I am writing about the protest of Augusta’s school gender policy, reported on Oct. 9.

I was impressed by the graphic behavior used at the School Board meeting to address the issue. While that may get the subject some front page space, the problem of addressing the gender issues needs much more thoughtful, quiet discussion.

These children and young adults are going through one of life’s major growth experiences: sexual maturation, a time fraught with all sorts of challenges and anxieties that are inevitable. Unfortunately, the general approach to this matter is to set down rules about a complicated subject without having open conversation that includes the people affected: adults and children.

Having real discussions with people affected is not common these days. We generally find people line up and shout at one another. One group quickly labels the other group, accusing them of some kind of “ism” like racism or sexism, leaving no room for mutual respect of different approaches to the subject. 

In this case, we are also expecting that our children will be able to quickly absorb a change of bathroom rules that simply state a Title IX policy. Looked at from another angle, how readily will the adults in the room react to making all the public bathrooms suddenly gender neutral?

Changes are almost always possible. They are most successful if we start from a point of respecting the other’s ideas and listening carefully without assuming we know what is behind their thinking.

Paul Redstone
Scarborough