AIBU to wonder what Brighton council are playing at asking 3 and 4 year olds their gender?

[SwearyKnickers]

Ds 4 identifies as a sausage. Although he sometimes goes by squish and cuddlemonkey. He hasn't sorted his pronouns yet. We better get on with it.. he's starting school in Sept...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-36092812

[Hygellig]

It seems mad to me at such a young age...DD identifies as a pony most of the time.

[Atenco]

I suppose the girls have to describes themselves as "non-boys", as per the latest policy of the Green Party. I'm so disappointed in that party, I expected better of it.

[SaucyJack]

I'm sure your son doesn't actually identify as a sausage

What is the harm in trying to identify the tiny, tiny percentage of children who are already experiencing gender dysphoria at a young age?

Is it going to harm anybody's cis kid? Is it fuck.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Tbh Jack half the stuff kids say at that age is utter shit. Putting in the fact that they can also be deliberately difficult and just give awkward answers I would honestly question whether there is anything at all to be gained from it.

[RiverTam]

Children are not cis or trans just like the rest of the world isn't split into cis or trans. Children are children, who should be allowed the play with whatever they fancy, like whatever colours they like and wear whatever they like. Any doctrine that reinforces sexist outdated gender stereotypes should be dumped in the trash where it belongs.

This is coming from adults with an agenda.

[Tessticklesyourfancy]

I don't understand it but then I don't understand the combustion engine either but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Crazy.

99.9% tick make or female.

00.1% have the need to tick the other box.

[blearynweary]

I think it's cruel and totally weird.

[MrBensMrs]

I think it's nonesense!

[Justanotherlurker]

It's Brighton, no need for another explanation really

If they don't get this then they get to whine on tumblr and gawker, still it's not committing them to some hormone treatment so I'm a bit meh..

[SaucyJack]

OK- I'm a bit biased because I know a trans child.

It's definitely not the child chatting shit. and the child's mother most definitely has better things to do with her child than reinforce the gender agenda.

If you've never met a child with genuine gender dysphoria then it probably does seem like PC gorn mad. But these childre are out there, and they should have provison made for them like any other kid with any other SNs.

[SeptemberFlowers]

This is absolutely bloody bonkers

What a waste of money !!

[BiscuitMillionaire]

STOP PRESS HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!*
BRIGHTON COUNCIL DOES SOMETHING STUPIDLY RIGHT-ON SHOCKER

quel surprise

[blearynweary]

It's not even 'right on'

It's a horrible controlling agenda

I hate the Green Party

[SwearyKnickers]

What is the harm in trying to identify the tiny, tiny percentage of children who are already experiencing gender dysphoria at a young age?

I know of at least two children who identified as the other "gender". Both mine.. it's what kids do. They don't know they can't change sex, they get confused by other peoples ideas of gender.

Once they're on that path and being seen as "trans" how do they suddenly say, ah no sorry I'm really a girl?

[BiscuitMillionaire]

I'm sure there are children with genuine gender dysphoria, and they should be supported, but that doesn't mean there has to be an instruction to all parents. In a sensible world, the parent(s) of that child would speak to the school, as you would with any other issue.

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

Not even 0.01% have a need to tick another box. None of them do.

3 and 4 year olds do not have gender dysphoria, what they have is parents who find boys who like wearing dresses or girls who prefer building blocks to dolls difficult to squeeze into their stereotypical categories. The parents who are all liberal and 'right on' and start talking about their trans toddler and thinking about 'transition' are actually the worst case response to that.

[MrBensMrs]

I hope that children with diagnosed gender issues have more than one box ticked or unticked on a form to highlight this to their new school.

[Kiddiewinks2008]

For the record, we dont have a green council anymore in Brighton- its labour. But yes, its bonkers, have just filled in said form for my 4 year old.

[BombadierFritz]

It must be very hard to explain to a small child
1 girls and boys can wear what they want and play with any toys and grow up to do any job
2 some girls are really boys because they like wearing trousers, playing with trucks and blue, and some boys are really girls because they like pink and princesses

[LarryStylison]

I think this is going to just confuse them even more!

[MrBensMrs]

It will be ethnicity next - does your child identify as an insert any other ethnic group here

[blearynweary]

I'd be tempted to tick the 'third box' then just not mention anything and send my dd to school without any more discussion just to see what the school did

[MrsKCastle]

Is it going to harm anybody's cis kid? Is it fuck.

Yes, yes it is. It will harm 'cis' kids when they hear 'I knew I was a girl because I always liked pink/princesses/shoes/glitter.' Or 'I'm a boy because I like football and not dolls.' Or 'Girls can have penises and boys can have vulvas.' Or 'the gender that you feel is more important than your biology.' Or 'Your feelings as a 'cis' person are less important than trans people's wish to belong.'

All of these messages are harmful.

The message that we should be sending is:
'We can't change your biology. If you were born a boy, you can't ever be pregnant. If you were born a girl, you can't ever become biologically male. But no matter what biological sex you are, you can choose what to wear, what to play with, what job to do and no one should EVER discriminate against you, bully you or prevent you from making your own choices. And if this ever happens, others will stand up with you and fight for your rights.'