Heads should stop teachers allowing children to identify as cats, says No 10

[IwantToRetire]

The spokesman said that teachers should not teach “contested opinions as facts” and called for headteachers to intervene in extreme cases.

“It would not be right to comment on the actions of a specific individual or a specific school without knowing the full details, but we understand why these reports will be concerning for parents,” the spokesman said.

“In broad terms, teachers have a responsibility to encourage their students to engage respectfully with those they disagree with.

“They should also not be teaching contested opinions as fact, shutting down valid discussions and debates.

“It’s important parents and carers are reassured that children aren’t being influenced by personal views of those teaching them. Any example that strays from this would be wrong and we would expect headteachers to act.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/20/rye-college-children-neo-pronouns-cats-moons-rishi-sunak/

Unlike the headline the article makes it clear that a "spokesman" (how old fashioned and sexist shouldn't that be spokesperson?!) has said this so Sunak may or may not have a public opinion about this ...

But the Telegraph seems to be keen to keep the issue of self identifying on their front pages.

When I first heard about children doing this I thought (hoped) that it was younger children making fun of the trans generation, but seems not.

NB article is behind a paywall but can be read at https://archive.ph by entering the Telegraph URL above into the box.

(The cat in picture below looks very cross. Probably feels the same way GC women feel - outraged at the notion that some young human could in any way know or speak with experience based knowledge about being a cat!)

I know I'm in the minority, but I feel sorry for the kid who thought it was safe to air how she identified and got bullied for it. Nasty.

It is the fault of politicians, Stonewall and the whole EDI industry which has infiltrated both sectors.
Parents who pay high fees and state school parents who pay taxes should have more say than currently, in what is being indoctrinated into their children. Gender Identity Ideology is anti-science gobbledgook and history will not look kindly upon our society for letting this get out of control.

@dcbc1234 I agree, I just thought it worth moving away from the left/right angle that PP have pushed, as this does affect and interest all.

Absolutely. The teacher still insisted on there being no sex binary, "intersex" people representing a third sex, telling them they didn't belong in the school...

What's interesting about the "it never happened" line, is that by throwing this up, people are agreeing that there's such a thing as material reality. That things do or don't exist.

The foundation of queer theory rests on the disruption of material reality. Things are fluid, changing.

Except when it's needed to try and shout people down. Then it's important.

Curious.

The teacher didn't insist there wasn't a sex binary, the teacher said that biological sex wasn't the same as gender.

I can't imagine that mucking up the definition of intersex would have gone viral.

I'm not defending the teacher's interaction with the pupils and clearly that is not how the situation should have been dealt with, but without the cat, this story would have gone nowhere.

A retired professor of evolutionary biology claims to have come across university students identifying as animals some time ago. For what it's worth, he is socially liberal, a Democrat voter who supports equal marriage and socialised health care, says he would use preferred pronouns, and is not some deranged Trumpian right-wing nut.

https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/06/21/the-vexing-problem-of-furries/

I know I'm in the minority, but I feel sorry for the kid who thought it was safe to air how she identified and got bullied for it. Nasty.

There is no evidence a pupil was bullied. Two (maybe more) pupils raised the issue of the reality of there only being 2 sexes.

Surely the bullying is the schools / teachers telling pupils they HAVE to participate as though real, a minority view of the world.

And funnily enough (sadly really) if the TRAs hadn't adopted a position of bullying and intimidating society to accept their view of the world, I am sure most young people would have accept someone who wanted to be seen as the opposite sex as just an individual personal quirk.

It is because the TRAs have turned it into a crusade with nor compromise that it has reached this level of conflict.

Or my French teacher who came to school pissed every day for an entire year.

The teacher didn't insist there wasn't a sex binary, the teacher said that biological sex wasn't the same as gender.

She said there were three sexes.

She insisted gender was not a matter of opinion, but I bet she couldn't describe it any more than you or I could.

Ah, you are right about the three sexes versus sex binary. I was thinking of the 'many genders'.

But tbf I've just read the webmd article on intersex and have come away with the distinct impression that intersex is neither male nor female (I know that is wrong), so I can understand the confusion.

https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-is-intersex

The teacher said they'd really upset another kid. Media and this thread made it about something that hadn't even happened - a cat. If the kid 'asked for it', and thereby anyone who identifies as the opposite sex is also asking for it, in my mind, that is fucked up. The pride about those girls astounds me. I'd be ashamed if mine bullied like that. I genuinely don't get it.

Do you also feel sorry for people who air how they feel about gender if they're gender critical? My children are too afraid to talk up because of the bullying they've seen of other children who do not ascribe to the gender ideology faith.

The issue remains with or without the cat

The teacher was in the wrong

tbf I've just read the webmd article on intersex and have come away with the distinct impression that intersex is neither male nor female (I know that is wrong), so I can understand the confusion.

So the teacher is ill-informed. She should not then be ramming her confused ideas down kids' throats with such conviction.

The teacher was definitely in the wrong.
I can’t see anything about the girl’s’ behaviour as bullying, because they were factually right, and the teacher was trying to bully them into capitulating to utter nonsense.

They agreed that if you're not cisgender you're 'weird', which isn't great given that gender reassignment is a protected characteristic.

I think I would be wary of getting on my high horse about anyone teaching something that's incorrect. We all make mistakes etc etc.

@noblegiraffe you lost me at “cisgender”.
Are you teaching that to your pupils?

I think I would be wary of getting on my high horse about anyone teaching something that's incorrect. We all make mistakes etc etc.

Oh come on, you can't seriously think this was a teacher just "making a mistake"!

What a mess the education system is.

The teacher is not listening at all. The girls are asking for respect for their view. The teacher goes off on one about the girls saying that cisgender is the norm when very clearly they didn't say that at all. The teacher then starts making spurious and complete unjustified links with homophobia (ironically despite the fact that the stance she is taking is a homophobia supporting one). The teacher was misusing her power and therefore being a bully. Her behaviour was absolutely awful. The girls were not bullying. They were standing up to a bully. She should be struck off. It's awful that you accuse the girls of bullying - in reality you are the bully here because you're piling on people who've already being abused by a sordid anti-woman system. I'd be ashamed if I'd raised someone who thought your stance was reasonable.

No, I'm a maths teacher.

I am reporting what was said in the conversation.

It’s part of the TRA script.

I was referring to the intersex thing.