‘Trans children more likely to be white and privileged’ says head

[hholiday]

In The Times today. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/trans-children-white-privilege-katherine-birbalsingh-73d578v7q

There is no statistical evidence of the headteacher’s claim in the article (it’s anecdotal, based on the fact she teaches at an inner city London school and says it’s not really an issue there). And the Cass review and others have given other explanations for the transgender trend among young people, eg autism. But I thought it was really interesting it was being discussed at all - and so bluntly. It would be interesting if this view does get looked into a bit more, as I suspect if there’s one thing likely to bring the transgender movement skidding to a halt among kids, it would be the idea that it’s something for the rich and privileged.

Girls that have to fight to get attention from there parents constantly "look at me" it's not their fault, unfortunately they do it so much they still end up as background noise like a squeaky wheel you occasionally grease it but pretty much ignore it

Sorry, I misread your earlier post. I replied to @lcakethereforeIam who said the same as you.

I read on here and in papers it's all middle class phenomenon- but in my area - a very working class deprived area - it's DD2 friends in foster care with DD1 friends bigger issue were all on SS radar due to home situations and another two were later diagonsed as ND.

I'm not sure how many got near gender clinics - some but probbaly at older ages.

It's also felt very top down - in wales - was sudden increasingly an issue when they had assemblies and class via schools and youth groups talking about it.

Yes, because black minorities are a) more conservative, b) not muzzled by the press and c) dont really have time or bandwidth for indulging delusional people. The dawn of the "trans era" has been exclusively driven by upper middle class white people with who are far too well fed and under occupied, who possess an insatiable need to be recognised as "relevant" by society. The truth is, most of us couldnt give a toss what you do in your own home or who you diddle, but the majority of us have absolutely no time or bandwidth either for virtue signalling.

I would’ve assumed that ‘trans kids’ would come from lower class families where they’re not really expected to be successful and are possibly vulnerable and attention seeking from parents having new relationships/multiple siblings or upper class families where they don’t need to rely on getting a job because their families will pay for them rather than middle class 2 parent families who would be aware that it could affect their likelihood of getting a good job.

As others have said 'trans' is not one thing. Gender identity as a movement is practically a blank canvas onto which someone can project almost anything. That is appealing for a wide range of children and young people whatever their background.

Proportionately children caught up in it are more likely to be white and perhaps with a skew to middle class but they also tend to be the more vocal cohort and with family and friends who are more supportive/vocal.

Worth remembering that Keira Bell is not white (nor middle class I don't think).

Yes - the common feature seems to be mental vulnerability, online contagion and trusted adults (professionals and parents) who either deliberately or through fear, affirm their mental confusion and fail to safeguard them.

Until we remove the transactivist adults / groups from being able to influence children directly and policy / practice that affects them, vulnerable children will continue to be at risk fro all this.

Just a small point, but there is a real difference between "white" and "white British".

Yes, 81.7% in the census were white but only 74.3% were white British. The other 7.4% were made up of Polish, Irish, Romanian, Italian, Roma, Lithuanian, Portuguese etc.

Although if you look at particular areas then the numbers can vary dramatically.

In London only 53.7% were white and only 36.8% were white British.

Contrast that with somewhere like Wales which is 93.8% white and 90.5% white British or the North East with very similar figures of 93.0% white and 90.6% white British

Proportionately children caught up in it are more likely to be white and perhaps with a skew to middle class but they also tend to be the more vocal cohort and with family and friends who are more supportive/vocal.

That's key.

The 'trans kids deserve better' group are, for example, obviously functional and resourced enough to run a website (with a data protection notice, even), have a basic understanding of how to run crowdfunders, organise 'actions', disseminate to the media, etc. This doesn't mean they aren't also vulnerable, have trauma histories, etc.

But children who don't have the access to resources, networks, and who perhaps have less self confidence in appealing for them due to socio-economic factors will not be the ones we see releasing insects at lesbian meetings, talking to media, being featured in BBC vox pops, etc.

As ever, class issues are going to affect visibility.

[sorry, responded to wrong post!]

Thanks, that'd seem to support Birbalsingh's assertion, at least as far as ethnicity goes.

I think she's probably got a point about one cohort of trans identifying children.

There is a subset from white middle class families, mostly girls, where the trans identity is an self indulgent performance signalling either/ or both underlying mild mental health issues and/ or a way of establishing social capital. They usually have parents who support this for their own social signalling of virtue.
These are the celebrity kids and the Brighton schools contagion types.

Then there's other subsets of vulnerable children caught up in this because they have autism, serious trauma, abuse or might just be gay.

Katherine Birsalbingh probably has below average numbers of kids in her school from most of those groups. Parents who wouldn't support it, fewer asd kids, more in tact families and therefore better mental health generally.

The gay kids will still be there but as there are probably more religious families at her school than average they are probably staying quiet rather than becoming trans.

I suspect religion is a better resiliency factor for protecting kids from trans ideology than being white or middle class.

No surprise there. It's a first world privilege. People are dying in Gaza and wars, and these shallow, self-absorbed people are going on about how someone addresses them when they aren't even in the room!

Some need to get their priorities right! Trans is a first world social contagion for spoilt rich kids who have nothing else to rebel about. We should have a 'think of the people dying in Gaza' retort every time someone whinges about their pronouns not being respected.

I’m glad you made the points you made in your second paragraph @MalagaNights . Brighton is a bubble of trans ideology and is a good example overall of the “so open minded that your brain has fallen out” person. The entire place must be catatonic in horror at the Supreme Court ruling.

OP didn’t say white British, she said white privileged kids though, that‘s presumably less than 80%?

I teach children who are autistic and also have learning disabilities, including sometimes significant communication issues. None are trans.

it’s a specific cohort of autistic children who are in mainstream. And who are able to access verbal and written communication.

and yes, observationally, far more children who are from financially privileged backgrounds.

it’s a specific cohort of autistic children who are in mainstream. And who are able to access verbal and written communication

Another good point!

I have never forgotten the lunacy of an idea that came out of Scotland at one point, most likely from a lobby, suggesting that severely disabled children's gender should not be assumed, but that staff should offer items equating to stereotypically male and stereotypically female, noting the responses, and assigning gender identity accordingly.

Thankfully it didn't come up again.

I wonder without computer access and/or a modelling peer group, what the presenting population might be.

OMFG
Sounds like grooming @TheOtherRaven and stupidity

On a slightyly lighter note there is a really good article by Julie Burchill about the "contagion" of trans children in the world of Hollywood. Link in thread Julie Burchill is unwell.

(and sorry to have only just found out that Adele's child "came out" as trans at about 2 or something )

Trans is a very socially driven ‘condition.’ Hence clearly not rooted in physiology (it’s not a scientific reality) - people who are affected by learning difficulties to the extent that social interaction and communication (receptive* as well as expressive) is very impaired, are not trans.

*cognitive understanding of all and any communication from others.

James Esses has shared this; if a child needs these symbols to support understanding of this activity, they really shouldn’t be being taught the concept of trans.

https://x.com/jamesesses/status/1925461570751987906?s=46&t=A2fpFNgDRyXF2d6ye97wEA

(I also wouldn’t be using those symbols for the hair description, which illustrates the limits of understanding the person who designed this sheet has, but that’s another discussion.)

The poor kids and the minority kids know that they'll grow up to face problems in life. The white kids from prosperous families have to invent their own problems.

Amen

WTAF