9 yr old told off for calling non-binary teacher Sir

[Nowherecitizen]

My friend’s son was told off by a teacher at his school for referring to them as ‘Sir’. The teacher is male but identifies as non-binary.

Their title is Mx which the children are aware of. But the little boy simply looked at an adult who is visibly male and used the term Sir.

I have seen this teacher and they are 'masculine' looking but will sometimes wear a skirt and heels.

Friend’s DS felt bad and can’t recall exactly what was said to them but said the teacher was ‘very cross’.

AIBU to think this was mishandled? Surely the child should be reminded gently of the preferred identity of this adult but should not face a telling off?

What is the non-binary version of Sir anyway?

We still don't know what your actually meant to call a gender absent person in this situation.

@juanad096 I can't report that for egregious trans ideology AI use but I can, and will, report it for spam.

I'd be furious if my child were reprimanded for such a stupid reason. People need to recognise that their self-obsessed, navel-gazing special pronouns and titles are not actually that important. The energy some people waste on whether or not people are going along with their little fantasies!

Theres nothing at all respectful about asking a child to ignore the evidence of their own senses.

Also, why is he wearing skirts and heels sometimes if he is gender neutral... surely that would be gender confused. In which case you could just call him 'sir and/or miss'.

It’s not me that being obtuse.

It is perfectly correct for students to call a male teacher Sir.

No teacher should be pretending they are something other than male or female. He certainly shouldn’t be compelling his students to use such nonsense language to support his belief in a highly contested and harmful ideology.

Yes. And funnily enough Mx was started by women who didn’t want to be associated with a marital status. It has evolved to also include gender assumptions but I suppose “it’s just another thing men have taken away from women” 🙄

Its ridiculous that this man's preference to being referred to as ? Goodness knows what trumps a child telling the truth. I've also been referred to as Mum on occasion by a student. I didn't tell them off.

https://x.com/rhemanewsplus/status/1921258371442675904/video/1

For comparison, this is how a non-binary barrister conducts himself at work.

So no Ms, then. Right-oh.

Would you rather an excellent teacher who doesn’t wish to be called Sir or a manly male Sir of a teacher that replaces them but is a bad teacher?

The staff member should be advising the children at the start of the term, what the children are supposed to call them. I thought non-binary meant a person didn't identify as being male or female. My son had a teacher who he couldn't figure out if they were male or female - turns out the person was actually biologically female but looked quite masculine. Some of the class referred to the teacher as Sir and others Miss. She didn't particularly care, which they called her. However, children get confused, because they don't really understand and then become anxious in case they use the incorrect term. If teaching staff wish to be referred to as MX Smith, then they should explain to student how they should refer to them. If they don't, they can then hardly blame the child.

What's a "gender absent" person? Am I a "gender absent" person because I don't identify as female, I just am a woman? Or does a gender absent person have to stop doing everything that is associated with one sex or the other?

In any case, everyone has a sex, so this person who is male can be called Sir, or Him.
Also - high heels in a primary school? Surely that's a health and safety risk?

Gawd, enough of the 'non binary shite'! I have absolute sympathy for genuine trans cases of body dysphoria. But to decide some days to be one thing, then the other, then take offence when someone refers to you as you actually are and shout at a child is awful. Enough of this sort of nonsense.

I have a name that people often mistake for a similar sounding male name. If they are emailing me without having spoken to me or met me before they will frequently “misgender” me. It’s literally no big deal and has happened forever. People need to lighten up. But I just tell my kids to play the game, do an internal eye roll and get on with it.

Goodness knows what this teacher's history is but if they want to be called Mx etc then it's only polite to comply.

the male teacher was politely referred to as sir. The child did nothing wrong. the teacher is in the wrong in expecting anyone, let alone children, to feed into their derangement

Such a load of bollocks and ridiculous that the kids have to cope with a mentally unwell adult gaslighting them in this way. DD’s school now has a they/them teacher who goes by ‘Mx’ - I am so glad that she finished before this madness occurred.

As I said at 1447
So if a female teacher wore male suits every day and had a short back and sides would you consider that a fetish that the school was foistering. It’s just clothes. They just like a skirt and heels occasionally

Agree. Bloody ridiculous.

Why? What if they wanted to be called 'dark lord'?

Trousers are comfortable and practical so even if the female teacher has short hair, also comfortable and practical, the overall effect is not the equivalent of a male teacher wearing heels and a skirt which are not comfortable and practical clothes by comparison. The male will possibly
look like a fetishist.

There's a point where it becomes absurd but Mr/Mrs/Ms/Mx are all pretty straightforward.

That’s actually a good point, re belief.

Many years ago, my best friend worked in the local post office.

The local priest told her off because she’d said ‘Sir’ instead of ‘Father’.

’I’m sorry, Sir, but I’m not Catholic.’

The priest complained to the manager.

I don't agree with you on Mx. Since when? And where are we going to draw the line?