Weald school drops JK Rowling from its House names after transphobia row

[happydappy2]

The Head was on the radio earlier & The Times have picked up on it (sorry can’t link) I just cannot believe a Headteacher can justify not wanting to be associated with her name.....what signal does this send to the female pupils? Discussing yr rights is wrong & will get you blacklisted....her recent writing on the subject showed compassion and concern, not hatred, this is just crazy.

It’s like a frenzy, so quick to denounce so you can’t be guilty by association.

Spineless twats. What on Earth will this teach their pupils? Judge someone on a social media spat rather than through research and discussion of the issues. What a disgraceful teacher.

That's disgusting.

Anyone have his address?

I wonder what the governing body will have to say about that.

Mind you, if there are any female governors on the board the HT will probably move to have them cancelled if they dare to express contrary opinions.

My fucking god. I wonder if any parents are on MN?

Nitwits.

Idiotic decision.

Can you imagine the chilling effect on the free speech of girls in that school?

Top man will throw you under the bus in a heartbeat if he suspects you of heresy.

No matter how nicely you put it when you suggest that maybe the earth is round not flat and this is worthy of debate. Cancelled. Out. Bye. Bigot.

I'd like to write to them

Fools!

Encouragingly all the comments under The Times article are ridiculing this decision, not one single person in favour, because there is simply no justification for this pathetic choice. The fact the Head was so confident he was doing the right thing, he went on radio to discuss it, is probably now looking like not such a good decision.

Do they study biology at that school?

What cowardice. And I'm willing to bet there was no prior controversy on the issue either. No horde of parents calling for him to change the name.

Yet another person who wasn't even asked to pick a side pre-emptively trying to save their own skin.

If I was still a student and that was still my school, I'd take it as an invitation for a bit of anti-authoritarian action. Leave a few used tampons in the men's teacher toilets, and see how comfortable he is living by his new ethos, instead of just inflicting it on women and girls.

I just don’t understand how anyone can read that thought provoking essay and not have it provoke any thoughts as to how she came to her standpoint. Mind blowing.

The houses of my kids school were voted on by pupils, if it's a case the children chose her how exactly is he going to explain it to them without seriously gaslighting children

Oooo look - here's their Facebook page...
www.facebook.com/TheWealdSchool/

And they posted this about their favourite authors on Twitter . No likes though .

And the letter that went out... www.theweald.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=5127&type=pdf

The first five or so posts on their FB page are about pride month, LGBT authors and reading lists blah-di-blah. It's like a cult not a school.

How about defining authors by the quality of their work rather than their sexuality - radical eh?

The Head needs to read the Safe Schools Alliance papers - perhaps someone could contact the governors etc

Ha ha ha - they got the date wrong on that letter - 10 June 20202

Quote from the letter..
However, in recent days it has come to light that one of our new names may in fact no longer be an appropriate role model for our community. JK Rowling has tweeted some messages which are considered to be offensive to the LGBT+ community (specifically, trans-phobic) and we feel that we do not wish to be associated with these views. The Weald is a school which always seeks to be inclusive of people across all of the protected characteristics, and we would not want to cause offence, even inadvertently.

What about the inadvertent offence caused to women and girls!!!!

[quote ChateauMargaux]And the letter that went out... www.theweald.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=5127&type=pdf[/quote]
That letter's got to be actionable surely? That looks to me like it oversteps the boundary from opinion to libel (I am not a lawyer).

And I would be raging if I was a parent at that school - it's like putting up a neon sign in 6 foot capital letters in the school hall saying "GIRLS, SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED OPINIONS OF YOUR OWN."

(I love the idea of used tampons in the male teachers' toilets. But then I am evil.)

Bloody hell. My sisters went here (years ago).

Stupid people. Glad they are being told that.