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Original poster

Interesting school toilets story

129 replies

FlorenceLyons · 20/03/2018 10:42

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-43462823

Interesting on a number of levels, I think. The school had originally said a transgender child (a boy identifying as a girl) couldn't use the girls' toilets 'out of respect' - presumably for the girls.

An organisation called Transpire then got involved. Their spokesperson is quoted as saying "I find it quite amazing some schools are branding it respect when in fact it is segregation ... It's about giving people the opportunity to use the toilet they are comfortable with, not what the school is comfortable with."

The school capitulated, with the head saying "because of what the school stands for and the rights written into equality law, the school made the decision to allow transgender students to use a toilet that matches their identified gender".

This begs so many questions, doesn't it? Why is 'respect' being posited as the opposite of 'segregation'? Surely segregation by sex is partly about respecting the needs of people, particularly women, to single-sex spaces? Why does the comfort of one child trump the comfort of many children? And why is equality law being used to justify this, when we know it says no such thing?

OP posts:
Childrenofthestones · 20/03/2018 10:58

"Did they say anything about respecting the girls who don't want a boy in their toilets?"

Not a million miles from the NHS telling staff not to refer to pregnant women as mothers.
Never thinking to ask the millions of women that look forward to being mothers if losing the right to be called that was ok with them.

Ellenripleysalienbaby · 20/03/2018 10:57

So this is Gina Denham, the founder of 'Transpire'.

Gina thinks that teenage girls wanting privacy and dignity away from male bodied people in the toilets is 'segregation' and is wrong. Gina doesn't appear to have any concern about whether or not teenage girls are comfortable with sharing that sort of a space with a boy.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 20/03/2018 10:50

Transpire said schools need to make sure no pupils are made to feel alone

Not even in the toilets?

Someone should send them the Transgender Trend guidance...

TheGoldenBough · 20/03/2018 10:47

Did they say anything about respecting the girls who don't want a boy in their toilets?

What is being done to respect them and their privacy and dignity?

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