Tide Turning? Teacher sacked for misgendering a pupil to sue school

With sudden onset dysphoria you have children who show no sign of being unhappy with their sex (although they may well have other quite significant issues) suddenly identify as trans, acquire trans friends and allies on the internet, become very unhappy and if in contact with services are pushed down a transition pathway. If as parents you think this is a blind alley and that their trans identity is exacerbating mental health issues you will find very little support, indeed you may find that you are forced to endorse and support the trans identity. There is little or no evidence as to the best way to respond to sudden onset dysphoria. Hardly surprising if some parents don't want to embrace what they see as the source of their child's unhappiness, and hope instead that their child escapes with as little harm as possible.

I think there might be points here.

What law has this man broken?
If he's not broken a law then it comes down to child protection.
If he's acting in a way that is deemed as bullying he might not win. If he can prove a argument that it's not necessarily harmful to challenge preferred pronouns then it might get interesting. (What evidence is there that misgendering is harmful? Or is it mainly anecdotal in nature).

The law can only rule on evidence and what laws exist.

Did the school act reasonably when they sacked the teacher and did they follow the legal procedure.in doing so. Did they give him a proper opportunity to defend himself.

Also, what was the intent of the teacher I'd have thought important. If his intent was to protect, rather than harm and this can be demonstrated, then whether the child concerned likes it might be beside the point.

Some interesting themes in this one, but no guarantee this case will make a difference even if the men in question wins. It also depends on what grounds a judgement in his favour is made. If it's on a technicality it could still prove you can't do this as a teacher.

I believe that parents should ultimately be supportive and a point blank refusal to acknowledge something that for the time being is important to your child is not being supportive.

What if a child starts taking heroin or crack and it is really important to them - should parents acknowledge this by being supportive of their habit?

No. You acknowledge that they are having a difficult time, but they are young and some of their choices might not be the best, but you will love them and try to help them disentangle all the conflicting things that are leading to the confusion and poor choices and do what you can to help them, without reinforcing their delusions.

I don't know enough about the teen in question, but if the teen, as you say is in 'extreme distress' - I imagine the causes are more complex than being referred to by their real name or as their actual sex.

You argue violets as though you are taken in by the 'literal violence' guff.

'extreme distress' about their real name and sex indeed. I say bullshit

You don't think the teen in question is suffering extreme distress? I have read a bit about the case and this is not social workers pushing some trans agenda. It is parents who are unable to meet their child's emotional needs, partly due to their own fundamental beliefs. Said child has been assessed by various professionals.
You said it is your right as a parent to call your child by their given name 'even if it annoys them'. Why is that your right and why is it more important than how your child wants to identify? How would you feel if you changed your name (e.g. if you got married) and someone refused point blank to use your new name? I am guessing you would feel annoyed and that your feelings weren't being respected.

I too have concerns about extension of the law relating to gender identification. However, I believe that parents should ultimately be supportive and a point blank refusal to acknowledge something that for the time being is important to your child is not being supportive.

Sorry my phone hates me

Maybe il wrong then. Just it sets alarms
Off
In my head

'extreme distress' about their real name and sex indeed. I say bullshit.

If my child believed they had an inner person, with a different name they needed to express, I would not play along with it. I would see it as a mental illness. I've known people with all sorts of mental illnesses and it is extremely damaging to go along with their delusions. I met a bloke who was sure he was actually Tutan Khamun if I went along with it, he could have spiralled right out.

I see it as my job as a parent to stay grounded in reality and be solid and dependable - that involves putting the child's needs way above my own for their entire childhood and beyond.

It is a parents prerogative to call their kids be their given name even if it annoys them - whether they identify as trans or not

No, it is not your 'prerogative' to do so at all when it causes your child extreme distress. You are a parent, you're not the owner of your child. If a teenager wishes to change his or her name, then if you refuse to go along with it, you're putting your own feelings way above that of your child's.

I would really struggle to remember that John was a she but now a he but Roberta is a she but was a he. I would be constantly afraid of making a mistake

This was no mistake. It was not a slip of the tongue, it was entirely deliberate.

I don't think people should be obliged to validate delusions - it isn't really clear what it was the teacher did that actually caused the teenager distress.

And I am not for automatically rejecting what the parents say because they are Christians in the second link. From what I've heard there are a lot of young people on the autistic spectrum who are taken in by the transing brigade - so perhaps the parents might only notice mental health symptoms relating to that- I am keeping an open mind. Also the child was home educated, so it is fairly likely was also naive and had trouble fitting in with gender norms at school.
And to be fair to those parents, I would be so pissed off if my kids insisted I start referring to them as a different sex and name. It is a parents prerogative to call their kids be their given name even if it annoys them - whether they identify as trans or not.
So I feel for those parents.

Yet I think it is important to be careful, to make sure that the homophobic, religious conservatives don't exploit this growing grassroots movement resisting trans ideology to push a regressive homophobic agenda. But caution doesn't mean outright rejection of religious people imo.

I don't know, I think this is quite interesting. Essentially it's the clash of two belief systems, the genderism of the transgender movement vs the Christian fundamentalism of the pastor. I don't think either ideology has any place in a school.

If this teacher was really disciplined for saying "Well done girls" to a group of your female pupils then I hope very much his case is successful. Does it really matter why he objects to trans ideology or what other views he may hold? The point is whether anyone should be forced to conform to their employer's ideological viewpoint, and if so to what degree.

If you are gender critical or otherwise have issues with trans ideology this is a very real issue. I've seen a fair few people here say that they have to use materials or language that they really object to for fear for their jobs.

It scares me though. I'm not a teacher (yet). I'm responsible for 15 kids and its hard enough remembering who they are. I would really struggle to remember that John was a she but now a he but Roberta is a she but was a he. I would be constantly afraid of making a mistake.

The article made it pretty clear he was a pastor - pastor is a klaxon goes off word for me. It’s only fundamentalist Christians tend to have pastors.

Sorry, I just cannot in any way get on board with an organisation that claims it is fundamentally wrong to be gay. I think any vaguely liberal people will take whatever they back with a pinch of salt. It will simply associate caution over trans-rights with religious bigotry. It will harm the feminist agenda.

I also do not believe that his religious beliefs should entitle him to cause distress to a teenager. He can keep them to himself. If he had made comments about homosexuality, we would not be having this conversation. It just so happens that it intersects with a feminist agenda.

christianconcern.com/our-issues/family-and-sexual-ethics

From the above and the previous link, they do seem to have some knowledge of the issues involved and should know what they are doing.

It is indeed the organisation that is supporting the teacher (and others previously). I am sure that they have not been successful with other cases from what I remember. If they stick to the points of law it would be ok, but they always bring in their motivation.............and eyes glaze over and it provides material for the other side.

The Canadian Mennonites (where he grew up) seem to be more involved with community work and social issues and mental health than other similar groups, from their work during WW2 when they were conscientious objectors.

So, potentially, they could put up a good fight. But not from the same perspective as feminists. Worth watching though.

And yes Terry that story in the second link is utterly horrifying. That poor family

That is a difficult case though because the teenager is obviously deeply troubled and has expressed a genuine desire for her family to use her chosen name which they categorically refuse to do. A lot of the research shows that teens who express identification with the opposite sex often grow into gay adults. This may be the case here. Interestingly, the website it comes from is the same organisation that is supporting this teacher. They have very hardline views on homosexuality as well as transgenderism. As I said above, the head of the organisation believes that gay people can be 'cured'. It could be that this poor teenager is struggling with her sexuality which her parents may not be accepting of either, given their faith. I wouldn't blindly say that 'parents know best' here and I am sure social workers are not taking removal lightly.

That is the problem when bigots and religious zealots are the ones who seemingly 'support' the feminist concerns over the trans movement. I do think that we need to distance ourselves from them- they are just as harmful and intolerant.

Yes - it is bizarre how the social workers seem to be brainwashing the child, and awful that the parents could lose her because of it - without considering the hormones/surgery route that that it will lead. Reminds me of the Cleveland child scandal.

Terrylene

Your second link is horrifying. Although the parents in question are Christian, that does not seem to be the basis on which they are objecting.

They think their daughter is mentally unwell. Plus she hasn’t even had a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. And they are being threatened with her being taken into foster care.

For God’s sake. This is beyond belief.