Non binary Teacher year 4

[1982mommaof4]

Okay not sure if it's me being sensitive...
My daughter is in year 4 juniors and she has a new teacher who identifies as Non binary and has made the class aware of this. She likes this teacher which is great. However, my DD now has questions that to be honest I don't want to answer.
One being do they( daughters words)have what I have or my brother has because they look like a girl but aren't.

Does that mean that some girls aren't girls...

How would you answer these questions, I'm trying to be sensitive and not offensive but I'm finding difficult to not be brutally honest in what I think.

Beliefs in “immutable sex differences” aren’t just a belief that there are sex differences. They are beliefs that all female people share an essential female essence, and all male people share an essential male essence, and that people are male or female “really” (or not) based on whether they have the supposed essences. A belief in immutability of those essences is an aspect of an essentialist belief (look up essentialism if you want to). Someone who doesn’t believe in male and female essences isn’t going to believe there are any essences to be immutable. That doesn’t mean they believe there aren’t sex differences.

That's literally the opposite of what most people here think so I'm not sure why you are misleading people about it.

Most primary schools, since Covid, stuck with just letting them come into school in PE uniform on PE days. All the state schools in our area. (Don't know what the private schools with their posh uniforms do, maybe they also have changing room facilities.)
Y4 onwards they will have girls developing and parents would generally protest if they didn't have an option to change privately. Certainly swimming changing was single sex in y3 and y4.

Surely that's rubbish.

We are male or female by every cell in our body. That isn't an 'essential female essence', that is biology.

Swimming often starts in y4

You aren’t recognising that you have a belief about sex, which isn’t shared by everyone. It has nothing to do with gender identity, trans people or intersex people. Teaching about sex differences is appropriate and isn’t the same thing at all. Immutable sex differences are things like pink and blue brains, etc. i.e. beliefs about sex differences, rather than the observable differences themselves. Thinking all female people share an immutable female essence is a belief, which isn’t backed by evidence.

Immutable sex differences are things like pink and blue brains, etc. i.e. beliefs about sex differences, rather than the observable differences themselves. Thinking all female people share an immutable female essence is a belief, which isn’t backed by evidence.

No one thinks this.

The Curriculum is designed to challenge this.

Non binary just creates a further state of "them and us" which is offensive to all those children who are happily breaking the gender stereotypes binary already.

The "them" (the not non binaries) are "cis."

Cis means you conform to gender stereotypes.

We barely have time to get through the readers each week or teach a full art lesson without having to mind bend to this immature and sexist trend.

There are plenty of people here arguing that there are immutable sex differences, instead of just sex differences. It’s a belief.

The Curriculum is designed to challenge this.

As it should. That’s what I was challenging as well.

'Waffle waffle... essential female essence... waffle waffle... essential male essence... waffle waffle... pink brain... waffle waffle... blue brain... wafffle waffle...'

What is this utter tripe?
Gendered souls and discredited reseach about brains?

I don't believe in a female or male essence. Immutable sex difference are differences between the sexes, such as boys' voices break and girls have periods. Female/male essence is what people who believe in gender identity believe. I think you are very confused.

@Ereshkigalangcleg @TeenDivided

Yes, I'm baffled on this one. It's rather like the upside down logic in the Guardian article this week: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/gender-ideology-tories-ministers-schools-conservative

@Peasandsweetcorns the belief that sex is immutable refers to outcome of the tribunal case that was won by Maya Forstater. She won the "gender identity versus biological sex" equivalent of getting the belief that the earth is a globe (rather than flat) established in law. The belief that sex is immutable has nothing to do with pink/blue brains or male/female essences. It's just simply the belief that there are two sexes and that these can not be changed. This is now recognised as a belief that is Worthy Of Respect In A Democratic Society.

If loads of flat earthers start demanding that children learn in school that the planet has edges, I'd imagine someone could get the belief that the earth is round recognised as WORIADS too.

There are plenty of people here arguing that there are immutable sex differences, instead of just sex differences. It’s a belief.

There are.

I have asthma; the peak flow charts diverge from around end of primary age. That's not a belief.

It doesn't mean it's deterministic as many older female athletes without hrt demonstrate.

You can't change sex. Thus sex is immutable. No essence required.

If you don’t believe there are male or female essences, then there is nothing to be immutable.

Not even herbal?

If you don’t believe there are male or female essences, then there is nothing to be immutable.

Now, re phrase that for an 8 year old. Try referring to blanks level questioning.

Where are we?

I suspect it's all a piss take now.

I have a fever and a lot of pain and this is helping.

Exactly. Some people believe there are immutable male and female essences. Not everyone does, whether it’s a brain essence or any another kind of essence. It has nothing to do with changing sex or not, gender identity, or trans or intersex people.

Ummmmmmm.

?!

This is a perfect illustration as to why gender identity belief does not belong in the school curriculum.

There’s no need to talk to an 8 year old about it, as like someone pointed out above the curriculum apparently says immutable essences shouldn’t be taught as fact. Which is what I’m saying.

Why are you blithering on about "sex essences" again Peas?

It's not "essences" which are immutable (=unchanging) it's chromosomes, ovaries/uterus vs. testes, large vs. small gametes.

Either I’m really confused or you are @Peasandsweetcorns.

‘Immutable’ means ‘can’t be changed’. When GC people talk about sex being immutable we mean that people are either male or female and will always remain that same sex, regardless of whatever hormonal or surgical treatments they might have.

It has absolutely nothing to do with ‘essences’, souls or pink/blue brains.

But we are back to the op here.

She's demanding it's talked about by sharing a private belief.

I've never told any of my pupils my personal beliefs.

She/ they/ he the teacher who's declared themselves to be NB.

Only because there were people saying they believed in them, but didn’t recognise they had a belief, lol. I think I’ll leave it now though.