In an environment of increasing independence, first and second graders use gender as a primary tool of establishing social power and position. Children who conform to masculinity or femininity, who excel at “being boys” or “being girls,” are granted social status, and those who can’t or won’t perform their gender roles correctly are immediately ostracized. Across the board, from teachers and principals to pop culture and TV shows, this behavior is not only permitted, but encouraged. Gender, matched only by ethnicity, body type, and family income, incites bullying, and becomes the primary
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