Is this a sign?
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sean-penn-criticizes-men-feminized-1235166106/
Probably not….but I think I can hear the sound of axes grinding
Well given that he kidnapped Madonna and abused her he's kind of the epitome of "toxic masculinity" so I wouldn't necessarily take his word on gender.
As controversial as this may sound, how do we know he abused her the way the media reported it? No charges were filed..
As to what he recently said - he's not wrong. Masculinity and domestic abuse are mutually exclusive
You can be a wife beater regardless of whether you're a man or a woman or a crossdresser.
More importantly, those of us who aren't already brainwashed understand his statement - boys should be allowed to play with toy guys, toy cars, etc. Girls should be allowed to play with toy dolls and tea sets. Parents shouldn't be dressing male children in dresses or female children in suits and ties... That is - you can allow your children to explore themselves without forcing them into your own mental illness... You can allow them independence instead of hovering over them. You can let them solve disagreements amongst themselves without intervening.
To put it another way, growing up in the 1970s was a great time to be a kid, despite inflation, economic downturn, and Vietnam. You could play with lawn darts that'd puncture your skull and fireworks that'd blow off your fingers, the drinking age was still 18, boys could fight other boys and then moments later become best friends for life. The he-man women haters club of the little rascals was acceptable amongst boys. More importantly, kids of both genders would spend as little time at home as possible - hanging out with other kids, exploring the local wildlife or a pick up game of baseball or hockey, riding bikes, and only coming home when it got dark out.
The trend towards femininity amongst boys coincides with the trend towards staring at screens all day. I'm thankful that both of my kids are heavily involved in organized sports because it forces them to not spend all their time starting at screens. The boy has football (primary), wrestling (cardio and flexibility), and lacrosse (agility) seasons with time at the gym interspersed and the girl has volleyball and year-round lacrosse (rec league, club team and winter indoor league) and once she's old enough, she'll be at the gym. They're both solidly appropriate for their gender - not because my wife and I forced them - specifically because we didn't tell them to act more lady-like or act less aggressive, etc. We didn't encourage them to wear non-gender-appropriate clothing.