Baby's gender? Couple's not telling

A Toronto couple's decision to keep the gender of their 4-month-old baby a secret has touched off a sometimes nasty debate over how far parents should go in protecting young ones from society's boy-girl biases.

Kathy Witterick and David Stocker landed on the front page of the Toronto Star last weekend, explaining that they hope their third child, Storm, can remain untouched by the connotations of pink versus blue, male versus female, long enough to make up his or her own mind.

The decision has online haters and supporters of the family on hyperdrive. Child development experts, meanwhile, question the impact on the infant later in life and whether the couple have gone too far in their quest for gender neutrality.

The couple have been overwhelmed by attention, telling The Associated Press in an email Friday the idea that "the whole world must know what is between the baby's legs is unhealthy, unsafe and voyeuristic. We know -- and we're keeping it clean, safe, healthy and private (not secret!)." -- AP