Anyone know the Gender Identity Research & Education Society (GIRES)?

[walkingtheplank]

I understand that the school that DD is due to go to had a talk recently from GIRES, with lots of literature distributed. Do you wise ladies have any thoughts on this organisation?

I'd be tempted for her to be overcome with a D&V bug the day of the talk to be honest, from what I've heard of GIRES. Weren't they behind the Science Museum "Ladybrains" exhibit?

Really? Oh dear.

DD not at the school yet but want to be prepared for the future. It's disappointing as the head struck me as a feminist who fought gender stereotypes.

Their "educational" material is all on their website (top hit for GIRES on google) - you can read it for yourself and check what you feel about it. They have books about non-binary penguins for 3 to 6 year olds, and this gem in the KS3 section: "and we know that the brains of trans people are a little bit different from other men and women in parts of the brain that are ‘hard wired’, which means they cannot be altered or rewired." (Clearly neuroscience is not their strong suit).

The anti-bullying stuff and support people in being who they want, even if they don't fit parts of their literature are fine - all in favour of that. People of any age should be able to dress as they like, call themselves what they like, without threat of bullying or harrassment. It's the pseudo-science that pisses me off (check out Anitadae's posts on some of the threads here - she's a geneticist who is very clear on what is and isn't good science in this whole clusterfuck.)

Here's a link to their lesson plans:
www.gires.org.uk/classroom-lesson-plans/

How old is your daughter? The material for 3-6 year olds teaches them that they can change sex if they don't like being a boy/girl. With cute penguins instead of children. And the magically sex-changing penguin child gets a cake and party for being a trans penguin.

There are three stories: boy to girl, girl to boy and non-binary. Guidance on how to use the material says It is preferable not to read all three books on the same occasion because that could confuse small children.

No indication that it might confuse children if you tell them that they can change sex.

Guidance continues If a child in the class is planning to transition, or has recently done so, it would be appropriate to read the penguin story that matches that child’s situation. Remember we're talking about 3-6 year olds here.

Bottom line: GIRES shouldn't be let anywhere near children.

GIRES seem to be very heavily invested in promoting treatment to children.

Like all the trans-pressure groups, they are evangelical about transgenderism.

Lily Maynard, whose child detransitioned, says:.

*GIRES (the Gender Identity and Research Society) has a very impressive sounding name but is neither a professional organisation, nor one with an academic foundation. Like others, it was set up by the parents of a transgender child. GIRES wants to teach ‘gender theory’ to children as young as two, and it seems that the teachers’ union is on board with this. Never has the acronym ‘NUT’ seemed so appropriate. GIRES is sending ‘gender experts’ into schools to fill the heads of kids with the notion that being ‘trans’ makes you a ‘special penguin’ (See the booklets here and spot the bad grammar.)

GIRES tells teachers that that such snowflakery should be rewarded with a cake or a party. This can only serve to confuse kids young enough to believe in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. GIRES is quite candid about its desire to teach small children about transgender ideology “before children’s views become influenced by the prejudices of the adults around them”. This is an astonishing admission of the wish to influence very small children’s thinking about issues they can’t possibly understand. The result of one such talk in a primary school was discussed on another mumsnet thread, where a parent – who had not been told the talk was going to take place- reported on her children’s response. Her eldest told her “you can choose whether to be a girl or a boy and you can take hormones to change…” whilst her youngest told her they “couldn’t decide whether to be a boy or a girl… and wanted to know what medicine to take.”*

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/lilymaynard.wordpress.com/2017/11/08/when-is-a-girl-not-a-girl/amp/

Gendertrender has analysed quite a bit of what they have said. Amongst other things, the outrageous claim that transitioning can cure autism:

Anecdotally, young people who have been successfully treated, are often described as having no residual ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder]. The symptoms have disappeared once the dysphoria has been treated.

gendertrender.wordpress.com/?s=GIREs&submit=Search

I've seen some of their promotional material, and it's incredibly cult like. I would avoid at all costs. If you want to learn about how to address this issue for children, Transgendertrend has their own schools guide, which is balanced, rational, and most of all calm.

DD is Year 6. This will be her secondary school. I'm so disappointed. I feel I need to have as much info as possible so when it's her turn I can ask how this material matches what they've said on other issues around equality, not needing to confirm to gender stereotypes etc

I’m confused... does this mean my child will or won’t have gender dysphoria if they get the MMR?

walkingtheplank

You could just be blunt with the school and say you have read the GIRES information and it seems heavily biased. Would they mind reading the one from Transgendertrend until you what they think.

You could point out that the transgender trend guide takes into account the safeguarding for all children, not just trans children. And shows them how to manage the needs of all children, including those with the protected characteristic of sexual orientation and sex, not just gender reassignment.

Because equality law demands that all three characteristics are treated with the same weight.

The link is below. If you haven't read it, it's worth a read. It's easy to comprehend.

If you then read the information from GIRES you might get a shock.

www.transgendertrend.com/transgender-schools-guidance/

Hotdoggety

Thank you Datum. I know at some point I will have to front this up so your post is very useful.

It's frustrating as in January I had a really interesting chat with the Head about gender stereotypes and how girls are nurtured to take their rightful place, not being knocked down, intimidated by a male dominated society. I genuinely thought we were on the same page, that she wasn't paying lip service. At some point I'm going to have to ask her how that conversation squares with GIRES' assertions.

I imagine the local authority (or multi academy trust etc) is offering the training as part of its diversity package so that the school thinks it is meeting its obligations and using "approved (proven scientific??") " materials.

Very glad OP that you are alert to this.

Somethingweird

I completely agree. It will be a box ticking exercise for the schools.

Because who has a bottomless pit of time to drill down into this?

Furthermore, schools will, and are, being pressured to accept biased information. That's no picnic.

The veiled threats contained in a lot of information will have schools signing up on the dotted line, for the sake of a quiet life, if nothing else.

It must be a complete pain in the arse for any PSHE teacher.

Especially if you have a few or no trans children. It must all seem like something that is unlikely to happen anyway. And even if it does, this is progressive, right?

It's only when you really take the time to analyse the information, that you realise the scenarios that they use as examples are highly biased.

I can't remember which of the pressure groups it was, but one lesson showed a transgirl, vulnerable, modest, dainty, being forced enter a toilet where stood two scowling, burly men.

They then wrote a series of questions to ask the class. How do you think this girl feels? Do you think this is fair?

Deliberately and irresponsibly turning the power dynamic between men and women on its head. Subverting where the threat actually lies.

The children in this school were not powerful burly men!

If you are of a mind to expose the actual power dynamic, it's that a male person would be imposing themselves on the girls, at their most vulnerable and in a state of undress.

Transgendertrends guidance does not rely on emotional manipulation.

Nor does it go around threatening schools who won't read it.

That was the CPS guide for schools, I think, Datun.

It was, which I believe was written with by Gendered Intelligence.

Wasn't there was some issue with GIRES similar to the judge stopping Mermaids having contact with a child. To do with the founders, who are a couple I think?

Can anyone remember the details?

Oh, it was to do with their child, who I think has detransistioned and now has NC with his parents

ATailofTwoKitties

That was the CPS guide for schools, I think, Datun.

Yes, it was endorsed by the CPS. They didn't write it, though.

Or read it, I imagine.