Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

What can teachers and other professionals do to create a more gender free environment in our schools?

287 replies

SarahCarer · 11/07/2018 23:11

As my dd is autistic and, as a result, Gender non Conforming (GNC) I thought I would share some thoughts about how to de-gender our schools.

Firstly, teachers need to find a way to address groups of children without saying "girls" or "boys" . This is commonplace in some schools and puts an unnatural focus onto a person's sex which is of no relevance at all in the context.

Secondly every school should have at least one unisex toilet which any pupil can use without special permission.

Thirdly school staff should avoid using the terms "good girl" or "good boy" Again the sex is of no relevance and the statement risks implying that they are being good because they are behaving in a way consistent with femininity or masculinity.

Fourthly ALL sexism and homophobia should be robustly challenged

Fifthly sex ed should not have gendered content

Sixthly there should be no organising of classes with reference to sex except in PE or for sex ed.

Any thoughts on these suggestions or suggestions for others?

These are some of the ways we can protect our autistic children from gender dysphoria (GD)

OP posts:
CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:42

So I have explained what I mean by gender.

You have not, one second you mean "sex" (like calling a girl girl) the next you mean sterotypes.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:41

And it's not so much radical as not making sense.
You can (theoretically) abolish gender but you cannot abolish sex and I would not want to (obviously)
But what you are suggesting is abolish mention of someone's sex. Not calling a boy a boy is that.
And how on earth is sex education going to work?

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:40

If you do really want to understand then we need to find a shared language. So I have explained what I mean by gender. What do you mean by gender?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 14/07/2018 21:39

I don’t have boy girl seating plans btw, but you said a teacher would use them arbitrarily, and as a teacher I disagree and have given the main reason as to why teachers use them. Have you changed your mind or are you going to continue to insist they are used for no reason at all?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:39

So why don't you want people to say boys and girls?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:38

I'm not sure you've explained properly at all.

noblegiraffe · 14/07/2018 21:37

Yes Sarah and given that this is your thread about stopping calling girls and boys girls and boys, can you explain why I shouldn’t say ‘come on boys, get to your lesson’, to a group of boys hanging around the corridor?

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:37

You can (theoretically) abolish gender but you cannot abolish sex and I would not want to (obviously)

OP posts:
Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:36

What is gender softsheen?

OP posts:
Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:35

Look. I know what I'm suggesting is radical and it would inconvenience noble and her seating plan. And noble can feel free to ignore me. But I don't think you're engaging in good faith and trying to understand me at all. I'm pretty sure I have fully explained my opinion across a multitude of posts. Would you just do me a favour and explain what you mean by gender as distinct from sex?

OP posts:
SoftSheen · 14/07/2018 21:34

I'm all for abolishing gender stereotypes but you can't abolish gender. And it is nonsense to suggest that sex education should not have gendered content!

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:28

I'm simply trying to straighten out your idea, get a grip on what you mean and iron out my own understanding of it.
I'm all for removing stereotypes, I think your daughter is great and you're doing a fantastic job of giving her that sense of free thinking self.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:25

Or have I misunderstood and you are actually saying that calling a boy or girl, boy or girl is categorising them?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:24

"Good boy"
"Good girl"

Please explain how this by your own definition of gender, needs to be removed from the vocabulary?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:22

Please give me if an example of schools categorizing by gender, mixed sex children sitting around a table isnt an example of this.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:21

Captain you're a gf. You know full well you have just switched from one example to the other.

Your core idea is confused.
The second " example" is about the child's sex is it not?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:19

Sorry I meant:

Should it be taken away from Mumsnet poster?

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:19

Captain you're a gf. You know full well you have just switched from one example to the other.

OP posts:
CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:18

Should it be taken away from her?

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:18

Ok noble. That's your choice.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 14/07/2018 21:14

If I see a group of boys in the corridor and want to move them along, I am not going to say ‘come on pupils, get to your next lesson’. Or ‘come on children, get to your next lesson’ when they are teenagers.

‘Get to your next lesson’ is too abrupt. ‘Come on boys’ softens the instruction.

As I said previously, boys and girls tend to hang around in single sex groups, so it’s rare to have to deviate.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:14

Putting things/people/whatever in groups and naming those groups according to how you have separated them is, by definition, categorizing.

Your example is boy girl boy girl around a table.
This is not categorizing into a group.
Making all the girls go to one table all the boys to another would be.

But you wish to stop mention of gender, including saying "good boy" or "good girl"

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:12

Thanks Blackbird! Others up thread have mentioned that they call the class by their class name. I also like "learners"

OP posts:
CaptainKirkssparetupee · 14/07/2018 21:10

Why not address the children as Pupils or Students.

I'm pretty sure a lot of places do.

Original poster
SarahCarer · 14/07/2018 21:10

Putting things/people/whatever in groups and naming those groups according to how you have separated them is, by definition, categorizing. Can you explain to me what you mean by Gender?

OP posts: