Sex not gender, No Outsiders changing the Equality Act, DepHead/DSL captured

Definitions of gender by Stonewall, the UK government and the WHO are all different and all highlight there is social and cultural impact on how gender is understood.

Veb, after this, could you say that in contrast to how ‘gender ‘ is a social construct, children just need to know that ‘sex ‘ is physical body and whether they are a boy or a girl?

beccaboo222 · Today 13:59

But the poster doesn't mention the equality act. I understand what you are saying, but is your concern about the poster or what the children are being taught? Because if it's the latter, the poster doesn't reflect what the children are being taught about the equality act - wouldn't it make more sense to ask how the children are taught about the equality act, rather than going off on a tangent about the semantics of an inclusivity poster?

If the inclusivity poster is not the Equality Act, it is mimicking it to the extent that it would mislead children into thinking it is by quoting all the characteristics bar one.

Apart from that it says ‘WE ARE ALL EQUAL’ underneath.

Parents, who are aware of DoE guidance that children be taught the EA, are likely to assume the reason it is on the wall is to teach the EA.

It also misleads children into thinking sex - called gender here - can be swopped, when it cannot, by putting the bubble ‘gender’ showing male and female signs right next to the ‘gender reassignment’ bubble which shows exactly the same male and female signs but adds reverse/swop arrows.

1. If is not the EA it is misleading.
2. It conflates sex with gender wrongly and misleadingly
3. If it is not the EA where has the school put a real EA poster so as to fulfil its obligations according to the DoE?

*Catabogus · Today 13:52

Are they really “correcting” children wrongly to say that gender not sex is in the EA?

No, they're lying, plainly and simply lying. They know the difference, but have deliberately chosen to pretend that the two are the same thing, knowing exactly why they have excluded "sex."

The poster is guising as being based on the EA act and therefore, correct and accurate, when, in fact, it's incorrect, imprecise and inaccurate.

It's propaganda and it has no place in any part of the public sphere, especially in schools.

.beccaboo222 · Today 13:25
As their email state, this is not a poster about the equality act. It is a poster about inclusion - "everyone is welcome here".

You need to read thread one perhaps to understand why what you say here this is wrong.

If they change gender to sex, where do intersex people fit? Are they not welcome? Gender is a more inclusive term so it makes sense to use it in this context. It doesn't mean that the school don't take the issues you've mentioned seriously, and I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim that a poster about inclusion goes against any of the policies you mention

If by intersex you mean DSD these are very rare medical conditions and unrelated to this question. People with DSDs will be protected under sex and under disability.

The inclusion of sex as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act, directly addresses the issue that people can be discriminated against due to their sex.

This is the key purpose of sex segregation when changing from age 8 upwards.

Yes, I think both those amends - gender and sex discrimination - are good. Clear and to the point.

Tose he's had an agenda from the first conception of the programme. Early pilots were actually done at schools near me (I don't think it was just him though) and it was more around LGB and of course the T.

I won't muddy this thread with what I know about a particular institution/ group of academics pushing the queer narrative into classrooms. It's not just Moffat.

As a graphic designer it's interesting to see that the only 'teardrops' with a clear and bold illustration or icon (viewing small on my phone or how it would be seen at a distance) are the gender reassignment and gender ones. The gender reassignment one also jumps out being orange and in the centre, whilst the green recedes - sneaky.

I think so! And let's face it, many female teachers have had to bring cases linked to sex discrimination in the past.

MrsO that's absolutely horrific

By the way, as you know, Moffat knows full well it's sex as he's got it in the preamble/ introduction to his teacher book.

Sorry Vebrithien.

Added it for information for lurkers, rather than suggesting you get bogged down in including it. This goes back to 2008 - there's so much historic information out there that it's hard to keep on top of which are the child centred groups and which are the queer theory adults advocates who should be nowhere near schools. And the rainbow washing be kind narrative means that few people have the confidence to raise this in public.

The primary teacher who runs the No Outsiders group (who produce these posters) has an interest in Queer Theory. He co presented a paper at a seminar called Queering the Body; Queering Primary Education.

This is an extract from the blurb about the seminar:

“The team is concerned to interrogate the desexualisation of children’s and teacher’s bodies, the negation of pleasure and desire and the tendency to shy away from discussion of (sexual) bodily activity in No Outsiders project work. The danger of accusations of the corruption of innocent children…..has led team members to make repeated claims that this project is not about sex or desire – and that it is therefore not about bodies. Yet, at a very significant level that is exactly what it is about… "

You can read more about this extraordinary concept in a piece by Transgender Trend that looked at the origins of the project:

www.transgendertrend.com/no-outsiders-queering-primary-classroom/

Excellent letter op!

I don't know if you want to include one phrase along the lines of "sex was brought in as a protected characteristic because people can be discriminated against due to their sex."

Moffat includes an example in his teachers book; something to do with a boy who wanted to attend a princess event at Disney land Paris advertised for girls. metro.co.uk/2017/08/30/boy-refused-princess-makeover-at-disneyland-paris-because-hes-not-a-girl-6890804/

He cites this as an example of sex discrimination, except uses the term gender. You can't be discriminated against based on gender.

Which then doesn't make sense, and can confuse children - even the mother in the article mentions that he's being discriminated against due to his sex.

If they're going to be teaching and talking about why we have the protected characteristics, you have to include them all or you do not tackle the one that affects half your school population (and probably most of your staff.)

The poster makes no reference to transgender children

As above but also a child cannot legal change their sex in the U.K.

The idea of a transgender child is a misnomer.

The poster makes no reference to transgender children

Gender reassignment is listed. Next to the word 'Out'.

OP, I'm not sure that listing the various definitions of gender adds anything. I'd cut that to keep the paragraph on clear language more focused.

Their poster intentionally primes children to grow up misunderstanding the list of protected characteristics.

Repeatedly seeing all of them listed clearly & correctly, but with ONE intentionally not included while being replaced means that instead of recalling sex, children will naturally recall the entire group they have seen repeatedly displayed together.

This is not accidental.
It is harmful to childrens long term understanding of what the list of protective characteristics are & deliberately downplays the importance of a humans sex by consistently leaving it out.

"I think gender as a term is useful when you later talk about gender reassignment. You have your gender but then you can also reassign your gender. They fit together – it makes for uncomplicated explanations and conversations further up the school."

The only way those explanantions and covnersations could ever be "uncomplicated" is if the adults pretend that gender reassignment is uncomplicated.

And actually I was wondering what teachers are supposed to say to children who see the words "gender reassignment" and ask what that is.

The leter is very comprehensive, wow! The content for the last paragraph is pretty good. I would just remove some of the wording so that it has a simple conclusion and a clear resolution something like this:

I agree that the messages of equality and inclusion are important in school. Accurate language is vital. I would like to see the school replace the misleading "No Outsiders" posters either with accurately worded EA posters (such as the one from Safe Schools Alliance linked above) or with more general messages that everyone equal is despite our differences. In the meantime I would like you to remove the "No Outsiders" poster [and whatever else] from display.