Trans awareness for toddlers!

[Lefty99]

We take our toddler to a play group in a local church hall. The person who runs it posted on Facebook to say they are planning events for the year ahead including to mark the royal wedding, homophobia awareness week and trans awareness week. I think she is just virtue signalling without really understanding how promoting trans to under 4's might be a tad problematic!? Anyone come across this before or any ideas of how to challenge this in a nice way that doesn't alienate her? I don't want to stop going the group as my little boy really loves it. TIA

HI perhaps read the transgender trend pack for schools?

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

Is it only one person who runs it? Is there a committee? I would join asap.

Find out exactly what she has in mind with the trans awareness week. I just spoke to my DD's teacher yesterday (yr6) and emailed the Head as well with the transgendertrend guidance for schools pack, in addition with a letter that outlined my concerns. The teacher was incredibly receptive to what I had to say - it's just common sense, isn't it. But we both agreed that ALL children need support and love, but putting them in a gender-ised box isn't appropriate.

Are there trans parents? Is this why she's wanting to mark it in the toddler group? Where is this desire coming from?

I don't think this is apporpriate at all. For teenagers, maybe depending on how it was being spun, but not toddlers!

Could you ring the person who runs it and outline your concerns? Are they having an anorexia awareness week, or mental health awareness week, etc?

I simply wouldn't go on those weeks. And would encourage any other parents who have similar concerns to give it a miss too. Have a get-together in the park instead.

Totally inappropriate for pre school children. My concern would be that to condense the awareness down to a level that 2/3/4 year old can understand it will be basically be the pink for girls and blue for boys type crap.

I don't think children this age should have any kind of awareness events for social issues. There are certain messages about kindness, tolerance of others etc.. that can be reinforced in a general sense just through everyday activities and play and that's enough at that stage.

I would just stop going to that playgroup for those days, or completely.

Normally I would recommend the pre school playgroup association who historically were very good experts on early years development and appropriate education. But they appear to have been mermaided and now think sex is a spectrum on the basis that some people do not feel the sex that they are 🙁

You could send something like this on FB: Just checking that the trans awareness day is something along the lines of being respectful of people we come across dressed in the clothes we would usually expect the other sex to wear rather than telling the kids they must be boys if they like playing with dolls etc? Thanks.

Thanks for all of the responses, really helpful.

athingthateveryoneneeds
No trans parents that I'm aware of. Its just one woman who runs it with some volunteers. She has recently come back from mat leave full of ideas about changing the set up of the group, the changes haven't gone down well in general. I think she's trying to make the group 'relevant' or something? And have a series of events rather than just play group. It's all a bit strange. I thought she was like trained in early years education but I'm starting to doubt that.

I think I will have to broach it with her and find out exactly what she is planning, and see where it goes. I agree it is completely inappropriate for this age group.

Is it aimed at the children or at parents?

I’ve seen the Pre-school Learning Alliance suggest a LGBT awareness initiative to include parents who may feel unwelcome, but not for young children.

I think you do need more information on what they are planning.

Good luck with that then. I think they will find it a tough audience if DS was anything to go by when he was little.

'This is Mary and she is a girl' (photo of male dressed as a female)
'No she a boy - shes not Mary - boy boy BOY!'

He had an issue with people dressing up and saying there were say a character from history in a museum, the yo bear getting off the bus, or a random banana handing out leaflets in the street. I think he saw it as them lying and would get quite cross.

Yep, I agree it'll be lost on the pre-schoolers. I think I'd be looking for another playgroup, tbh.

Shocking website alert!
Make sure they don't bring samples like this
transkids.biz/products/extra-small-silicone-packers

^ Wtf??

That's... well, it's given me a whole lot of food for thought anyway.

It's essentially a flaccid strap on for little girls?

Peaceloving what a shocker - especially this book for pre-school 'trans' kids:
transkids.biz/products/what-makes-a-baby

Although I could have done with a "Fenis" when desperate for a wee in the middle of nowhere.

This is sick and dangerous. Who thinks of this.? Well meaning ppl want to be progressive and inclusive but most have no idea of what is behind this ideology. some see associations with peodophilia and child abuse. Non gender conforming kids are made to conform even by this incredible devices out of sick mind. See this article
4thwavenow.com/2015/09/26/san-francisco-company-selling-packers-for-trans-boys-ages-4-and-up/