Nadhim Zahawi in the Times today

[mcduffy]

Wasn't sure about how positive this interview, he's putting a fair bit of work on teachers to allow separate access to changing rooms and toilets but at least he recognises the safeguarding aspects and can define a woman. Also isn't it the case that gender reassignment can't be official until someone is an adult?

Nadhim Zahawi: ‘Trans pupils should wear uniform they want — but sport is different’

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2748f9a6-d2f7-11ec-84ba-2054de44b21e?shareToken=adb4b55cec72f43ee0ee47b55e80ed17

'Gender Reassignment' appears to cover everyone who ever has a thought that they don't feel sufficiently masculine or feminine for their sex - it is so woolly I'm amazed it made it into legislation. That said, as far as I am aware, having the PC of gender reassignment means that you can't be treated differently than other members of your sex, as opposed to meaning you should immediately be treated as if you are the opposite sex.

"A person has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment if the person is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person's sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex."

Are you perhaps thinking of holding a GRC, the process for which can't be started as a minor currently?

Zahawi is talking about “the trans child” and saying:

“once parents and health experts “agree that a child is a trans child” — he gives the case of a trans girl — then schools have a duty to protect them while also making sure they do not “infringe on the safety of all the girls”.”

So what does that mean for schools affirming a child as nb or the opposite sex? Is he saying a health expert needs to agree that is the right approach before a school can do so?

Afaik NB isn't seen as dysphoria.

So that won't deal with batshit grammar buggering pronouns.

But might clarify batshit ideas of gender neutral toilets

NB can’t definitively be said to be a protected characteristic but many schools ignore this and treat it as though it is one. It’s one of my bugbears that the EHRC won’t update their Technical Guidance to Schools to state this.

I suppose clarifying that this needs to be medically decided will help place breaks on teachers wilfully and secretly transitioning children, as you experienced rogdmum?

It doesn't stop the ideology.

Until this is recognised as a safeguarding issue with examples and outlines of how harm occurs, this won't be eradicated from schools.

"once parents and health experts “agree that a child is a trans child” — he gives the case of a trans girl — then schools have a duty to protect them while also making sure they do not “infringe on the safety of all the girls”

Surely that's still true before they agree that?

Or does deciding that a child is a "trans child" confer special protection?

If so, he might want to consider whether this might be a possible input to the social contagion.

This is a child protect issue first and foremost. When male adults are detransitioning and describing that trans gave them the answers to all the pain and mental health difficulties they have, how can the whole ideology be seen as in anyway positive?

Yes warrior, I completely agree. What he is proposing potentially helps parents like me (and teachers by giving them definitive parameters), but the teaching of gender ideology needs to stop. IMO schools should move to talking about gender dysphoria/gender distress rather than the “trans child” and work along the lines of the chart in the interim Cass report which shows various paths into GD and various possible outcomes. Plus acknowledge the influence social media has.

The significant number of "trans children" has exploded on this governments watch. They have funded and formally enabled some very toxic adults to promote their ideology to vulnerable children - who of course via social media and "social contagion" are now caught up in the ideology in significant numbers.
He's trying to address the mess many schools have ended up in while keeping an eye on the intimidation / bullying that always flows from these dodgy groups.

‘Trans pupils should wear uniform they want — but sport is different’ is simple and sane. It rather neatly divides between something that is 'gender', so do what you want, and sex which is real and immutable.

I'm not sure about the practicalities of using the changing rooms first, but it's at least a way for gender nonconforming males to be accommodated without impacting the girls so I guess better than most alternatives.

As for “once parents and health experts “agree that a child is a trans child”
Well, to be sure all children need protection all of the time, but at least that's identifying the appropriate people rather than teachers 'affirming' without informing parents or getting the relevant experts involved.

We cover media harms. But not this one. So frustrating how slowly this is going. I do feel that an increasing number of males who've detransitioned and speaking out will help to provide some balance and actually take this away from being seen as a "feminist issue," and a "always been like this issue" so be kind, as that's too easily and misogynistically dismissed by many.

I think he struck the right balance. Focus on the achievable. Sport, respect for the legal and protected rights of minorities. There is current legislation that protects sex and religious based rights. Then wear what you want as long as parents agree.

No need to fight an unnecessary culture war in schools. Teenagers would only be too happy to take up arms.

I really hope so. The other parents in my teen’s school who also had their children transitioned by the school, and only found out at report time when their child’s report had a name they had never heard of, are now leaving the school after GCSEs. Neither set were able to make changes but they also didn’t have the health to pursue it further.

I will take it back up with the school when there is some clearer guidance to act on. Either from DoE or if something comes out with the Cass Report.

For how many will it be too late for?

Aside from all other considerations I would make all school uniforms comfortable track suits with sew on badges for both sexes. A light weight equivalent for summer. So much cheaper and easier all round.

Yes. This.

I went to a school that briefly had no uniform. Was ok for a while when we all wore jeans and dms but the years below me started to go all out and issues started brewing. Then they brought in a uniform that was literally a light ish blue sweatshirt for all and jeans or black trousers or black skirt and tights. Most wore jeans. Farming community so many could get jeans cheaply at the farm stores. Actually worked really well.

Broadly agree with him apart from the use of 'trans child'. Like that's an actual thing. Like previous poster wrote, I'd prefer 'child experiencing confusion about their gender' or such like. To say 'trans child' is to accept that we can be born into wrong bodies which I find a really horrible concept.

I'm really sorry to hear your school did this to your family too @Helleofabore. I do hope this helps. This is all becoming very frustrating. I wonder if the EHRC is waiting for the final Cass review? It is so difficult as if children with mh difficulties are suddenly adopting a trans identity, it makes it all much harder to deal with their other issue sensitively on top of the way GI tells them to view anyone querying their identity as bigots. So I can see Zahawi is trying to make sure this balance is kept.

Yes you are right Franca123

The fundamental flaw here is that there's no such thing as a trans child. There are children with dysphoria, there are children whi are confused and struggling. There are adults with trans identities who project back into the past and say that they were trans children, but there is no such thing.

His comments seem to me to come from someone who hasn't yet thought about this in any detail.

I wonder what he thinks a 'trans child' is? He may think there's a rigorous diagnostic process taking place before a child is labelled as 'trans'. It's clear from his comments about the parents and health experts that he doesn't think it's just a child confiding in a teacher 'I'm trans, but don't tell my mum'.

He also hasn't thought much about the practicalities of allowing a boy to use the girls' changing rooms and toilets, but only when there are no girls in there. And don't most girls who identify as trans just use the girls' toilets and changing rooms, without demanding access to the boys' facilities? He should have a think about why this is and why he thinks it should be different for boys who identify as trans.

WarriorNewAgain

Not mine directly, but families very close to us. It is something I will continue to follow up though (not on anyone else’s behalf to be clear).

Why should the “trans” child get to use the changing room first, before the girls who are its designated users? Surely they should wait and use it when the girls have finished? Yet another example of shoving females aside for male entitlement.

He has to take a further step back: what is a ‘trans child’, what is the evidence base for that claim, and what are the psychological and eventual physical consequences of validating that concept in 11-18 year olds? Then we can decide what the appropriate safeguarding strategies look like for all children in this area.