Pro-transgender writer: Change 'painful' Mother's Day and Father's Day to ... Guardian's Day

A columnist for the Toronto Star has suggested a name change for Mother's Day and Father's Day, calling the pair of spring events "gendered holidays" that have proven "painful," "exclusionary" and a "drag for non-binary parents who don’t identify with a single gender."

"Some of these parents have even begun advocating online for the creation of a brand new holiday to recognize parents who aren’t male or female," Emma Teitel writes. (A proposed date for 'Non Binary Parents Day' is July 17). "None of these critics have proposed scrapping Mother’s Day or Father’s Day altogether. But I’m beginning to wonder if that’s exactly what we should do."

Teitel also notes the difficulty Mother's Day and Father's Day are for those who've lost their parents or don't have good relationships with them, as well as the stressful burden the annual days to honor parents have become.

"You may love everyone in your family and you may love brunch," she says, "but if you don’t get to see your loved ones and eat your breakfast in bed on your own terms, at a time of your own choosing, then Mother’s Day can be a burden rather than a boon."

Which is why Teitel proposes "that we scrap both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day for good. And in the spirit of both inclusivity and selfishness, I’d like to propose a new holiday called 'Guardian’s Day.' "

She says that Guardian’s Day "has a nice sci-fi fantasy ring to it" and "will be a rotating statutory holiday — meaning you can celebrate it any day you please, and you can interpret it any way you like. A guardian can be a mom, a dad, a non-binary parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a pet owner, or why the heck not — somebody who takes really good care of his houseplants."

(H/T: Heat Street)