School Video. Words just can’t convey...

[ConcreteUnderpants]

For all those who PM’ed and wanted me to put it on its own thread.
Here you go.

This is the video my year 6 watched at school (without any consultation with parents)
I’m just speechless.

They were also told about Robert/a Cowell and puberty blockers were mentioned, although I’m not sure of those details.

Head and deputy are the safeguarding leads at the school, so where do I start with the Governors? Overwhelmed.

Oh jeez Lou fucking ese.

I had to turn it off. What a load of shit

Doctors do not assign gender. They observe the sex at birth and record it

I agree.
It really is like if I could make the most sinister unsuitable video to dupe kids, I would make this one. Hats off to them for that, I guess.
An email to the HT being formed now....

"What's the problem?"

It's patronising waffle from a presenter that appears to have never encountered a child before (praise be...!), uses language that certainly won't be familiar to 6 year olds and is far from non-controversial, as you very well know!

And no, it's not age-appropriate. Most infant school aged children do not play with alpha-bricks and the twattish exchanges with "Teddy" are going to put them right off!

I don't know what age the video was originally aimed at, but year 6 is 10 to 11 year olds. Not that it matters really as the content is still unscientific propaganda.

@Tanith yes I’m not sure this woman has ever actually encountered a child.

One for the governors, IMO.

It's as bad as pushing creationist theory onto kids!

Genders aren't assigned, they are observed.

Sinister much?

I would ask to see the meeting notes on why they chose this particular set of ‘educational’ videos / provider rather than any other.

“No meeting” - interesting
“No notes” - even more interesting.

Interesting = who is your safeguarding lead and governor with this responsibility.

Q: which member of staff had final sign off?

slight derail, but gender identity doesn't mean much without first learning about gender stereotypes.. and that includes the harm . (DfE guidance says don't teach harmful stereotypes.). So in the spirit of 'let toys be toys' and 'my body is me', leave these children alone!!

@yeahbutnaw

It seems age-appropriate and non-controversial.

What's the problem?

This.

What's the issue? I think it's rather well done.

Holy fuck. I've got a year 6. I wouldn't want him watching that sexist tripe.
As to what the problem is? Seriously? The problem is that sex =/= gender.
No doctor looks at a newborn and assigns them a 'gender' stereotype. They note their sex.
The only people 'assigning' gender to children are those in the video.
I'm so sick of seeing sexist, regressive stereotypes being peddled as 'progress'. They're not.

what's the issue????
🥺🥺

What's the issue? I think it's rather well done

Well yes it is, if you support dangerous innacurate propaganda in schools. Perfect example of the wolf in sheep's clothing. Jolly well done indeed. Now it has to go. As per government guidelines.

"Oh, so the doctors are wrong sometimes?
"Yes, Teddy
Tell them that your DC is now questioning whether teachers are wrong sometimes, too.

WHATS THE ISSUE?!

Er, telling kids that "sometimes doctors get it wrong" for bloody starters.

"When your baby brother was born, the very first thing the doctor said was 'they're a human!" That's called a 'species' assignment - when doctors announce that babies are humans. But this is strange, because there are many different kinds of species. There aren't just 'humans'.Not all people agree with their assigned species. The doctors are wrong sometimes.When a person doesn't identify with the species they are assigned when they are born, they are 'trans'."

Seriously though, this video is just garbage.When babies are born, their biological sex is observed and recorded. It isn't 'assigned' except in very rare cases of sex indeterminacy (and even then the standard is to now wait until further tests come back which confirm the sex.) There are only two sexes, which is why we are either male or female. Gender is the socially constructed, hierarchical system that imposes tropes and roles of 'femininity' and 'masculinity' onto males and females.

Nothing like getting a teddy bear to gaslight your kids. Plenty of grounds for complaint in that video. And no, sex is not "Assigned at birth". It is recorded.

@senua

"Oh, so the doctors are wrong sometimes? "Yes, Teddy Tell them that your DC is now questioning whether teachers are wrong sometimes, too.

This.

@yeahbutnaw

It seems age-appropriate and non-controversial.

What's the problem?

Because she speaks in a odd sing song voice and has a teddy does not make it age appropriate.

Also LA has a thread on another site that makes me think she should never be around children. The things she writes/says off YouTube are not faintly child appropriate.

What's the issue? I think it's rather well done

A number of people have said why they think its an issue

Its really not that long a thread...

Good grief. I switched off after "assigned gender at birth "

No sex is observed.

Ffs

What inaccurate nonsense

Tell them that your DC is now questioning whether teachers are wrong sometimes, too

Well, there have been a couple of 'what's the problem?' comments.

However, they haven't addressed any of the concerns that have been raised. Make of that what you will.

I also assumed the video was aimed at pre-schoolers, not 11-year-olds. Apart from the fact that the video is scientifically incorrect, in what was is using teddy bears and alpha blocks 'age-appropriate' for an 11-year-old?

The problem is that this is children being told that they were put into a girl or boy gender box when they were born, and instead of telling them that no one belongs in a gender box, they're reinforcing the idea that the boxes are real and the 'progressive' bit is that you change boxes (and 'fix' your body) if you don't fit.
Anyone thinking this is okay needs their heads examined.

Some other thoughts.

1. Why did school not offer to show the parents the videos / material prior to showing the kids?

Was this considered when choosing material? If not, why not. I don’t know how much parents can opt out, but there may have been parents who would have been conflicted due to religious / ideological beliefs.

1. Did school consider if any of the children have SEN who may be adversely affected by the content of the material?

I’m thinking ASD and related conditions / insufficient ability to process complicated (and this is) ideas. If not, why not. eg - DS has hfASD and is very naive and suggestible for his age. Paired with very rigid thinking this does cause problems. I would not have been happy with him watching this.

It's important to teach children to be tolerant and accepting.

That includes teaching them that LGBT people exist. As someone who was once an LGBT child, I'd have benefited greatly from knowing that I'm not "abnormal" and that there are others like me.

This video is great. More of this sort of thing.