them

Option b usually leads to responses from the friend such as:

a) "Huh?"

b) "I don't get it."

c) "Why?"

d) (blank stare)

This usually results in reprimands from my parental units for:

a) talking about something that "should be kept private"

b) "confusing the kids"

c) it's embarrassing for them when the kids' parents learn of my transition

I tend to be of the opinion that there is no such thing as too young. I am 100% opposed to censorship in any way, shape, or form. And not a hypocritical kind of opposed, like people who are anti-censorship until you say something that offends THEM and they go off on you. No, I think that everyone has a right to an opinion. EVERYONE. Where we run into problems is when people go around insisting that they're right and other people are wrong and bothering everybody else who has a right to an opinion.

People make such a big deal of what kids should and shouldn't know. They throw temper tantrums and ban books from schools and insist that certain kids aren't old enough for certain information about LGBT people and Harry Potter and The Hobbit.

People get so up in arms about kids "not being old enough" to know that their older sibling or friend's older sibling is gay or lesbian or transitioning or pagan or sexually active, but these people will freely give their kids information about the war with Iraq and slavery and living conditions in third world countries. And then they try and impose their agenda on the rest of the country. Are any of these situations really better or worse than another?

People go off and say that being LGBT is:

a) a choice, and/or

b) a moral issue

Yet you'll tell your kids all about how soldiers bravely murder each other to solve conflict (oxymoron much?) and how a woman who was raped has no right to abort the wonderful permanent reminder her rapist has given her of her traumatic experience or refuse to tell them that Uncle Joe's "friend" is really the person he's madly in love with and wants to spend the rest of his life with and also get some action on the side.

Simple solution: don't impose your agenda on the rest of the world

Your opinion is your opinion, folks. You are going to do what you will, regardless of how much I bitch and moan about it on this blog. And to be honest, I'm not going to stop you because it's your decision and I'd be a damn hypocrite if I tried.

If you think YOUR kid is too young to know that gays exist or read Harry Potter or whatever, then by all means, feel free to take whatever action you feel is necessary to prevent your kid from being exposed to whatever it is you don't want them exposed to.

But please. Don't take steps to prevent EVERYONE'S kids from being exposed to whatever it is you have a problem with.

I will be that parent whose kids know everything about everything you don't want your kids to know about. And I will have explained to my children why I believe certain things are okay or not okay. My reasoning for this is that I want my kids to know how the world is, both good and bad. Like it or not, gay people and pagans and sushi exist. I hate sushi with a passion bordering on violence. But you know what? When I have kids, I'm going to expose them to sushi. You know why? Because sushi exists and at some point in their lives, against my wishes or not, they will encounter sushi. Trying to prevent them from being exposed to things will only serve to confuse them when they're finally exposed to it.

I've seen kids who have been sheltered their entire lives, and who are thoroughly incapable of handling certain types of people or situations because the adults in their lives prevented them from exposure to such things.

My point is, stuff in the world exists. As much as we try and deny it, it does. From gays to trannies to pagans to sex to sushi.

I may sound a little bit judgmental, and I'll admit that I'm a bit biased on this point. But as I said before, I do believe that everyone is allowed their own opinion and I won't stop anyone from doing what they will based on their own judgment calls.

It is my own personal opinion, however, that it would be better for people to tell their kids why they believe certain things are right or wrong, and live as an example of their beliefs (whatever those beliefs may be) than making a big fuss and trying to keep kids from being exposed to things that, when you get down to it, ARE JUST PART OF LIFE.

Which is why I usually don't ignore it when I get introduced as a girl.