Just out of parents night - 11 years new novel is about a boy who wants to be a girl

[Workingmomof2]

And the teacher was talking about it as a great book. I’m seriously not happy. Would I be unreasonable to raise this with the school. Why is this kind of idea even introduced to our children so young. No wonder they are all so confused.

In the book, George wants to play the lead female role in the school play but the teacher says only girls can play it and gives the role to George’s female friend, (who, presumably, also really wants it).

But on the night of the play the friend gives the role to George cos she’s kind.

We all survived reading The Famous Five. An ongoing theme of every one of the books was how George wanted to be a boy. I don't recall anyone's mind being warped by that!

To add to my post my daughter wasn't really interested in reading the sequel where George is now Melissa.
I remember the story being more about why a girl 'must' play a female character in a play - why can't a boy do it.
It was about 5 years ago we read the book (I read it with her) so I might be remembering wrong.

good practice for giving up her sports trophies, women in industry awards and dignity/privacy/safety for the rest of her life 👍

Who is the uneducated one?

Absolutely this. Use it as a discussion point regarding how some people are batshit crazy, how society uses lots of different media to try and normalise abnormal positions. Who would want to do that and why.

Discuss why certain groups that want to normalise situations target young people.

discuss how religious indoctrination doesn’t need a recognised religion.

Discuss what affect this new religion has on women, using recent examples from the news

Discuss the kind of people who might be drawn to this ideology

Discuss the witch hunts that have occurred throughout history and the ones that are happening against women like JK Rowling

I agree with the teacher- bloody brilliant book but I would be making sure the lessons my child learned from it weren’t mermaid approved

@ourflagmeansdeath Don't see how this affects how gender dysphoria is NOT a mental illness,

What is it then?

@PriOn1 wow. Not every person experiencing gender dysphoria is "jumping on a bandwagon" you know. You do realise that because of attitudes like this, some people are still afraid to be themselves? Or explore what their lives might be like if they didn't have to live in fear of being judged and persecuted?

I will never, ever understand how people can be so judgmental, when how someone else lives their life is of absolutely no concern to anyone else.

Havent you been reading the news at all. This is exactly what social transitioning means, of both children and adults and the biological sex views are not taken into account (aka women).
Social transitions (changing pronouns, gender identity and names) is an intervention, just because its not a physical or medical intervention doesnt mean it doesnt have any power to it. Its dangerous because it reinforces sexist stereotypes about sex.

Pretty sure in time, it will return to being seen as the mental illness it is. Huge distress because you feel there is something wrong with your body (when there is nothing physically wrong with it) is surely, by definition, a mental illness.

I’m not sure how we got to a place where anyone thinks it’s normal. In all other circumstances, psychiatrists and other medical professionals dealing with psychiatric illness are taught that if someone believes they are something they are not, they should never be affirmed in that false belief, yet girls are being told they are boys, if that’s how they feel. It has no similarity whatsoever to falling in love with someone of the same sex. They have been falsely linked, but sexuality and feeling like you are the opposite sex are wholly different. However much hormone you pump in, girls are not boys and never can be.

This 100%

I'm asking seriously but what more is there? If a man identifies as a woman what exactly he identifying as? If a woman isn't a biological entity then what else is left but stereotypes?

As for the one about only wanting to be a different sex due to the stereotpyes based on the other gender, well that's just frankly ridiculous. It is so much more than that. You're very uneducated.

Why do they want to be a different sex then? I'm interested to know what you actually think about this because everything I've ever seen or read has been based on gender stereotypes. Everything.

Fucking hell, the thought police have really captured the ideology here haven’t they - yes little woman give up everything you have worked for and deserve because #bekind the man wants it.

a trans woman is male privilege in a pretty frock

It's a great book
Anyone thinking Boy in Striped Pyjamas would be a better choice should check out what the Holocaust Memorial Trust have to say about it.
Students aren't really influenced by what they read in school that way. Thankfully given that I'm currently teaching Macbeth which many primary schools also introduce their students too!

I'd rather a book about a boy who is experiencing difficulties related to racism not something impacting 0.5% of the West.

@ididntwanttodoit are you joking? These are primary school kids. There is NO WAY all the kids will be able to benefit from a critique of the book even if the teacher had the time, aptitude or inclination to lead them through it . My 12 year old is “more able” but could not even tell you what an ideology is. Kids read a small number of books in school together - there are a million books i would rather the teacher chose than something so controversial.

These kids as a group simply won’t have the faculties to understand what messages they can take from this book as “unquestionably true”. The book will doubtless be presented sympathetically to George which is fine, but I bet the school wouldn’t read a sequel where George is 16, has changed their mind, and has to handle attempts to repair the impact of hormone treatment. Or George stays in his new gender, completes a medical transition
and years later can’t reproduce and is bitterly disappointed that they hadn’t anticipated age 11 or 18 that one day they would want children.

Yes, quite aware that's what social transitioning is. That's why I said if you are just socially trans you shouldn't be explicitly allowed into biological women only areas. I personally don't see how just changing pronouns and names does anything really, it doesn't affect you. I know a few trans males who still present themselves very feminine.

I am interested on how it reinforces sexist sterotypes about sex? Why do you believe that?

My 11 yo DS has a trans girl in his class. They come back from lockdown with a new name and wearing a skirt. Even though most of the girls wear trousers.

My DC know that people can't change sex. But I am very open to discussing trans people etc. Use it to open a conversation

This. It makes me cringe every time I see it as someone's very weak argument.

Of course they have to wear a skirt! Cos females wear skirts don't they! And they like pink and pretty things

@Nooyoiknooyoik In other words, boy's preference takes priority over girl's wishes. Again. This isn't something to celebrate, IMHO

@MaggieMagpie357

”I will never, ever understand how people can be so judgmental, when how someone else lives their life is of absolutely no concern to anyone else.”

Except it is of serious concern to me, as a parent and educator, that gender ideology is being pushed on our children by schools in the curriculum. It DOES effect children, all children.

And it isn’t in any way progressive to me. It’s sinister. It puts ideas that are not true (that you can ‘change sex’) into children's heads and it grooms children into believing that because they don’t fit narrow gender stereotypes there is something wrong with them that needs changing or fixing. It’s majorly creepy.

It also teaches girls that if a boy says he is a girl you have to be kind and accept it, unquestioningly, including him being in your toilets and changing rooms and sports teams etc, or you will be vilified and branded a bigot.

Fuck all that.

Agree

And Im not sure how it became termed 'gender dysphoria' either when surely its body dysmorphia given that gender is not a real thing, its something you make up in your head. So you've made something up about yourself in your head (I must wear trousers and enjoy football) but I dont agree with that because I want to wear sparkles and lipstick so Im suffering dysphoria from that?

It literally makes no sense.