School LGBT Clubs

[Timefortea4]

My local girls school has an LGBT club that refers the girls to Mermaids on its noticeboard and promotes the use of testosterone (with images from a book that was sold for 14+).

I don't understand how this can sit alongside their policies on FGM when testosterone causes permanent changes to the clitoris and vaginal atrophy but here we are.

I'm planning to refer them to the draft guidance for schools but interested in any experiences of finding out what your school LGBT Clubs are teaching the children, and the extent to which you think they influence the culture in the school, eg creating a hostile environment for children that believe that biological sex is immutable. Also wondering who to contact in the first instance, eg the safeguarding lead, the PHSE lead? Thanks

Has your daughter been to the club? The one at my son’s school is just a room where they can hang out and chat and avoid the bullies. There is a teacher there, but just to supervise, not give advice.
I suggest you take your concerns to the Safeguarding Lead in the first instance.

Great that you're questioning this OP.

I'd ask (in no particular order) whether the schools is aware of their legal duty to be politically neutral? If so, why are they teaching children a contested belief like gender identity?
Why are they signposting a political activist group like Mermaids that is in the midst of an investigation following paedophile / porn scandals?
I'd ask for details of the curriculum of the group? Age of participants? Levels of adult supervision?
What qualifications do the adults running the group have to discuss sex and sexuality with children? What measures are in place to protect the adults and older children in the group from any allegations of grooming younger children?

Details of safeguarding measures in place to ensure no sharing of age inappropriate content? Details of external groups / adults give access to the group (are they all DBS checked ?) Are they promoting social transitioning? If so, are they aware of the interim Cass review ?

What senior management oversight does the school have of the group and can they guarantee that all the above safeguarding measures are in place?

Sorry - that's off the top of my head but hopefully there are some useful points.

I'd address anything to the Head. Although they will no doubt delegate the answer, Heads need to be aware that these are potential safeguarding nightmare groups that cross so many boundaries. It will be down to them as Heads to take responsibility when the allegations of grooming, social contagion and age inappropriate discussions start to rack up. Schools have been very naive about these (Stonewall initiated) activities and there's usually a complete lack of oversight of them.

Made the bullying worse for my stepdaughter as everyone who went to the club was automatically ‘outed’ and after being bullied for being a lesbian the club encouraged her to come out as a gay boy instead (dating other trans boys so still lesbian in old money only with additional medical self harm).

OP is right to be concerned.

Personally I would probably go with safeguarding lead and CC to all other relevant staff members, with a list at the bottom under the signature

eg

’This email was addressed to Person X and CC’d to Person’s A, B & C’

This:

"Made the bullying worse for my stepdaughter as everyone who went to the club was automatically ‘outed’ and after being bullied for being a lesbian the club encouraged her to come out as a gay boy instead (dating other trans boys so still lesbian in old money only with additional medical self harm)."

Is why I'd ask how the school is handling special category data. Sexual orientation is included in that definition, which by having such a club, the school is collating, handling, processing. That includes the section here on inferences:

ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/special-category-data/what-is-special-category-data/#scd1

Ask them how they are storing, processing, sharing, deleting any of this. Now, and what they foresee as part of the new guidelines if formally adopted. They won't have an answer but they absolutely should do and I wouldn't let them off the hook about it either.

There's an LGBTQIA+++++ allies club at my daughter's middle school. There is no reference to it on the website, but she attends it.

It’s not about a school club but my kids high school had mermaids leaflets in the library and some notice boards and I got those removed when the safeguarding investigation started. Just wrote and pointed out the facts and my son said he was in the library when someone came in and removed them 😀

These clubs worry me a great deal. This excellent article on the Transgender Trend website, is by a gay man who used to run one. He talks about his alarm at what he was seeing, and at the very negative input of the external LGBTQ speaker who came to talk to the children.

Is a school LGBT club a good idea? - Transgender Trend

Supporting young people as they find their way and their identity, and countering bullying and harassment are important, of course. But to my mind, the whole idea of a children's 'club' organised around sexuality raises some tricky questions, particularly where they bring together children who are above and below the age of consent. I really don't think the obvious risks here are being properly considered; it's all just lost in a fog of rainbows and glitter.

I think schools are often happy to hand clubs like this over to some enthusiastic activist teacher, who may be very naive about the risks, or worse, be on a bit of an ideological power/saviour trip.

They also seem to be used as a bit of an 'in' by some of the gender activist organisations - eg they'll come and do focus groups, with incentives, with really leading questions about how much homo/bi/transphobic bullying the children experience. It's clearly a way of gathering evidence for their next funding application.

Sorry, to answer your question more directly - personally I'd start by contacting the safeguarding lead and asking questions about the age range, the content, and how they ensure content remains age appropriate if it's a mixed-age group.

I'd ask whether they have external speakers and how they're vetted/briefed, and specifically raise a concern about Mermaids, if you can see they're being recommended. (safeguarding referral etc)

I also see these clubs often having very weird dynamics. The one in my kids school was dominated by kids with intellectual disabilities, who seemed to really like the validation and group aspect. One of the girld targeted my daughter, who had basically just been nice to her, because she thought they should date. It was quite unclear whether she even really saw this as a romantic thing, or was looking for more of a best friend. But it all got a free pass because you can't question the kids self-declared sexuality. It was very awkward for my daughter.

In my friend's daughter's school, OTOH, she was the only girl in her class not in the club, and she was pressured relentlessly to go.

I'm just not convinced a club is the right way of helping kids navigate teen sexuality.

"I'm just not convinced a club is the right way of helping kids navigate teen sexuality".
Yes - it's not the role of schools to foster children "navigating their sexuality". If Mr Tomkins decided to run a lunchtime club for heterosexual girls to explore their sexuality I suspect there's be a safeguarding investigation pdq. Yet doing the same for children exploring homosexuality or thinking they've been born as the wrong sex is OK?

If you look at the NSPCC's definition of grooming there are a number of potential behaviours that adults and older students in schools could find themselves charged with when discussing the social and emotional aspects of sexuality, relationships, gender identity in unplanned mixed age groups with no boundaries and no safeguarding input.

Any school running these groups pose a safeguarding risk to children. Parents really need to challenge schools about these and we need some enterprising journalists to start exposing them.
.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/grooming/#what

Wow @worrieddragon what a powerful and honest article - that everyone should read!! There is so much wavering and doubt - especially when it comes to being a parent and raising teenagers - I know I do especially when I hear - well everyone else is ....

When I read ...
When a child sits in their bedroom alone with their phone, they are in fact sitting in their bedroom with complete strangers they have met online. This cannot be right. it reassures me cos we've been strict about phone use with one of our teens because of her vulnerability.

The whole article demonstrates how 'be kind' doesn't always work ... or should I say 'being kind' in the way some people throw it about. The authors motivation to help and be kind and yet he saw that it actually unintentionally did the opposite Thanks for sharing.

If Mr Tomkins decided to run a lunchtime club for heterosexual girls to explore their sexuality I suspect there's be a safeguarding investigation pdq. Yet doing the same for children exploring homosexuality or thinking they've been born as the wrong sex is OK?

That puts it starkly @MrsOvertonsWindow but you're absolutely right.

I think that Transgender Trend article needs wider circulation, and I think the person who wrote it deserves a massive pat on the back. It's a tough thing to say 'I did this with good intentions, but it was wrong and I was doing harm'. An awful lot of people are going to need to do this, and we need more examples of how to do it well.

It is stark isn't it? Somehow political lobby groups like Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence, Global Butterflies, GIRES & the rest campaigning for the removal of the rights of women for single sex spaces, sports etc have been given a free pass to access schools and impose their toxic demands on children. Now we're fighting a rearguard action to remove them from schools where they should never have been allowed (according to education law).

Helen Joyce powerfully described this ideology as "breaking"organisations. Look around at the explosion of sad, vulnerable, mentally unwell children and young people desperately seeking medication & surgery to fix themselves as they've been gaslit to believe this is the solution to their unhappiness. Seems to me it's not just institutions that are being broken.

Please do keep up your enquiries. Posting this in case of any assistance. Schools must not promote ideology. Children should not be encouraged to identify under any criteria and form cliques of shared perceived or real victimisation. If there is bullying the school needs to address this.
Faith and Schools
· The material, and the way it is selected must have due regard to the school’s public sector equality duty to promote good relations among those with different protected characteristics, meaning that the school must have due regard not to cause offense or discord to parents of a faith background [Section 149(1)(c) Equality Act 2010];
· The material must be age appropriate [Section 34(3) of the Children and Social Welfare Act 2017];
· The material must have due regard for the religious background of the pupils [also Section 34(3) of the Children and Social Welfare Act 2017];
· Schools must consult with parents when drafting and amending their RSE policies [Section 80B(3) Education Act 2002; Section 2A(f) Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014];
· Regard must be given to the principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with their parents’ wishes [Section 9, Education Act 1996];
· The process in which the material is chosen and taught must respect the manner in which parents wish to raise their children in accordance with their own religious and philosophical convictions [Protocol 1, Article 2, European Convention on Human Rights];

Morality/RSE
· The material cannot indoctrinate as to sensitive moral issues; i.e. any material chosen and the manner in which it is taught must be critical, objective and pluralistic [Kjeldsen, Busk Madsen and Pedersen v Denmark, Judgment, Merits, App No 5095/71 (A/23), [1976] ECHR 6, IHRL 15 (ECHR 1976), 7th December 1976, European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR]];
· LGBT elements are not required to be taught as part of Primary school Relationships Education Nick Gibb, Minister for School Standards, Parliamentary Question Period 25 June 2019].
· It has been stated in Parliament ‘teaching about LGBT matters is not mandatory for primary schools’ 15th May 2020.
· ‘LGBT+’ is not in the national curriculum. The term used is ‘LGBT’

· The Equality and Human Rights Commission Protocol 1 Article 2 states: Although parents have a right to ensure their religious or philosophical beliefs are respected during their children’s education, this is not an absolute right. As long as these beliefs are properly considered, an education authority can depart from them provided there are good reasons and it is done objectively, critically and caters for a diversity of beliefs and world views.

The Dfe give very clear guidance about the imposition of partisan political views, which is in line with Section 406 of the Education Act 1996
"It is important when using external agencies to take particular care that the agency and any materials used are appropriate and in line with your school's legal duties regarding political impartiality. Your local authority, governing body and headteacher must:
· forbid the pursuit of partisan political activities by junior pupils
· forbid the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school
· take reasonably practicable steps to secure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views"

There has been additional recent guidance provided to Schools: “Parent First Approach” www.gov.uk/government/news/parent-first-approach-at-the-core-of-new-guidance-on-gender-questioning-childrenand increasing concern that there needs to be education reform following an “epidemic” of children identifying as trans: Flawed trans guidance shows the need to change the law (telegraph.co.uk)

Schools have been told they must share RSE with parents. Parents have been sent an open letter https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/10/24/education-secretarys-letter-to-parents-you-have-the-right-to-see-rshe-lesson-material/