Another legal challenge in a school

Nice to see that they're not intolerant when it suits them, but perhaps they should be more vocal about condemning religious intolerance?

This is the bit that makes me really mad:

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We recognise that issues relating to gender identity can be complex and sensitive. Schools are best placed to work with parents, pupils and public services to decide what is best for individual children and what is best for all others in the school.”

No, individual school leaders (who are busy dealing with a million things plus COVID) should not have to all separately develop their own transgender policy. That is (should be) the government's job.

I am fed up of governments and big organisations totally passing the buck on this issue and leaving it to small organisations and individuals to sort it and deal with the personal fallout.

Children would also be regarded as transphobic if they exhibited “feelings of discomfort and inability to trust or connect with someone based on their transgender status”

Children are to be punished if they are unable to trust a man who says he's a woman or if they feel uncomfortable around him. (The man's feelings that he is a woman must be respected, of course.)

Are the people who say this stuff really so naive that they don't realise this is like hanging up an enormous sign saying 'predators welcome'?

The school effectively wants their son to say that an apple is a banana or a cat is a dog, without blinking an eye. I too would remove my child if he or she was being compelled to tell a lie

Its just another example of the cognitive dissonance with the whole thing.

Schools on one hand pride themselves on instilling British values and community spirit etc that they hope they will carry with them for their whole lives.

But then they completely personalise this. Noe the whole thing about bullying one particular child with zero thought about the message they are sending out. And In 1 or 2 or 10 years time its not going to be the local.kid they grew up with. Its going to land them.in danger with someone else.

I also think that the focus on the parents being “evangelical Christians” is disingenuous and irrelevant. They clearly care about their child not being forced to lie. The school effectively wants their son to say that an apple is a banana or a cat is a dog, without blinking an eye. I too would remove my child if he or she was being compelled to tell a lie.

Gender identity is NOT a protected characteristic.

But whenever you read what the parents themselves say there is very little about their faith; their case is mostly based on science and child development, views shared by a lot of people of all religions and none. It's such a petty attempt to discredit them by stoking religious intolerance

And even if they believed TWAM because of their faith, belief is also a protected characteristic...

@Nikki078: the trans person is really female or male. Just not necessarily the one they want you to think they are.

It's outrageous. You'd have to take them to court for those letters, no question. It's always only considering the one child, isn't it? No regard for anyone else and how they deal with it. The gender-fluid child - boy one day, girl the next. Trousers & cars one day, sparkly skirts & dolls the next? But not based on gender stereotypes at all.

On a side note, the article says the parents are 'authorised' to teach their children at home. I thought anyone could do that and you don't have to seek permission.

All the media articles I've seen on this seem to be making a big deal of their evangelical Christian faith. It's clear they are trying to present them as fundamentalist nutjobs (especially by contrasting the 'mainstream' Christian CofE primary school as their opponent). But whenever you read what the parents themselves say there is very little about their faith; their case is mostly based on science and child development, views shared by a lot of people of all religions and none. It's such a petty attempt to discredit them by stoking religious intolerance.

The quotation mark is 'really' quite telling.

“inability to believe a transgender person is actually a ‘real’ female or male”.

It ought really to be classed as child abuse

It's hard enough for adults to use the desired pronouns in the face of reality. Expecting a 5-year old to do the same is unbelievable.

Gaslighting children. Un-fucking-believable

The letter from the school’s head teacher and the chairwoman of the governors warned that pupils would be viewed as transphobic if they demonstrated an “inability to believe a transgender person is actually a ‘real’ female or male”.

Does Maya Forstater's case set a precedent?

Lying to a five year old avout sex will never end well. That goes fir both the kids involved.

Its the entire reason sex education was brought into schools because we know what happens when kids don't know