Defended JK Rowling; banned from PHSCE

[Worriedthisisactuallyhappenin]

I have name changed for this as outing and have been vague about my connection to it but I am quite involved in the situation and don’t know what advice to give.

A person I know is a teacher in an all girls school and as part of being a form tutor does PSHCE with them. Last week they were looking at cancel/call out culture and looked at the examples of JK Rowling’s discussions around trans/women’s rights. Every student in his form agreed that she was a hateful bigot that shouldn’t be allowed to say those things. They then looked at some (censored) examples of the things that were said in response to her, and the students again all agreed that they were an appropriate response to “hate speech” though a few thought they shouldn’t have been so rude. The person I know tried to encourage a bit of critical thinking and encouraged them to think how loss of female only spaces could impact people eg. rape victims, women of certain religions, and to think about who decides what is considered hate speech and how JK’s message could be considered that while the responses to her weren’t.

Since then they have been called into a meeting with the head and asked to hear their side of the story as students had complained that they were defending a transphobic bigot. Having heard their side of the story they have been told they are no longer able to teach PHSCE as it’s “obviously not working”

I don’t really know what I’m looking for, maybe just reassurance that there are still other people out there that would be worried by this!

I'd love to know how any of this:

"The person I know tried to encourage a bit of critical thinking and encouraged them to think how loss of female only spaces could impact people eg. rape victims, women of certain religions, and to think about who decides what is considered hate speech."

... is 'against British values'. And considering that, according to the OP's description, the teacher was only asking students to consider views other people might have on the topic, not stating his own views, I fail to see how he can be accused of failing to teach in line with British values anyway. (Besides, the whole notion that British people have special, specifically British values which other people don't is deeply arrogant and problematic imo).

Hang on - so management agree that he's done nothing wrong, but the students have decreed that he should be demoted?

It sounds like a written warning - I would absolutely be going to my union if I were this teacher - his gender critical beliefs are protected under the Equality Act, but aside from that it sounds like he was actually trying to promote tolerance and respect for other people's views (and for women). I would want that letter removed from my record.

Definitely. I imagine the school would back down pretty easily, faced with a union rep and the Equality Act. They are just hoping the OP's friend doesn't feel confident to make a fuss.