Raised Without Gender

With recent victories for the trans rights movement and more young people defining as something other than “male” or “female” than ever before, VICE host Amelia Abraham goes to Sweden - the world’s most forward thinking country when it comes to questioning gender - to find out what it’s like to grow up without the gender binary.

In Sweden, the gender neutral pronoun “hen” has been in the national dictionary since 2015 and is now commonly used by most Swedes, the Swedish government’s school plan has since 1998 forbidden enforcing gender stereotypes, and government funded gender neutral kindergartens with gender aware teachers has made it possible for families to raise their children without a set gender identity, something that often sparks controversy in the foreign press.

Amelia spends time with one of these gender non-conforming families, mapa (mom and dad) Del LaGrace Volcano who was born intersex (both male and female), the children Mika (5) and Nico (3) and their grandma Margareta. She visits Mika and Nico's gender aware kindergarten to find out what the teachers and the other kids make of Mika’s gender expression.She also meets the founder of Sweden’s gender-neutral kindergartens, Lotta Rajalin, to learn how they go about deleting gender norms from education, as well as psychiatrist Dr Eberhard who is against Sweden’s attitude to gender in kindergartens.

[CrayLabs]

I'd love to see an update to these kids after they enter teenagerhood and see how this has affected them

[hannahcampbell]

"why doesn't mika want to talk about gender?" because they are 5 years old and clearly tired of a gender obsessed household

[moonmomyeehaw]

I really want an update/ a future interview where the children are able express their thoughts clearer

[olgaskold]

When the kid ask "Do you always have to say that?" said it all.

[lucydoherty]

You should do a follow up on this family in 10years

[renatad.]

Asking a child every day who they want to be must be confusing and frustrating for them.

[wulfric]

"Why do you think Mika doesn't like to talk about gender"
Me: probably cause Mika is five!

[francisnicolas]

Interviewer: What are your favorite clothes?
Child: SPIDERMAN

[soyboy]

Very curious how thede kids will be in the future. Can we get an update video when they are in uni?

[ninjasylph]

I think avoiding gender stereotypes on toys and roles is good, but acting like gender does not exist seems dumb.

[allysonreneeelyse]

The kid who said "playing with everyone is the most fun" made me wanna cry, what a sweetheart

[karenbarth-vtof]

During our childhood in a Catholic country in Southern Europe, over 50 years ago, my siblings and I played with the same toys. When my mother painted her nails we all asked her to paint ours, boys and girls, and she painted each of us one nail. Although the boys didn't wear dresses, we girls wore their clothes when they outgrew them. Today we are all straight middle-aged individuals.

[waurennn]

Mika literally doesn’t understand any of the gender talk, which is clear when he said “just call me Mika”.

[PigIA]

Yeah, even as a trans person, this seems like crossing the line. The parents seem well intentioned, but they’re going about it all wrong. What you’re doing is making the kid care even more about gender by constantly asking them about it. 98% of the time, the kid is probably gonna end up embarrassed about this.

[MaryJane]

I wish you had interviewed teenagers that were raised without gender identity. I would like to know how they feel about that choice given to them by their parents. I have a 5y/o granddaughter, she loves to wear what she calls “twirley” skirts and dresses. She also wears jeans. She plays with trucks and dolls, climbs trees and jumps on the trampoline. We don’t ask her if she wants to be a boy or a girl. She is what she is. Had she been born a Hermaphrodite, we would have let the child find its own way, and choose whatever gender felt comfortable.

[im.claire]

I love how all the kids play together, at my school the boys would never play with the girls and they only bullied them, and the teachers just treated it as something normal

[lindsay_carv]

Mika doesn't like to talk about pronouns because Mikas exhausted with the constant talk of gender identity

[sicksadflower]

Mika literally said “why do you always ask that” he’s tired of hearing it cuz he’s a CHILD he wants to play not change his gender

[CleverAndWilson]

Kinda seems like parents are projecting their issues at their kids.

[Jacqueline]

This seems more about the adults than the children? Am I wrong? (I work with children)