Stonewall award and teaching at school

[DebbieBarry]

Our school newsletter tells us:

"We are very proud to have been awarded our Stonewall Award... this award allow Schools to effectively benchmark their progress and give direction to their ongoing work in tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and celebrating diversity. Some feedback from Stonewall: “Your PSHE lesson is exemplary, a best-practice example of discussion around consent, and the difference between gender identity and gender expression, and how they're also related concepts....you've also clearly started threading LGBT themes into other areas of your curriculum....”

I have no issue with some of this but I do want to ask how they are teaching sex / gender etc given Stonewall's view on self id and so I've drafted this so far:

Dear Mr X
Please could you let me know how Stonewall guidelines are being followed in lessons and particularly how these relate to sex and gender and self id?
Thank you yours xxx

Any suggestions for improving this? AIBU?

If I were you I would try to be very specific about what you want to see as a response. They might just send you the PSHE curriculum for example. You want to understand whether they make distinctions about sex and gender and what their core message is. So you need to phrase that request carefully. Otherwise You'll just end up going backwards and forwards around the issue.

And YANBU.

Some more on Stonewall's definition of gender ID and gender expression here

www.youngstonewall.org.uk/lgbtq-info/gender-identity

'Gender expression – this is the way that you express your gender! For example, if you identify as a girl you might want to dress in a certain way or read certain books. A lot of people might not be aware of their gender expression, as it’s a natural way that we express ourselves.'

As a female, I only read certain books, clearly.
Only those by Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper.

Sorry, being pedantic but as the parent of a child at a Stonewall Champion School I can tell you their definitions, glossary of terms and ideology are ridiculous.

In particular, please can you clarify what you are teaching with respect to:

• whether a person change sex
• whether science backs up that 'people can be born in the wrong body'
• challenging gender stereotypes across the classroom (eg being clear boys can have long hair & like pink, girls can like construction and have short hair)

What is 'natural' about wearing clothes?

(Ever see a squirrel in a frock?)

Gender expression – this is the way that you express your gender! For example, if you identify as a girl you might want to dress in a certain way or read certain books

read certain books

What is this idiocy? What limiting, restrictive BS. Is this being taught in most schools in the UK? Why has this lobby been allowed to influence children and teach them reactionary nonsense?

Somehow I find determining your 'gender identity' based on what books you enjoy even more offensive than if you favour olive green or hot pink

I just came here to say that Clymene but you got it.

Read certain books?

READ CERTAIN BOOKS??????

Turns out I did need to say it after all...

I really hope the Conservatives use their majority to address the relentless attack on freedom of speech in academia, address the fact women can’t meet in public without being attacked by misogynistic thugs, that women are being hounded for a belief in biological sex and that the police are investigating people for limericks. This lobby’s influence is undemocratic and it needs to be urgently addressed. This preposterous BS has to stop

Debbie, the Transgender Trend site has a lot of useful information.

Are your children at primary school? There's a news feature about the Stonewall guidance here:
www.transgendertrend.com/stonewall-lgbt-inclusive-teaching-primary-schools/

Best of luck. I remember when seeing boys wearing pink and girls taking up football was a cause for celebration -- they'd been liberated from restrictive old stereotypes. Never dreamed that in the 21st century they would have adults telling them they were born in the wrong body. We seem to be heading back into the Dark Ages very fast.

The message of the book is that it is no one’s business to know whether Tiny is a boy or a girl. This is an activist message told to children who are too young to understand that sex is immutable and that there is nothing wrong with asking “are you a boy or girl?” a question that ought to be no different from asking someone’s name or age

This is insane. Is this being taught in primary schools? Why are Stonewall allowed to dictate the curriculum?

Read certain books?

I like 19th century Russian literature, 20th century American literature, trashy crime novels (preferably Scottish, American or Italian, can never get into Scandi-noir), popular science and history and anything on cannibalism, George Stewart's Ordeal by Hunger on the Donner Party is a particular favourite of mine.

Is that 'girly' enough for Stonewall or am I kicked out of womanhood?

I tell you one book everyone should be reading. 1984. This BS is unbelievable

I think you should ask them how they are emphasising the distinction between sex (biological) and gender roles (historically specific and culturally constructed).

I'd have a look at Safe Schools Alliance as well as Transgender Trend, both are useful resources for challenging this stuff in schools.

I'd also have a look at freedom information requests on the What Do They Know website for schools on you're area to see what questions have been asked before.

The school has probably paid for Stonewall training which isn't cheap and if it was me I'd like to know what it was they had to do to even apply for the award.

There was a list of champion schools the the Stonewall website but they took it down, maybe temporarily.

This is insane. Is this being taught in primary schools? Why are Stonewall allowed to dictate the curriculum?

Oh, Bovary. Watching you repeatedly peak is both heartening and makes me want to cry because there is so much to peak over. Here is a lesson plan for one of the most popular books for little ones on these curricula.

equalitiesplans.blogspot.com/2015/10/transgender-equality-are-you-boy-or-are.html

And here is Shelley Charlesworth on No Outsiders:

www.transgendertrend.com/no-outsiders-queering-primary-classroom/

And following Lang's excellent posts here is Stonewall's primary school guidance

www.stonewall.org.uk/primary-school-champions-programme

As we all know this could be for kids as young as 4, up till 12...

.you've also clearly started threading LGBT themes into other areas of your curriculum....”

FFS. Can they just have a maths lesson or whatever the subject without having an ulterior agenda shoved down their throats.

Lang
I just can’t believe it. No wonder kids are so confused. ‘Assigned a gender at birth?’ ^Tiny isn’t a boy or a girl?’ It’s just gibberish. But the really awful thing is that if this is being taught at school, the children will assume it has some validity. And this will mess with their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Adults are teaching them BS! How has this happened? And the Conservatives have been in government for nine years. It’s fricking unbelievable

It's horrendous.

This is Michele Moore at a WPUK meeting, talking about the effects of teaching children bodily dissociation.

Lang
It’s just absolutely shocking. It’s a betrayal of children and a failure to protect girls who are vulnerable to this not least because of the repressive, conformist gender stereotypes which are being promoted as part of this ideology. How has this happened? Michele Moore is very brave, I can see how concerned she is at this unbelievable situation. I don’t know what to say Lang. It’s absolutely appalling