Disappointing article on transgender in TES

[FreiasBathtub]

Urgh. It's like transgender bingo:

• Questioning the way things are going == being a horrible homophobe, section 28 etc etc etc (bonus point for linking to Owen Jones article)
• Why are feminists so obsessed with genitalia?
• Nobody is cutting bits of children or pumping them full of chemotherapy drugs, promise!
• 'history will judge you...'
• Transitioning is always a long, painful, difficult process (with the implication that it involves surgery, drugs and a significant change to lifestyle)
• Women are worried about men pretending to be women in order to take over their safe spaces which would never happen because see above

Plus some exciting new angles I haven't seen before, including:

• Feminists, it's YOUR attachment to gender roles that means boys can't wear dresses
• Transgender people 'are the last people who would encourage gender reassignment on a whim'

I mean, even a very cursory glance on Twitter would show how completely batshit most of these assertions are.

A fact free, evidence free, comprehension free essay which unfortunately has been published in a 'reputable' trade journal for teachers who are already being told they should break fundamental safeguarding rules when a child discloses that they think they might be trans.

Does TES have a right of reply? Letters page? I'm too close to this sector to write anything myself as it would, unfortunately, be professionally damaging.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/transphobes-are-driving-childrens-confusion-about-gender-not-trans

Are you on twitter? It's certainly been 'replied' to on there!

TES has a forum with an 'educational news' section: community.tes.com/forums/education-news.2128/

I'm sure Kiri Tunks would have a good response to that.

'Feminists attaches to gender roles' - eh?!

I read the Twitter comments on this last night and they were, hearteningly, universally variations on 'WTF?'

Oh that's good! I didn't even think to go on Twitter. I'll go and let off some steam over there.

Really good to hear that the Twitter comments were so critical. I used to admire Natasha Devon, she used to talk a lot of sense about mental health and body image. It's a shame she has drunk the trans koolaid

This is her response on Twitter. So articulate and well thought out

"Thank you so much all the TERFs who have flocked to my @tes column today to pour your scorn, derision and transphobia on my views. The increased traffic will ensure I’m first in line for a pay rise.
9:42 PM - 29 Jan 2018"

Ah yes. Because disagreeing = transphobic. How silly of me to forget!

Scorn and derision are part of the job when you write something that is, you know, worthy of scorn and derision.

Jesus!

Bloody hell, did she just admit that it's in her financial interests to write uncritical trans-promoting tosh?

I mean, she's probably right that doing the opposite would get her demoted...

What boils my piss is that some teachers do read tes not that I've ever met any - mainly the young keen, unbroken ones.

I roll my eyes at anything by Natasha Devon.

There is a contact email address

[email protected]

There also appears to be a comment section, but no comments as yet.

I really wish TES would stop giving this idiot so much publicity.

She has very little to do with teaching or schools other than to squawk indignantly about how the current government makes children sad, this is a terrible thing, racism is bad, transphobia is worse, by the way aren’t I wonderful - thank you!

Why must I read this shite!?

She sounds like an overgrown teenager locked into the mindset of being popular at school. Is all of her stuff like this?

Yes

And she is PAID for it

^^

Bloody hell, did she just admit that it's in her financial interests to write uncritical trans-promoting tosh?

Where?

The increased traffic will ensure I’m first in line for a pay rise.

I take that to mean she's writing tosh in order to prompt 'transphobic' comments and do a spot of self-promotion.

Er.... quite, Natasha!

Who was the Teacher that was recently aquitted in the witch hunt against questioning trans children ? Patrick Someone, I can’t find t he link. Going to write to TES and complain

Lovelyusername He's Roy Wilkes, he's on Twitter, and he has consistently supported women who stand against self ID.

It is standard response to an argument you don’t like. Firstly misrepresent what the ‘other side’ is saying or mix up their arguments e.g encourage male MP candidates to pretend to be trans vs people are concerned about some men pretending to be trans to gain access to women’s spaces (male burglar breaking into teenagers bedrooms to wear their underwear wanting to transition to go into women’s prisons).
. Once you have created this false argument you can easily then knock it down. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that a male MP candidate would pretend to trans just that AWS shouldn’t be used to encourage trans people into politics at the expense of women who are already underrepresented.

Secondly create a false equivalence, it’s just like Clause 28 and homophobia. No it isn’t. She is trying to make the argument on a field of her choosing.

I wrote to the TES to complain about. Not bothered about online comments, now complaining Direct about each example

Well done Lovely