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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Sunak telling Robin White that biological sex is important live on GB news

805 replies

fromorbit · 12/02/2024 21:09

'Particularly when it comes to questions around women's safety and health, biological sex is important.' Parents need to be involved in schools.

Rishi Sunak is asked 'why should LGBT people vote Conservative?'
GB News forum footage here:
https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1757143443111841900

https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1757143443111841900

OP posts:
Thread gallery
37
AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:15

OldCrone · 15/02/2024 21:49

How do the teachers make this decision about the 'risks' of telling the parents? Are social services involved? The police? The NSPCC?

You seem to think that teachers can just 'decide' not to tell the parents. It's not something they can just decide to do: there are protocols for dealing with safeguarding issues. The parents are almost always involved, and there has to be a good reason for excluding them, not just that the teachers think they're a bit terfy.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64f0a68ea78c5f000dc6f3b2/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf

Only the parents know their own situation, I think its not really anyone's business how parents choose to handle their child's identity issues.

But if the teachers think that the parents aren't handling their child's identity issues in the way that the teachers think they should, then this doesn't apply, the teachers suddenly know better than the parents, and they can socially transition the child without telling the parents by claiming that the parents are a risk to the child. Is that what you're saying?

You are massively extrapolating from what I said.
Teachers make difficult safeguarding calls every day, they are much better equipped to do that than I am. I want them to have the flexibility to do their jobs.

Boiledbeetle · 15/02/2024 22:16

Snowypeaks · 15/02/2024 21:40

We just don't know.

Felix The Cat GIF by Tomas Brunsdon

😁

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:53

OldCrone · 15/02/2024 22:04

You didn't answer my questions.

What do you understand by the term 'gender identity'? What is it about this concept that makes you think it is important for children to learn about it?

I don't think anyone's talked about 'banning teaching on gender identity', and it's certainly not what I asked about.

Why do you think anyone should be teaching about 'gender identity'? It's a phrase without definition.
I was answering your question. 🙄

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:59

Personally I think we should go back to an LEA model with standardised materials being taught in schools, rather than outsourcing to charities who may have dubious intentions or standards of teaching. So none of your options.

For the second point, I think the author of this report will have chosen their words carefully. They chose to use the term LGBT. I would not like to see being gay being highlighted as a safeguarding issue; they are recommending a change so that could be done. I will not support that.

OldCrone · 15/02/2024 23:38

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:53

Why do you think anyone should be teaching about 'gender identity'? It's a phrase without definition.
I was answering your question. 🙄

I can't see a definition of gender identity in your 'answer'.

You've waffled on about not banning talking about gender identity in school. I never said talking about gender identity should be banned.

You've also waffled on about how you'd go about teaching about gender identity. I didn't ask about how you would teach about it.

I asked you specifically how you define 'gender identity'. You haven't done this.

The other question was why do you think teaching about it is so important? Not how you'd teach it, or why you think banning it would be bad, but why do you think children need to learn about gender identity? What are the benefits to children of learning about gender identity in school, other than "it's better than learning about it on tiktok"?

Personally, I don't see why they shouldn't just get their information about a meaningless concept from whatever source they want. Why is it important that they learn about it in school? Why not just get their information from tiktok, seeing as gender identity is a meaningless concept?

But first you need to answer the first question: What do you mean by 'gender identity'? What does 'gender identity' mean to you? Why is it important to you? Explain it to someone who hasn't ever heard of a gender identity.

I hope my questions are clearer now.

OldCrone · 15/02/2024 23:42

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:15

You are massively extrapolating from what I said.
Teachers make difficult safeguarding calls every day, they are much better equipped to do that than I am. I want them to have the flexibility to do their jobs.

They're not doing their jobs if they're keeping secrets about a child's trans identity. They should be sharing the information with the child's parents, and involve social services if they believe the child to be at risk from their parents.

Datun · 16/02/2024 01:37

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 21:01

I said upthread what I think.
In most cases it should not be happening but in some cases there may be wider safeguarding concerns where teachers decide the risks from telling the parents are greater than the risks from not telling them.

Teachers deal with safeguarding and difficult situations every day and I'd rather they were able to exercise professional judgement than have blanket rules imposed.

It's my understanding that this wouldn't happen.

If there was a situation that meant it was too dangerous to tell the parents, they would still tell them, only now social services would have to be involved.

Teachers cannot just remove parental responsibility!

If they believe there's a danger from the parents to the children, it has to be addressed, and it still has to involve the parents until the courts decide otherwise.

Adult TRAs love to pretend that this must all be secret, because children are getting abused by their parents by 'coming out'.

They're splashed across social media positively encouraging division between children and their parents.

(i'm not suggesting you're doing that Adam).

EmpressaurusOfTheScathingTinsel · 16/02/2024 02:30

Yes - TRAs encouraging children to DM them or saying ‘I’m your mom now’ / ‘You’re part of my glitter family.’

Incredibly irresponsible, and that’s the most generous interpretation.

SinnerBoy · 16/02/2024 07:45

AdamRyan · Yesterday 20:23

+ + Some schools have staff who using children to validate their identity and belief in gender ideology. Some schools have male teachers who have autogynephelia and are therefore acting out their paraphelia in front of children. + +

Implying all schools are "captured" and transing children is not.

You have misrepresented other poster's words several times here, yet you're accusing others oh employing hyperbole.

I agree with your idea for an LEA led teaching practice, with little or no outsourcing. If anything is outsourced, ally materials should be freely available to parents. I'm thinking of things like Forest School and residential trips.

AdamRyan · 16/02/2024 08:16

SinnerBoy · 16/02/2024 07:45

AdamRyan · Yesterday 20:23

+ + Some schools have staff who using children to validate their identity and belief in gender ideology. Some schools have male teachers who have autogynephelia and are therefore acting out their paraphelia in front of children. + +

Implying all schools are "captured" and transing children is not.

You have misrepresented other poster's words several times here, yet you're accusing others oh employing hyperbole.

I agree with your idea for an LEA led teaching practice, with little or no outsourcing. If anything is outsourced, ally materials should be freely available to parents. I'm thinking of things like Forest School and residential trips.

I was referring to the fact I objected to a previous poster saying schools were busy transing kids. Then I got 2 pages of being picked up on that as if I support TRA activities in schools.

Flamme · 16/02/2024 08:27

Clearly not the vote-winner that Rishi expected in Wellingborough and Kingswood.

DrBlackbird · 16/02/2024 10:21

UltraLiteLife · 15/02/2024 08:37

I think that was the guilt by postcode froth about LGB Alliance having an office in Tufton Street. The neutrality with which people stated their position…

Controversial trans-exclusionary charity the LGB Alliance is renting an office in the Tufton Street nerve centre of Britain's most influential…

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/lgb-alliance-55-tufton-street-think-tanks/

Going by some previous posters reasoning, and adopting a reverse (?) ad locum perspective, I must conclude that

  1. Open Democracy = good, therefore all Open Democracy reports = good.
  2. Thus, I am not supposed to question or be sceptical about these author’s underlying motivation in writing this article.
  3. And accept the premise that the LGB Alliance is not a charity advocating for gay and bisexual people, but rather a sinister libertarian cartel to be squashed.
Why? Because the report was posted on a liberal, progressive website known for its good work on exposing nefarious goings on.

This is despite that the article is the first and last article written by these two authors of this ‘expose’ posted on Open Democracy (a website I have trusted). Which felt odd.

So, looking a bit more, I wonder if the Gemma Stone authoring this piece is this Gemma; https://uk.linkedin.com/in/gemma-stone-39a0ba198?

And if the other author, Lee Hurley, is this Lee Hurley?
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lee-hurley

Lee Hurley | The Guardian

Lee Hurley is a transgender writer from Belfast covering football, Arsenal and LGBTQ+ issues

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lee-hurley

SinnerBoy · 16/02/2024 10:28

AdamRyan · Today 08:16

I was referring to the fact I objected to a previous poster saying schools were busy transing kids.

Yes, well, the evidence is that that is exactly what some schools are doing. This comes from personal anecdotes, as well as online reportage.

AdamRyan · 16/02/2024 10:33

Anecdotes aren't evidence.

Emotionalsupportviper · 16/02/2024 10:36

Hicc · 13/02/2024 01:01

It's as if RMW feels there's a lot to be grumpy about these days.

Robin has what my mother would have called "an unfortunate face".

And everything else.

TeenDivided · 16/02/2024 10:37

AdamRyan · 16/02/2024 10:33

Anecdotes aren't evidence.

Sorry are you saying that MN users lived experience is to be discounted??

Anecdotes aren't data, but unless you are saying parents are lying, parents have reported here on MN of their child having name and pronouns changed by school behind their back, etc. That is evidence.

Signalbox · 16/02/2024 10:39

AdamRyan · 15/02/2024 22:15

You are massively extrapolating from what I said.
Teachers make difficult safeguarding calls every day, they are much better equipped to do that than I am. I want them to have the flexibility to do their jobs.

This massively misunderstands the purpose of safeguarding and who gets to make decisions in circumstances like this. If teachers are making unilateral judgments that a child’s parents are such a risk to their child that they are keeping secret a social transition and withholding information about name changes, breast binding etc from that parent then it is the teacher that has become the safeguarding risk. I’m amazed that this has not yet played out in court but I imagine it’s only a matter of time before it does. Teachers are completely overstepping the line with this.

AdamRyan · 16/02/2024 10:40

DrBlackbird · 16/02/2024 10:21

Going by some previous posters reasoning, and adopting a reverse (?) ad locum perspective, I must conclude that

  1. Open Democracy = good, therefore all Open Democracy reports = good.
  2. Thus, I am not supposed to question or be sceptical about these author’s underlying motivation in writing this article.
  3. And accept the premise that the LGB Alliance is not a charity advocating for gay and bisexual people, but rather a sinister libertarian cartel to be squashed.
Why? Because the report was posted on a liberal, progressive website known for its good work on exposing nefarious goings on.

This is despite that the article is the first and last article written by these two authors of this ‘expose’ posted on Open Democracy (a website I have trusted). Which felt odd.

So, looking a bit more, I wonder if the Gemma Stone authoring this piece is this Gemma; https://uk.linkedin.com/in/gemma-stone-39a0ba198?

And if the other author, Lee Hurley, is this Lee Hurley?
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lee-hurley

Oh I missed this one yesterday. I wouldn't draw any conclusions, the report on just factual.

I do think it's a bit weird LGB Alliance have hidden their Tufton Street address. It's a bit coincidental they would be in the same building as a load of right wing think tanks. That's as far as I would go, unless LGB alliance started putting forward "independent journalists" for gigs like Question Time and not being clear they were from LGB alliance.

SinnerBoy · 16/02/2024 10:42

AdamRyan · Today 10:33

Anecdotes aren't evidence.

So, posters here writing of their own experiences are meaningless. Is that what you mean?

AdamRyan · 16/02/2024 10:49

No I mean anecdotes aren't enough to know whether or not schools are "busy transing kids". Especially anecdotes off the Internet.

I'm really offended by that "busy transing kids" statement, on behalf of teachers I know doing their best in very difficult circumstances.

My children's school have let one of my children down badly this year, but I think that's because they are so massively overstretched rather than any theories around ideological agendas or that they "chose" to do it.

I also know people with GNC teens and I wouldn't want to be in the position of having to decide how to respond. It seems no win, whether a parent goes along with it or refuses to go along with it.

I think a little less judgement of individual choices would be helpful.

SinnerBoy · 16/02/2024 10:54

AdamRyan · Today 10:49

No I mean anecdotes aren't enough to know whether or not schools are "busy transing kids".

It reflects broadly the news reports, which have been linked many times on MN.

TeenDivided · 16/02/2024 11:06

You have taken 'busy transing kids' to mean more than I meant. Maybe I didn't word it right. But I think also you are using my maybe slightly sloppy language to try to downplay what is happening in some schools. The stats above that you want to ignore on what is going on shows schools going outside their remit on gender issues are not rare outliers.

But any school supporting social transition of any child behind their parents back is doing something they shouldn't do.
Any school getting mermaids / stonewall in to teach GI and incorrect law to children as facts not one view is doing more than it should do.
Any school putting boys into girls single sex provision is doing more than it should do.
Any school shutting down pupils who believe sex is more important than gender is doing more than it should do.
Schools running LGBTQI++ clubs without massive care and attention as to the messages they are giving are contributing.
Some schools are doing the above. That is what I meant by 'busy'. Doing stuff that is not their business to be doing.

GoodHeavens99 · 16/02/2024 11:10

PaperSky · 13/02/2024 01:29

RMW: Asks about LGBT

RS: Responds: same sex marriage, provisions for same sex couples in healthcare.

RMW: Issue should be less about the LGB and more about the T.

Lol.

Was that genuinely RMW's response??

GoodHeavens99 · 16/02/2024 11:14

FrancescaContini · 13/02/2024 07:46

I think Starmer would try to squirm his way out of his claim a couple of years ago that it’s not true that women don’t have penises. I still don’t understand how someone who said that is in charge of the Opposition. Or has children of his own. Presumably he knows their sex.

Starmer would be wriggling like a butterfly trying to get out of its chrysalis.

GoodHeavens99 · 16/02/2024 11:20

SabrinaThwaite · 13/02/2024 08:00

TBF, RMW has said that they didn’t want to risk vocal chord surgery, what with being a barista barrister.

I actually like RMW's voice... I wonder if they do a bit of singing; it has that quality to it.

I remember during Allison's tribunal, Robin didn't say very much, and then I heard their voice.
I was a gnats wing away from asking (on the thread) 'who was the (ahem) person with the lovely voice'? 😬