Sunday Times - new schools legal case

[mcduffy]

Does anyone know if there's a crowdfunder?

Primary teacher to fight legal case after refusal to call female pupil by boy’s name

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/56b58b98-4bea-11ed-84cd-44cc4c68f778?shareToken=1fafa5629e4ecfda9b9d5a4e14ca05a9

Aside from all the multiple difficulties this situation creates for schools, I think that having a young child go 'stealth' places an intolerable burden on the child's psych. They know they are deceiving everyone they interact with and the potential for exposure must feel like an ever-present danger. It's a terrible pressure for a very young mind. I'm not surprised the child told her classmates herself, apparently against her own parents instructions.

I'm really pleased this teacher is taking this action, it sounds like a root and branch investigation into trans policy development in the local authority education system.

Isn't the school acting against DfE instructions?

Poor kids. All of them.

Awesome teacher!

Yes I was thinking the same thing.

Aside from the many many other concerns with starting a child down a path towards altering their body because of discomfort with the gender stereotypes which society likes to uphold, the psychological pressure of "stealth" must be intolerable. And like so much of trans ideology it goes directly against best practice for most other things.

I also think handing so much power to an 8 year old is cruel. She is let down by so many adults!

I am reminded of a newly non binary child I saw briefly in the summer. Friends of friends. Child spent a lot of the playing time castigating her friends for accidentally "misgendering" her. It put her friends constantly on the back foot and was quite the power trip.

And I'm also really glad this is happening.

Something less talked about but really important is the affect of the transition on the classmates.

They will detect the strange power the trans child wields over the adults. Some of the classmates might be quite non conforming and will now be questioning whether they too need to transition. It makes a mockery of any teaching that stereotypes should be busted, and girls and boys can choose to like what they wish.

FunnyTalks your story makes me think that encouraging a young child to believe that she is non binary is an effective way for abusive parents to ensure that she is isolated from other children who will likely want to avoid her and play with other friends to avoid the interruption to the flow of play and to avoid being caught out and made to feel bad the whole time. Non binaryism can make a person rather high maintenance if they aren’t already that way for other reasons which young children might not be.

As the social contagion spreads, so the numbers of these children increase. Transitioning is seen as the solution, but these children's needs are always more complex, and almost always ignored.

This is a recipe for disaster.

Funny this is absolutely spot on and that power is often one of the reasons disturbed children cling to this. It is a way of controlling play, of feeling safe. And yes it absolutely puts other kids off playing with them. We need to address the trauma or autism directly, not the symptoms

I don’t think she will win her case. The key thing for me is that the parents requested the name change. I don’t see why she thinks she has the authority to call a child by a different name.
I am as GC as they come but if a parent requests a name change (for whatever reason), I think it is way beyond her job role and responsibilities as a classroom teacher to decide she will call the child something different.

I agree that a name change should probably be accepted. Or where does that end?

But not the pronouns.

One is superficial. The other is adherence to an ideology.

Plus I'd like to see the justification for the pronoun change in light of the DfE guidance. Stereotypes cannot be used to justify 'gender identity'. And there's no such thing as being born in the wrong body. So what exactly is the parents reasoning?

And the whole secrecy part and letting her use the boys toilets is clearly a safeguarding breach.

Up to their necks in stonewall advice, this will be revealing.

I was talking to a teacher recently and they were adamant that a number of chikdren they toughtbw

Sorry posted too soon.

Adamant that a number of the children they taught were born in the wrong body. They had no evidence other than they were sure of it. This was from an intelligent and well respected teacher. Children are being failed on an industrial level.

Name change - there always used to be a section in forms saying “official name” and known as “xxx” so could go with that.

pronouns and affirmation and keeping secret from other parents - no.

I agree about the name change being reasonable for teachers to accept. I also think that a choice of uniform is appropriate.

However lying about a child’s sex to the child, to other children, to other parents, using wrong sex pronouns, wrong sex changing rooms for PE or swimming (if there are changing rooms at all at this age), wrong sex toilets etc is all too far in my opinion. Schools don’t usually go so far as this to accommodate minority beliefs. Can you imagine if Jehovah’s witnesses demanded that Christmas and birthdays not be celebrated at all in the school, or vegans requiring that no animal products were consumed in school etc It is unreasonable to expect the rest of the school community to behave as if they believe entirely in gender identity ideology- by which I mean that subjective, fluid gender identity is paramount and objective, immutable sex is irrelevant. I don’t know how the C of E has managed to incorporate gender identity into its version of Christianity so comprehensively and now believes it is right to impose it on children who are trying to make sense of the world.

How does a school safeguard a girl, if everyone thinks that child is actually a boy?

You can't. Trans children are apparently not entitled to the same safguarding
As the rest of the kids. But the ones pointing that out are the transphobes 🙄

Its all about making sure there's no way back. Cant have a child change their mind now can we

Plus I'd like to see the justification for the pronoun change in light of the DfE guidance.

There isn't any DfE guidance.

Did I read this correctly? This case is starting next week? Already? Or is it an initial hearing to gain acceptance to proceed?

In one way, this is an extreme case. I wonder though how many aspects of policy and law this could touch on bringing at least sunlight although it may not bring clarity necessarily.

The articles that can be generated from this case will force this issue into the mainstream from the schools angle.

I wonder who is representing the teacher?

christian legal aid I think

I thought DfE guidelines stipulated NOT to affirm?

All respect to this teacher. I’d happily donate to a crowdfunder.

Shame on this teacher.

"...the DfE urges schools to be “aware that topics involving gender and biological sex can be complex and sensitive matters to navigate”.

"Schools should “not reinforce harmful stereotypes, for instance by suggesting that children might be a different gender based on their personality and interests or the clothes they prefer to wear”, the guidance states."

"They should also not use resources which “suggest that non-conformity to gender stereotypes should be seen as synonymous with having a different gender identity”, and that schools “should not work with external agencies or organisations that produce such material”."

schoolsweek.co.uk/cancel-culture-gender-stereotypes-and-extreme-political-stances-what-new-dfe-guidance-says-about-rse/

Yes, that guidance is about teaching harmful stereotypes in RSE lessons. It doesn't address how to deal with trans pupils.

DfE guidance on that issue is expected to be released around Christmas.

My point was what the parents would use for justification of their child's 'gender identity', given the DfE says it can't be stereotyping or being born in the wrong body. The guidance specifically uses the term 'gender identity' which includes 'transgender'.

In fact, what can anybody use as justification? If relying on stereotyping is out and unevidenced 'wrong body' is out, what is left ?

Love my dc school. They are just pragmatic. My dh said at a school trip planning meeting a teacher just came up to dds long term non binary identifying female friend and said 'you're identifying as female for room sharing purposes on this trip, right? Thanks.' Dds friend happy, not tiptoed round, not offended, just the adult setting out the appropriate arrangement.