To ask school why DS was told there are 72 genders?

[Ersorrywhatnow]

DS - 13 - came home from school & said he had a ‘weird’ Philosophy & Ethics lesson led by a new-ish ( non-binary/trans) teacher where they discussed sexuality and gender and 72 genders were mentioned. They covered some of the ‘main’ ones like pansexual, bisexual, trans etc

I told DS that there’s not 72 bloody genders. But am curious as to what materials were used, where they came from and whether or not this was a genuine discussion as DS said it was stated as fact. So for example
When they discuss Judaism or other religions the teachers don’t state ‘god exists’ they talk about belief systems and how they are similar, how they’re different etc

it sounded like this lesson was more - this is fact.

or so I just leave it, knowing that DS is sensible, and knows that gay, trans, bi etc people exist in the world and that’s fine ask the school what the lesson was exactly?

I’m gay, BTW, so this isn’t some anti LGBTQ thing

I'm not writing to the government! Probably best to find out facts first. Where has this 72 or whatever genders crap come from though? I'm a paid up gay, been on every march you can think of, every Pride, volunteered etc, been to Trans Pride's, and am only now coming across this... who decided?

Bisexual is a sexual orientation and is protected in the Equality Act as such.

I worked with someone recently who said they were a pan/poly asexual bi-romantic.
She's young, like 23/24. And has aspergers.
She described her boyfriend - who's also interested in all genders (pan), having multiple 'partners ( poly) but asexual so no sex, and bi-romantic which means they go on dates, hold hands do stuff together.
So friends, basically. They are friends, and are open to having more friends.

I managed not to say - I think you're a closeted lesbian coming to terms with your sexuality, and as soon as you see the right girl you'll realise that...

Yes it's worth getting the facts from the school before deciding your next move.

For more general 'where did it come from?' background, it's worth watching the video I linked:

But I certainly thought it. Time will tell on that one.

For me the fundamental issue is that I send my children to school, which we all pay for with our taxes, to be helped to learn. A teacher is in a very responsible and privileged position, in that there are a lot of young people in their care.

If a teacher of say Maths are using that to squeeze in their beliefs about gender then that is a serious breach of trust in their responsibility as a teacher.

If you are supposed to be teaching PSHE then I would expect that to be evidence based and clearly for the benefit of the student, and also transparent. So in no way would I expect 72 genders to be appearing anywhere in my child’s education.

But what are they? What? I’m so confused. 😂

It's come from nowhere, out of the blue, invented, made up.

It feels like full scale, unbridled, indoctrination to me.

If it was a religious cult doing this to our kids it would be stopped.

People can love whatever other adult they like - but that's not the point here is it. Our kids are having their heads filled with made up hocus pocus. It's like someone going in and teaching astrology as fact. You are a Gemini therefore you have two characters, you are a Leo therefore you are vain.

It's absolute, plain as day, bollocks.

Someone posted this link further up:
https://72gender.com/72-genders-list/

It's absobloodylutely ridiculous. 90% of them sound like the same thing. It's word salad.

Omg this is horrendous! How come someone seriously be teaching that? It really makes no sense and actually ridicules the reality of what trans people feel. Ffs. No wonder it’s become such a mess of a movement.

YANBU. Please tell DS that what he was told was wrong. There are two sexes, and no genders. Gender and sex don’t mean the same thing, and there is no such thing as innate gender ideology.

Please complain to the Head and Governors, ask to see the PSHE materials and report to Ofsted. The DfE are undertaking a review of PSHE education on this very topic- they’re looking for this exact sort of evidence. I’d hit the ceiling if my DS was taught this kind of rubbish.

Thank you for posting this. It is incredibly interesting and depressing.

What do you mean? My dd had similar in year 7. It was during lockdown in a 2 part video during form. I watched the 2nd half and wrote to the school about it.

'If a teacher of say Maths are using that to squeeze in their beliefs about gender then that is a serious breach of trust in their responsibility as a teacher.'

This was in the Philosophy & Ethics class - it covers all sorts and is compulsory until they leave school. It wasn't PHSE - that's done separately.
And this isn't the usual Phil teachers which is why I think Ash was given this lesson to teach because of their personal experience

I asked DS what he thought. He said he didn't think there's 72 genders. I said I agreed. And that was that really.

Yes I guess a lot of kids have their own stable framework which they judge with.

My DS is very vulnerable, he hasn’t got many ‘frameworks’ in his own head and would likely take 72 genders very factually and literally. Which is why I am more concerned than most I think about ideologies (any of them, religion, trans or otherwise) being presented as facts.

I don't know if what happened in the OP is true, but I've no reason to disbelieve it since I've seen it in a classroom myself

Sex, gender and sexuality are entirely different things which need defining clearly and accurately, not jumbled up so that ‘bisexual’ is defined as a type of gender and god knows what other confusing nonsense the pupils have been told. YANBU.

I have no idea why anyone would think this didn’t happen. I’m gay, part of the LGBTQ +’community and generally supportive of trans rights.
What would be the point of making this up??

I also support the age appropriate teaching of LGBTQ + relationships etc in the PHSE curriculum - I’m not one of those people who think gay teachers shouldn’t be seen as role models and should hide their personal life completely from pupils.
Section 28 made my life growing up gay very, very difficult

I had a gay teacher at school and he was very strict with us. I thanked him on my last day of school because he was the only teacher who pushed me.

Loads of teachers are gay. I know so many. Same as the NHS,
loads of LGBTQ people,Always has been.

There’s a big difference between being LGB & being TQ+.

Being gay is all about same sex attraction, being T is all about prioritising gender.

I came out during section 28 too & I’d say that the gender ideology movement, led over here by Stonewall and Mermaids, is trying very hard to stop the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ once more - even Thatcher at her worst didn’t push for gender non-conforming, probably LGB kids to be given dangerous drugs to stop their growth and eventually have surgery to make their bodies resemble the opposite sex.

See also cotton ceiling.

LGB = sexual orientations
T = identity based on gendered stereotypes
Q = historically a slur thrown at gay and lesbian people; now a label claimed by mostly straight people who think being 'heteronormative' is the worst insult imaginable

This.

I miss goths, as an aside. They were at least based in material reality.