There are some insightful and very important points about safeguarding, lack of equality impact assessment, the Charity commission amongst others.
There are a number of very significant issues raised within this article which seem likely to be similarly the case in other organisations, charities and services in private, voluntary and statuatory sectors:
Herald June 2018:
'Schools 'forget' girls in rush to adopt pro-trans guidance campaigners claim as Christian group threatens legal action'
(extract)
THE rights of Scottish schoolgirls are being undermined by rules allowing pupils to adopt a different gender and share changing rooms, it has been claimed, as it emerged schools are unprepared for the controversial overhaul.
A series of Freedom of Information (FoI) requests have revealed that councils have widely backed guidelines produced by organisations campaigning for the rights of transgender people but have not considered how the new approach will affect children – particularly girls.
The new guidelines tell teachers that if a transgender pupil wishes to share a changing room with "other young people who share their gender identity," they should be allowed to do so.
"There is no reason for parents or carers of the other pupils to be informed," it adds.
The guidelines say young people should be able to compete in the sports events for the gender they identify with, and says if other pupils are uncomfortable using changing rooms or toilets with transgender pupils, they should use other facilities or wait until the transgender pupil is done.
However none of the councils involved, nor the children’s commissioner, nor Education Scotland have carried out an equality impact assessment to ensure the rights and wellbeing of other pupils are unaffected. This means the impact on other students has not been taken into account.
The data comes as a Christian charity is due to launch a legal challenge over the new guidelines.
Lodged by feminist campaigner and mother of two Jess Stewart, the FoI results suggest councils are failing to consider the ramifications of the move.
Ms Stewart said she recognises the need to support transgender children.
“They are obviously wanting to do the right thing which is great. But they’ve done it without considering girls,” she said.
“Girls are absolutely negatively affected by this. It is important to raise awareness of transgender children but putting a transgender girl in a changing room with 30 other girls isn’t proportionate.
“They should at least have looked at the possible fall out from putting a male-bodied person in changing rooms which are being used by 14, 15 and 16 year old girls.”
Among the councils which have endorsed the guidance produced by LGBT Youth and the Scottish Trans Alliance, Glasgow, West Lothian, Clackmannanshire and South Lanarkshire said they were unable to publish an assessment of the likely impact on other pupils as they had not carried one out. Edinburgh City Council failed to respond. The office of the Scottish Children's Commissioner, Education Scotland and the Scottish Government have all also backed the LGBT Youth guide.
Scotland's Children's commissioner said: "We did not undertake and therefore do not hold" any research looking at how other pupils might be affected by the guidance.
Education Scotland said it did not have any policies itself relating to transgender pupils and therefore "there has been no requirement for Equality Impact Assessments in relation any new or revised policies or procedures regarding transgender and non-binary school children."
The Scottish Government said it had not carried out any equality impact assessments and said the responsibility for carrying them out lay with councils.
Ms Stewart added: "Most of the organisations who have endorsed the LGBT guidance are publicly-funded, which means they have a responsibility to be transparent to the public about their decision making process and the importance of taking into account the risks and equalities of everyone." (continues)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/16311379.schools-forget-girls-in-rush-to-adopt-pro-trans-guidance-campaigners-claim-as-christian-group-threatens-legal-action/
See also Times article covering the same:
(extract)
"In a letter to the Scottish government from law firm Balfour+Manson on behalf of the institute, ministers are asked to withdraw the guidance pending further consideration or risk judicial review.
Raising concerns about the shared use of toilets and changing facilities, it states: “For many young people, being forced to use a toilet or changing facilities with trans young people who retain the genitalia of the opposite sex raises a concerning disregard for personal privacy.”
Ciarán Kelly, the institute’s deputy director, said: “It beggars belief that the Scottish government has authorised a state-funded campaign group to dictate to teachers what their obligations are and strip parents of their responsibilities.” (continues)
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/legal-battle-over-school-gender-rule-kbjkdnzxd