Transgender child the subject of a class reader?

[armpitz]

here

Now, I haven't read it yet but AIBU to be a bit unsure about this?

So many women here seem so completely against be idea of gender reassignment surgery. It's quite awful.

What? You think it awful that people are against the sterilisation of gender-non-conforming (and possibly homosexual) children?

I hope I misunderstood you.

armpitz you sound like a good teacher who is considering the impact of what they are teaching to their students, and rightly concerned about the message this book may send to young teenagers who may already be struggling with hormones, their identity etc

Sorry transexual aspire to be transexual.

Is in a male to female transexual probably won't want to then wear male clothes after reassignment surgery.

Whereas a male transgender may just enjoy not being gender conformist and wearing typically female clothes.

I know a man who wishes to remain a man. He is confident and comfortable with his gender identity. He is however a transgender male who prefers to wear womens clothes and makeup. He would never have reassignment surgery and be considered a transexual. He doesn't want to change his sex.

I forgot to add that some of your students might find it a bit 'young'. IIRC it's about a fourth grade class production (so 9 yr olds). The 12/13 yo readers I work with often disliked reading about characters much younger than themselves.

This one is no exception from a quick glance through. I'm just not sure whether the message is one that I agree with

Do you think there are teachers who have had to discuss books with messages they don't agree with before? How do you think they have dealt with that?

Virgin I hope you're joking about the sterilisation of gender non conforming or homosexual children.

arm I guess you have to read it and then decide how you want to teach it.

TBH when I was teaching English at secondary we had an awful lot of power to influence how kids that age interpreted texts - if faced with a text I fundamentally disagreed with I'd use it as a jumping off point for debate (can debates still be assessed for the Speaking and Listening component) and ensure the children read sufficient material with other viewpoints to provide balance.

There wasn't anything quite as controversial when I was teaching, but for example Skellig is very pro home schooling but plenty of teachers managed to swing debates on home schooling prompted by Skellig the other way... Most year 7 teachers would orchestrate debate or persuasive writing or speaking on school uniform and manage to have the kids coming out in favour (you can absolutely influence debates like that and have the children agree with whichever viewpoint you put forward should you so wish - which is of course why it is so dangerous having charismatic teachers with extremest opinions, why a lot of parents don't like their children to be taught in school that Christian religion is factually correct etc).

Pushing your point of view is not necessarily right, but providing a counter balance to a strong but controversial viewpoint in a text surely is...

If you have no choice of reader (we usually had 3 or 4 in the book cupboard for each year group - what's happened to whatever your taught year 8 last year? I remember doing Animal Farm with top set Year 8...) then do you have to teach from a pre-made scheme of work, or can you teach it however you see fit as long as you cover all English (not ideological) objectives?

sailor I think you're behind the times with your understanding of the current state of trans rights activism.

Current trans ideology says that any male born person who identifies as a woman or girl, is, in fact a woman or girl. Regardless of whether they have any hormonal treatment, surgery, or dress "as a woman". Or even shave. Yes, there really are bearded transwomen who claim to be women; google Alex Drummond and Danielle Muscato if you don't believe me.

And if you're not up for opening up any and all women's spaces to any male individual who identifies as a woman then you're a hateful bigot, in fact you're a fully fledged Nazi according to some on MN.

Whether you agree with it or not shouldn't matter. Some children go through a period of questioning their gender. Only a small proportion of these will become transsexual. If this book is sending the message that gender identity questioning is a good thing to talk about, then I'm all for it.

Lemon does the book suggest its possible for a boy to become a girl?

Or is it about a boy who dresses like a girl and is accepted as a boy who dresses like a girl?

Sailor I think Virgin is referring to the fact that puberty blockers and medical gender reassignment often or always leave people sterile as a side effect, not to wanting anyone to be sterile.

My son is 10 years old (almost 12) so is middle school.

I'd have to read the book but boy playing female role doesn't mean the child is transgender. I would want any teacher to say this to my son because it's bollocks. My son respects teachers and I don't want him labelling other children transgender because they want a female part in the play. It's bad enough that some children use "gay" to mean behaviour different to current narrow norms created by pink/blue culture.

He played an angel In the nativity a few years ago. (The Angel Gabriel is male but traditionally girls seem to be cast as the other angels. ) His sister happily played one of the Three Kings in the nativity twice. These don't make my kids transgender.

Age 10 (almost 11) Doh!!!

OP, you're lucky that you are the teacher in this scenario. If you have to read it with your class (who decided this? Are parents informed?) you can instigate great discussions about the topic and in the process hopefully challenge gender stereotypes. No man can be a woman by wearing a shirt, growing their hair and popping to the women's loo. In fact where I am from boys and men often have long hair and it is socially totally acceptable. (Scandinavia) It's certainly not a signifier of womanhood.

I detest the Trans agenda and ideology being pushed in schools and everywhere else. How come schools are not reading books about homosexuality? Trans ideology is a falsehood. We need to question why this is being pushed in this way.

Ego

Yes.

I frequently do.

But that's not really the point here, is it?

Talking

I'm speaking about the literal definitions of the words, not the way they have become adapted in to todays society.

Transexual =/= transgender =/= gender fluid and so on.

There is obviously a wider trans community with their own takes and feelings on the matter, feelings that are more important than my own as I don't know their struggles.

And as for the 'opening up womens spaces' send them in the changing room. I'm still going to be behind a closed door as I'm not body confident. As long as mens spaces are also opened up, or there are no singular sex spaces but everything behind closed doors. I.e. one communal locker area with doored changing rooms for everyone. One row of hand basins with both a toilet bowl and urinal behind the stall door. Hey ho.

But that's not really the point here, is it

It raises an interesting question. When a 'message' is being pushed through a text, how does a teacher who doesn't agree with the message teach it / discuss it?

sailor I thought you might just be unaware but now that I see your ignorance is a choice I'll leave you to it.

5more ah I must have read wrongly. Thanks.

If that is her worry then surely it is a good opportunity to discuss that issue also, the aftermath of such surgery that can impact lives in ways that aren't always spoken about.

Also there is the fact that reassignment surgery and medication is normally not given to children.

Virgin I hope you're joking about the sterilisation of gender non conforming or homosexual children.

Why would I be joking about something so horrible?

Gender reassignment surgery is sterilization plus some cosmetic surgery.
And more and more children are put on puberty blockers or even hormones to set them up to have this surgery as soon as they turn 18. The puberty blockers means the sex organs never mature, thus, sterile for life. Testosterone also damages the female reproductive tract.
Some surgeons even operate on children.

4thwavenow.com/2017/03/15/renowned-san-francisco-phalloplasty-surgeon-hit-with-multiple-lawsuits/

Talking not ignorant no, simply differing of opinions to yourself.

I understand people disagree with the current gender climate. I understand why some women wouldn't want men who identify as women in their 'womens only' spaces. However I also understand that men who do identify as women face horrific struggles and mental health issues when forced in to using 'men only spaces'.

It's not a clear cut issue and definitely not one I have issue with, personally. That is okay. Not ignorance.

Oh alright, not ignorance. Denial then.

Virgin I read it as "sterilise the children who are non conforming/homosexual" as mentioned above.

Talking again, difference of opinion.

Heaven forbid someone on NMs actually doesn't hate the trans community, can see their struggles and can empathise.

And more and more children are put on puberty blockers or even hormones to set them up to have this surgery as soon as they turn 18. The puberty blockers means the sex organs never mature, thus, sterile for life. Testosterone also damages the female reproductive tract.

So important i thought i would repost