Does Baby REALLY Need a Gender??????

I recently came across an article in the news about a family who just revealed the 'gender' of their child, 5 years AFTER that child was born. Every few years I come across this.  News coverage of a family who has decided to take Lois Gould's 'X: A Fabulous Child's Story' to life.  And every few years there is social up roar.

"Why on earth would parents do such a thing to their child?"
"Don't they care about him? her? it?"
"They must just want attention!"

But perhaps there is merit to their madness after all?
While I do believe 'males' and 'females' are genetically inclined towards some traits and tendencies I also firmly believe that much if not the majority of our current gender constructs are primarily artificial and cultural based.  From the moment of birth (and for some with that first ultrasound) gender is the key focal point.  Baby is born and they announce "It's a (insert sex here)".  And it doesn't stop there.  Each and every time those parents share the news of their new baby it's ALWAYS accompanied with a mention of what gender that baby is.  And why is that?  I speculate it has absolutely NOTHING to do with penises or vaginas!  The gender needs to be known so that us bigger people will know how to interact with that baby.  What words to use, what tone to say them in, what movements to make, what gifts to give.  All those things are dependent one what gender the baby is.  Unfortunately, we don't have a schema on how to interact with a gender-neutral baby.  It's no wonder the parents who have chosen this route for their children have been confronted with such social conflict.  We outsiders just don't know how to interact outside of our gendered boxes!

So what is the point of denying a child a gender?  Are there actual benefits?
Well, gender stereotypes most certainly do put restrictions on what us humans are socially 'allowed' to do.  By denying a child a gender, one is also eliminating any potential gender taboos.   They would have no feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment for their preferences which may have evoked ridicule in our 'real gendered world'.  Without societal pressures that child would be fully enabled to pursue their own endeavors and essentially become true to themselves.  There are no silly culturally constructed gender limitations or barriers in a genderless world!

But things are better now aren't they?  Girls are 'allowed' to do anything boys can do!  Right?  And boys can do anything a girl can do?  Moms say it all the time.  "My son loves to cook in his toy kitchen" or "My daughter plays with toy trucks"  but even with that layer of acceptance there is still a deep ingrained gendered understanding that there are certain things boys do and certain ways boys act that contradict with girl interests and behaviors.  It's evident everywhere!  In movies, in books, in classrooms, at the mall, and in the home.  A boy may be 'allowed' and 'encouraged' to play with dolls but he will eventually observe that doll playing is not a 'typical' boy behaviour.  Depending on his personality he will either A. abandon this feminine past-time or B. rebel and continue with the feminine behavior.  If a child chooses B it does not mean that that child does not feel the social pressure, it means he has chosen to defy it.  In a genderless world, this conflict would not exist.

So back to the question, are there benefits to denying a child a gender?
In my opinion, probably not.  While I agree with the motive and theory behind such action, there is one giant flaw that cannot be ignored.  Children are observers.  They watch and they learn.  Gender inequality is a societal problem.  Unless one was to completely isolate the child from society, being genderless will not have full effectiveness as that child WILL learn gendered behaviour second hand because it is EVERYWHERE.  It is in books and at stores and even lingers around the playground.  Exposure is inevitable.