Let Toys Be Toys has fallen

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'Jamie’ by @ollypike: “There certainly aren't many books for younger children about transgender identities & this one is told very gently & sensitively” For a range of children’s books with transgender themes see...
https://twitter.com/lettoysbetoys/status/1112454995000131584?s=21

Sexist toys create sexist minds.

fixed my own post

Didn't Let Toys Be Toys start here on mumsnet?

Not surprising that the genderists have targeted it - it goes against all that they stand for.

i am speechless! everything on their twitter feed is completely invalidated by their support for that regressive rubbish!

i've worked with children for years from a very wide range of backgrounds. there are loads of sensitive issues that come up. you teach children kindness and tolerance of others with differences. you don't teach the reasons behind those differences as scientific fact!

you teach the children not to tease the little girl for wearing a headscarf, you don't teach them that all women and girls should cover their hair. you explain that so and so can't go to parties on a Saturday because of his faith, you don't tell the kids they all have to observe Sabbath. you teach kids that X has been struggling with an eating disorder and could really do with some time with friends not talking about diets and looks. you don't teach that X is far too fat to be loveable let's help her skip meals.

changing uniform and name - fine - you teach the classmates to try and use the new name and - hell - ALL kids should be able to wear whichever items of the uniform! but teaching children that a classmate has changed sex is dangerous. it is completely disingenuous to think it does not affect every other child in that school. the backstory with all its reinforcement of gender stereotypes and subtle (and not so subtle) homophobia. what message does that tell classmates? especially the gender non conforming ones and the ones who are wondering if they are gay?

this is before you even stop and think about the other messages that might be hidden in the story behind a child who declares they are the opposite sex. what happens to their body that makes them so sure it is wrong? massive massive red flag.

so cross when organisations which have the platform like this choose the cowardly path of no critical thinking skills.

I watched the YouTube video of the book, it wasn’t at all about enforcing gender stereotypes, simply about a girl who felt they were more comfortable identifying as a boy.

Look, I totally get the argument that gender stereotypes exist and I can see how people would argue that there is no such thing as gender except a series of cultural stereotypes assigned to boys and girls. But there are hormonal differences between men and women and sometimes this can explain why some people feel more comfortable expressing themselves as a certain gender.

I have taught children who struggle with their identity. It goes far beyond just wanting short hair and to wear “boy clothes”. It’s a feeling of wanting to be seen and accepted as how they feel inside. I’ve seen students physically hurt themselves by inaccurate breast binding because no one talks about this stuff and they hate their own bodies. Do they need counselling? Most definitely. Do they need to be judged and told they are just confirming to a set of cultural stereotypes? Fuck no. That is harmful and degrading.

God knows I wish we could “abolish gender” and everyone could be free to live, dress and express themselves however they want but that is a huge social change that I don’t think can be solved on Mumsnet. Yet we have the transgender movement to thank for normalising the conversation about gender and gender expression.

Let toys be toys, as far as I understand, was a movement that aimed to remove the stereotypes of “boys toys” and “girls toys” and allow children to explore play however they like.

The book itself seems really positive. There is no toy stereotypes or even gender stereotypes. The main character of Jamie even states that it isn’t the suit or the pumpkin car that makes him feel better, it’s the ability to be himself. I don’t see what the outrage is.

Seriously? There are no gender sterotypes? Jamie likes to fix things. Jamie wants to kiss the princess. Jamie wants a short hair cut..... Jamie (female) is really a boy.....

This book is homophobic tripe.

s1naidsucks- you sound hysterical. I am a teacher but I don’t “teach” kids to change genders, I support those who want to. No agenda here other than compassion. The world is changing, whether you like it or not.

But there are hormonal differences between men and women and sometimes this can explain why some people feel more comfortable expressing themselves as a certain gender.

I'm not following, please could you explain a bit more?

.The world is changing, whether you like it or not.

And there you have it.

Confused children showing up at gender clinics has increased 4000%.

4000%.

Because places like mermaids are telling children they must pick an identity, either a barbie, or a GI Joe. Utterly regressive. And if their sex doesn't match, they're trans.

And your problem is they're not actually disguising their breasts effectively.

What is wrong with you?

Go back to the 1950s. The women on mumsnet will sort this.

We were having conversations about gender and gender expression in the 70s thank you, and I very much doubt we were the first.

Can you also please explain what you mean by 'identifying as a boy' without reference to stereotype and feelings. If you can do so without resorting to misogynistic insults that would be super.

jellyfrizz

You won't get an explanation. You'll get a flounce, though. I guarantee it.

Thank fuck my kids have left school, that's all I can say.

I'd be having words with the safeguarding lead if my kids were subject to religious indoctrination like this.

identifying as a boy.

Identify with but it's impossible to be the opposite sex.

This is what kids are confused about.

Sex matters. For many many reasons.

Stop gaslighting kids.

But there are hormonal differences between men and women and sometimes this can explain why some people feel more comfortable expressing themselves as a certain gender.

Scientific paper cite please?

This is the illusion that's causing the problems.

I'm not following, please could you explain a bit more?

I was completely confused by that bit you quoted too, jellyfrizz. It didn’t seem to contain an actual argument or make any sense at all, did it? Or did I miss something?

Can you clarify what the point you were making was, Bathtime17?

Bathtime17 I've just started watching the vid on yt and it's ridiculous! Jamie has to do all the cooking and cleaning, Jamie isn't allowed to cut her hair or wear the clothes she wants to!
I sincerely hope it gets better, they've certainly gone in heavy with the stereotypes in the first few mins...

"But there are hormonal differences between men and women and sometimes this can explain why some people feel more comfortable expressing themselves as a certain gender." - yeah, I'd also like more explanation of this, as it sounds like dangerous made up nonsense to me.

"we have the transgender movement to thank for normalising the conversation about gender and gender expression." - no we really don't. I know that young people like to think they've invented everything, but this is not the case. The transgender movement is regressive and needs those stereotypes to exist, and to be embedded even further than they already are. It's really really not about breaking down sex based stereotypes.

Update - Jamie puts on a suit and cuts her hair short, she looks in the mirror and suddenly realises that she is a boy!

So, what is not stereotypical about that Bathtime17?

bathtime as a youngster I felt I was a boy and something was wrong.

It wasn’t.

It was just an effect of bullying because of my gender none compliance coupled with a developing body

Glad nobody took much notice beyond helping me grow up

Bathtime17

If the transgender movement was about gender nonconformity and breaking down stereotypes, they would say that boys can do stereotypical girls' stuff and girls stereotyoical boys' stuff.

They don't.

They say if boys want to do traditional girl stuff, it's probably because they're a girl inside. Ie have a girl identity. It cements gender.

And if you point this out, they say oh it's not that though, it's about science. There is no science to support that. None.

it wasn’t at all about enforcing gender stereotypes, simply about a girl who felt they were more comfortable identifying as a boy.

Can you explain a bit more about what it means when a girl 'identifies as a boy'? When someone insists they are something they are not, we usually call this a delusion.

It’s a feeling of wanting to be seen and accepted as how they feel inside.

We can't control how others see us or their acceptance of us. Are people to be forced not to recognise other people's sex?

The main character of Jamie even states that it isn’t the suit or the pumpkin car that makes him feel better, it’s the ability to be himself.

What does 'the ability to be himself' mean, though? A girl pretending she's a boy is clearly not being herself.

Bathtime17 These are the hard questions you need to be able to answer if you're going to start teaching children that they can choose their sex (which of course they can't). Why does this girl see being female as such a terrible thing that she refuses to accept her sex? What is wrong with being a masculine presenting woman?

Yet we have the transgender movement to thank for normalising the conversation about gender and gender expression.

No. We have the transgender movement to thank for causing confusion amongst gender non-conforming children and telling them that they can choose their sex.

This is more likely to confuse children more. So Milly doesn’t like dolls and would rather roll in the mud. Milly must be a boy then! Bill has a doll and doesn’t like football? Well he must be a girl then. And that’s ok, few pills here and a sleepy ride on the surgeons magic carpet and Milly can be a real boy!

Load of nonsense. Why not just have an ordinary story where kids do ordinary stuff?

OK, all watched. The suit and the short hair made everyone at the ball assume Jamie was a boy.
The Princess likes Jamie, lucky that he's a boy eh. Can't have a girl falling in love with another girl, can we.
Come on bathtime17 this is ridiculous.

And I remember being rather confused at the pantomime when the lead boy was played by a lead girl. I kept thinking ‘that princess is in for a shock...’

Yet we have the transgender movement to thank for normalising the conversation about gender and gender expression

I'll think you'll find that women have been at the fore-front of the demands to be allowed to wear trousers, sensible shoes, practical uniforms, way before transgender was a thing.

Feminist theory brought us the distinction between gender and sex (because women wanted to be liberated from forced femininity)

And as to gender expression - I think the goths, grunge, and before that hippies and punks were all pretty key there - and they managed it without trying to force their fashion choices on everyone else too!