School proposing to use Stonewall glossary of terms in RSE classes

[Nonmaquillee]

I have received some fantastic advice here recently about approaching my children's secondary school about their proposed RSE programme and in particular about the materials they plan to use in their session on "gender" (yes, I know)

After requesting three times to see the particular Stonewall materials they plan to use, I have been told that they are "only" going to use the glossary of terms. I have googled and come across this:

www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/faqs-and-glossary/glossary-terms

**so sorry but this doesn't seem to have come up as a clickable link

I am utterly bamboozled by some of the terms on there ("ace" - WTF?), never mind the insistence that, for example, "Butch is a term used in LBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way" and "Femme is a term used in LGBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically feminine way".

It's clear to me that the glossary reinforces stereotypes and even introduces students (these are aged 13-16 BTW) to concepts where I just think...really...is this a thing? Some of it ("pan") actually makes no sense whatsoever and just reads as gobbledegook.

This is prescriptive, isn't it, and teaches an ideology as fact and as such goes against current DfE guidance?

I am due to have a face-to-face meeting with the school on this issue and want to go in well prepared. If anyone would like to give me any extra pointers, that would be so helpful.

I'm planning to take in hard copies of the recent Sex Matters - Boys and Girls and the Equality Act that Sex Matters have recently emailed me. I've already copied and pasted the relevant DfE guidance.

Doing this for our daughters...one school at a time...

Perhaps the best way of starting off my meeting is to ask whoever I am meeting from the school to tell me what they understand “gender” to mean. If they simply refer to the Stonewall cribsheet, then I will press them further and say that I am still not clear.

Yes! And if they say masculinity and femininity, you can ask them to describe what they mean by those words. Because as soon as you do, the sexism becomes obvious. And you can question why on earth they are embedding that in the curriculum.

They might well get confused and tell you to look it all up. In which case you can then ask how they can possibly teach something they don't understand.

I can guarantee you won't get a straightforward answer, because we have asked people on these boards for the best part of five years to answer those questions, and no one ever has.

Well done OP. It's so important for parents to challenge this and make schools start to critically evaluate some of the awful materials that are produced.
You might also ask when / where is there consultation with parents about the STE curriculum and ask for the materials being used to be shared with parents? All schools are meant to consult with parents about the SRE curriculum.

Yes! And if they say masculinity and femininity, you can ask them to describe what they mean by those words. Because as soon as you do, the sexism becomes obvious. And you can question why on earth they are embedding that in the curriculum.

Yes - it's impossible to say what gender is without using sexist, outmoded, regressive stereotypes.

I have brought up my children (of both sexes) free of this reprehensible BS and am pretty livid that it's potentially being presented as FACT to them in a CLASSROOM of all places.....

All schools are meant to consult with parents about the SRE curriculum - thanks for pointing this out, persistentwoman. The school did send out a list of topics to be covered with each year group and when in the school year but did not tell us that we were to be consulted. As I mentioned upthread, I have asked them several times to send me the SW materials they were planning to use. The other materials they plan to use (on "gender identity") need to be paid for to access so I have asked the school to send them to me.

I am going to ask them about the need to consult with parents and share materials for RSE lessons - thanks for the tip!

They have redefined homosexuality to ‘same gender’ attracted and not same sex attracted.

So in-effect, telling young girls in schools who are lesbians that they should be attracted to TW.

Not only that, but if they are attracted to butches, they are actually straight, as of course masculine women are actually men. Its vile. Just fucking vile. And that it comes from stonewall..is shcking really.

www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/rse-and-parental-consultation-getting-it-right-relationships-health-sex-education-curriculum-pshe/

I have found this - a few paragraphs in, it's made clear that:

RSE is the only subject that requires parental engagement in its development – not unsurprisingly, because parents are the missing link in their children’s sex education.

and:

The Department for Education (DfE, 2019a) is also clear: “Schools recognise the importance of strong, constructive and open conversation with parents in the education of their children.”

finally:

The Department for Education (DfE, 2019a) is also clear: “Schools recognise the importance of strong, constructive and open conversation with parents in the education of their children.”

This may be useful to any other parents who are embarking on a conversation with their children's schools about this issue.

Sorry!! I copied the same sentence twice; this is the third important point:

As well as its stipulations over parental consultation, the RSHE statutory guidance also mentions sharing resources with parents so that they can “continue the conversations started in class at home” (DfE, 2020).

Good to see you found the links OP. I can't emphasise how important it is for parents to engage with this. There are some spectacularly inappropriate materials floating around produced by lobby groups. With so many young teachers having come out of universities where they have been thoroughly gaslit and critical thinking silenced about 'gender issues' it's now down to parents to point out the delusional and dangerous materials.
There's also some very good materials but they really need to be viewed to spot and eradicate the gender woowoo.

Might be worth pointing out to them that an independent report at the University of Essex has recommended that the university review its relationship with Stonewall because of Stonewall's misrepresentation of the law. See Recommendation 28: www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2021/05/17/review-of-two-events-with-external-speakers

Here are two definitions of ‘transphobia’, one from the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the other from Stonewall's glossary :

Stonewall: The fear or dislike of someone based on the fact they are trans, including denying their gender identity or refusing to accept it.

OED: Fear or hatred of transsexual or transgender people.

According to Stonewall, I am transphobic. -- Why? Because I deny the existence of gender identity. There is no such thing as gender identity. (Just as there is no such thing as an immortal soul.) I know others think differently about this. There it is, though. I can explain why I think this, but that is not to the point: just thinking it or saying it makes me transphobic, according to Stonewall.

But , according to the OED, I am not transphobic. How come? -- Because I have no fear of transsexual or transgender people, and nor do I hate them.

So am I transphobic, or not? Perhaps we should distinguish between the two senses of the word. Thus: I am transphobic-SWL , but not transphobic-OED ?

Or perhaps we should stop putting up with all this silliness and just ignore Stonewall and its acolytes for a while, keep them away from our schools, and hope they learn some common sense.

Meanwhile, we have learned to accommodate others' views about immortal souls without shouting at each other. Let us hope we can do so also with gender identity and its cognates.

[quote RoyalCorgi]Might be worth pointing out to them that an independent report at the University of Essex has recommended that the university review its relationship with Stonewall because of Stonewall's misrepresentation of the law. See Recommendation 28: www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2021/05/17/review-of-two-events-with-external-speakers[/quote]
Well this is just marvellous!!

I've only so far read the intro on the first page of the blog and I am heartily encouraged. Thank you for including this!

[quote RoyalCorgi]Might be worth pointing out to them that an independent report at the University of Essex has recommended that the university review its relationship with Stonewall because of Stonewall's misrepresentation of the law. See Recommendation 28: www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2021/05/17/review-of-two-events-with-external-speakers[/quote]
Also section 243.11 of the report:
pbs.twimg.com/media/E1q7Bp3WEAgbDz3?format=jpg&name=medium

I've only so far read the intro on the first page of the blog and I am heartily encouraged.

Even better, someone on the thread about the report has pointed out that it was written by a lawyer who specialises in discrimination and equality law. So it's not just any old Joe saying that Stonewall are a bunch of liars.

A passing thought OP, are there a significant number of pupils in families of one or more faiths? Be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, HIndu or any other? Does the option to withdraw still exist and therefore the information to enable parents to decide whether to do so (or not) need to include accurate details.

Doing this for our daughters...one school at a time

Brava! @Nonmaquillee

@newnortherner111

A passing thought OP, are there a significant number of pupils in families of one or more faiths? Be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, HIndu or any other? Does the option to withdraw still exist and therefore the information to enable parents to decide whether to do so (or not) need to include accurate details.

Not really - and my point isn’t that I want to withdraw my DC but that I don’t feel the school should be using the glossary.