Boyhood Reimagined - San Francisco Bay Times

"Women and men are raised to be natural enemies by parents, teachers, mainstream media, religions, corporations, and just about any cultural influencer there. In very few cases is it the norm for girls and boys to be taught to be equal and interdependent, or friends. Even in the 21st century, the stereotypes are reinforced. While males, of course, suffer existential damage, it's females who are most often asked to contort ourselves to meet patriarchal expectations."

"I have no children so have watched this happen from afar with friends and their children. Lesbian feminists are not especially better at the task of raising humans who behave equitably toward each other. We too are shaped by the misogyny that surrounds us. On the occasions when I encounter successful attempts to counter several millennia of backward thinking, it's then I can imagine the possibility of surviving the disaster that is the current administration and its social fallout."

Society trains girls and boys to view one another as natural enemies through parents, schools, media, religions, corporations, and cultural influencers. Stereotyped expectations persist into the 21st century, harming males and demanding that females contort themselves to patriarchal norms. Lesbian feminists also internalize surrounding misogyny and sometimes reproduce inequitable patterns when raising children. Successful counterexamples arise when caregivers consciously unlearn self-defeating behaviors and teach interdependence, equity, and emotional resilience. Some queer mothers narrate the challenges and joys of raising sons, showing deliberate efforts to educate boys beyond survival, reshape masculinity, and cultivate stronger, more equitable futures.

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