Wearing Pink Means your gay?

So I found This online and thought that it was amazing. Its so nice that a kid does not care.

Yesterday my mom posted a picture on Facebook of my 5 year old brother Sam wearing a pair of shoes he picked out for his first day of preschool.



She explained to him in the store that they were really made for girls. Sam then told her that he didn’t care and that “ninjas can wear pink shoes too.”

Sam went to preschool and got several compliments on his new shoes. Not one kid said anything negative toward him about it.



However, my mom received about 20 comments on the photo from various family members saying how “wrong” it is and how “things like this will affect him socially” and, put most eloquently by my great aunt, “that crap. will turn him gay.”

My mom then deleted the photo and told Sam that he can wear whatever he wants to preschool, that it’s his decision. If he wants to wear pink shoes, he can wear pink shoes.

Sam then explained to her that he didn’t like them because they were pink, he liked them because they were “made out of zebras” and zebras are his favorite animal

Now this is so wrong because society is judging the kid by what he wears. This is wrong. What are your opinions on this? Do you think society is too judgemental? Do You personally believe that there are Toys for boys and toys for girls?

I think there are so many social messages--overt and covert (obvious and hidden)--that encourage children to conform to traditional gender roles--even things so innocuous (harmless) as choosing the color blue over pink, or vice versa. There is a lot of pressure, as demonstrated by adults making value judgments over something as harmless as choice of shoes. The current generation is getting better at bucking these trends--and I do think that there is a current toward encouraging kids to make more mindful decisions based on their own preferences. But we still have a long way to go, in my opinion.
And yes--I think society is too judgmental. Or too hung up on gender roles and traditional gender 'markers.' Like pink being for girls, etc.
I will say, though, that I gave my son a doll when he was about two years old, and he was mostly interested in the sound he made when he stepped on its head. But he also has a teddy that he makes blankets for and talks to in a soft voice and cares for. I think he'll grow up to be a wonderful, caring father (should he choose to) but I do wonder if he had to learn that sort of empathic play that girls seem to gravitate toward more readily.