Trying to turn a
3-year-old boy from a "sissy" into a "real
man" may have killed him, a Riverside, Calif., judge
declared on Tuesday.
Judge Elisabeth
Sichel ruled that there was sufficient evidence to try
Alex Mendoza for the murder of his former girlfriend's son,
Mikey Vallejo-Seiber. Mendoza referred to the child as
a "sissy" who needed to be roughed up. Prosecutors
allege Mikey's subsequent death from massive head
and internal injuries was due to Mendoza, who was
taking care of the child at the time.
"Children pay a
high price when parents and caregivers insist on
raising boys to be 'real men' or girls to be 'little
ladies,'" said Taneika Tayor, director of GenderPAC's
Children As They Are program, which advocates raising
children without gender stereotypes. "The cost was
tragic in this case."
On Monday, Pamela
Seiber, Mikey's mother, pleaded guilty to child
endangerment charges and was sentenced to six years in
prison. (The Advocate)