BBC article on schools trans guidance

I’m rethinking my comment about it being balanced in the light of very good points made here. I really feel for you @Mummy08m. I’m only on the periphery of education now thank goodness. I can’t imagine the strain working in your kind of environment.

We need to get education & health back under control when it comes to safeguarding and the equity act, then rest will follow. Those are the two most captured services.

Thank you, that's good to hear.

I suppose I assume that most parents (of non-trans-identifying students) are like my dh - mildly oppose most of these new initiatives in theory but mostly think it's petty stuff that doesn't matter, not worth getting worked up about. My dh warned me not to write to the DSL about the changing rooms because it might come back to bite me and I'd feel like I have to leave the school. Luckily it hasn't yet. But I'm always "getting it wrong": using so-called gendered language (aka English), having my views exposed in other ways. For example, our year 12 Pshe scheme of work is so gender-heavy. I'm constantly being "caught out" when kids ask me questions; I'm a science teacher so if they ask me about DSDs I'll answer scientifically.

I know that my previous form group (now graduated from year 13) knew me to be gender critical and radical feminist although I tried to hide it and never use those terms at work. There were just too many opportunities in the PSHE content for them to ask me questions like "what would you do if you met a man in a public toilet" or asking me my views on Andrew Tate's latest doings. But I actually think they, as a group, respected me more for it. But given a different form group I might get into hot water. I'm on eggshells at work and I hate it.

With respect, though, it's not impossible that if there's a couple of trans kids in each secondary school 2/3rds of teachers could - at some point each term, or school year - find themselves teaching a trans pupil.

You wouldn't need a lot of trans kids for all secondary teachers to cross paths with them at some point.

(Ignore me if I'm missing the point.)

Interesting that the first child is awaiting a neurodiversity assessment and the second is autistic 🤔

Thank you so much worrieddragon, that's very kind.

I wish parents knew what's been happening in our school. They are listened to far more than teachers are!

@HipTightOnions @Mummy08m Please know that there are many many parents who are really grateful to you for speaking up and whatever you can do. Every question, every suggestion that 'Hang on, this might not be as rainbow sparkly brilliant as all that' will make it easier to eventually pull back. I think it's atrocious the way schools have been hung out to dry on this issue.

It's literal insanity.

Worry that schools would enable a child to effectively “socially transition” and be aware of the child having a need without involving that child’s parent. I can’t think of any other similar situation where a parent would not be given significant information about their child WITHOuT there being a very clear safeguarding reason for that information being withheld.

Schools doing DIY self ID: indeed as documented in the Policy Exchange report Asleep at the Wheel.

I was more curious as to how a lawyer would advise that there's a legal obligation for a school to treat a child as the opposite sex, on demand. The Equality Act means you can't discriminate against someone on the basis of 'gender reassignment' - I can't see how that can be interpreted to mean that you must pretend a child has changed sex as soon as they Say Words. And a lawyer ought also to be pointing out that the same legislation gives other people legal rights too, and that eg you might be discriminating against other children by putting a boy in the girls dorm. (As well as pissing all over safeguarding, but worryingly, many schools seem to be more worried about children's feelings than their safety!)

I think their lawyer might be Stonewall self identifying as a lawyer?

"Teachers told her they later consulted lawyers and were concerned that refusing her child's wishes, on the basis of Rachel's lack of consent, could be considered discrimination under equalities law."

My school is not quite as far down the line as yours Mummy08m but I am in a very similar position. Shit, isn't it.

Oh I have, I pointed the DSL to guidance from SSA and Transgender Trend. I quoted the Equality Act, spokesperson soundbites from the cabinet etc. I think it's been quietly dropped but I'm not sure. The DSL just said "thank you for your concerns" and told me he'd consider all cases on a case by case basis. Then some months later I noticed he'd subsequently added pronouns to his signature, but that might be unrelated, whatever. As I say I'm exhausted.

I hope/trust this will all be dropped one day in the future and we will look back in horror. But firstly I know it will not be for at least a decade, I think people are deluded if they think this is on its way out any sooner. Secondly, we complaining difficult-women will not be thanked or acknowledged for speaking up. Maybe the big headliners will (as they justly deserve) but someone like me, part-time teacher nobody, will just be thought of by my school as a bigot troublemaker even when the harmful fad fades away. Ffs.

Sorry I'm angry today.

Worse than that. SIMS has pronouns, gender identity and a "only use pronouns within school" flag.

Oh my! What about the girls who 'identify' as girls?! It's grim out there

A few interesting things in this article.

"until guidance for schools is issued, schools must make decisions on a case by case basis". I hear this 'case by case' line trotted out a lot. It's meant to sound very nice and personalised. But unless there are any criteria it's meaningless. And what criteria can there possibly be for treating a child as if they are the opposite sex? Unless the guidance either rules out social transition, or gives clear criteria, then schools are still left to make it up as they go.

The lack of focus on safeguarding is noticeable. The dad of the trans identified girl seems to be very confused about what it means. "Schools should be a place of safety and they have a legal duty of care to every child," Mike says. "I don't think a school should go against the child's wishes."

He seems to think 'safety' = "not being confronted with facts that they don't like". What if his child's wishes had been to sleep in the boys' dormitory? Or play rugby with the boys? Should the school make her 'safe' by allowing that? And what about their duty of care to all the other children? A child might have all kinds of wishes that it wouldn't be safe for a school or parent to indulge. We say no, to keep them safe. That's what being a responsible adult means.

Equating disagreement with abuse
There's this leap to 'if we tell parents they might throw their children out/abuse them' to justify hiding things from parents. I don't think there's any evidence that this is a common response to a child announcing they're trans, is there? It's horribly irresponsible of trans activists to scare children into thinking this is likely, or encourage them to think that 'hang on, let's talk about this' means that their parents hate them, or might abuse them.

A suggestion that there's a 'right' to social transition?

"Teachers told her they later consulted lawyers and were concerned that refusing her child's wishes, on the basis of Rachel's lack of consent, could be considered discrimination under equalities law."

Are schools introducing SelfID without bothering with any legislation?

Thank you for the solidarity... I feel like I'm living in a dystopian novel sometimes. It doesn't help that no one I know IRL agrees with me wholeheartedly (and most disagree vehemently). Even my dh only agrees partially but thinks it's petty stuff that doesn't matter. I mean, calling girls Bs doesn't matter much I guess, it's rude and dehumanising imo but doesn't put them at risk of actual harm.

But inviting male students into girls' changing rooms? When our school was specifically over-represented in the Everyone's Invited peer sexual abuse allegations? Do they just not care if more of them get assaulted?! It gives me the absolute rage that girls (sorry, Bs) are being treated with such lack of care.