My work insisting I refer to a 9 year old as they/them

[TheMadGardener]

I work in a British primary school. Just started new term. Long standing pupil, a girl, is starting Year 5 now so she is 9 years old. No issues until now although parents are quite "alternative/new age."

Headteacher has informed staff that according to the child and her parents this girl has decided to be non-binary. Staff are now to refer to her as they/them and she is now using a gender-neutral shortened version of her name (think Alex instead of Alexandra or Jo instead of Joanna).

I am extremely uncomfortable with this and will definitely not be using they/them - I will be referring to the child by her chosen abbreviation to avoid using pronouns (at least it's a shortening of her real name rather than a made-up name).

Serious question: I thought new legislation discouraged schools from getting on board with this sort of thing? Or is it only they can't let children do it without parents knowing?

I'm finding it very hard to keep my mouth shut on my actual opinions in the presence of headteacher. (Colleagues I've spoken to on the quiet all think it is bullshit too)

The violence, harassment. Almost all of it sexual. Being told "it doesn't count if we touch you".

Nobody should be told this. Was this happening in school? What did the school do when you told them about it?

Unless this relentless demonisation stops, a whole generation of trans/nb kids will emerge from school as traumatised as mine.

The problem here is that transsexualism, which should be something which only adults indulge in, has become something that children have been caught up in, despite not understanding that transsexualism is about adult sexuality, not something for children. Children shouldn't be anywhere near paraphilias like transsexualism.

None of it was his fault. Boys assumed he was a sexual deviant (at 13!) and demanded anal sex from him. They tried repeatedly to harm him.

Was this happening in school? What action did the school take to stop it? No children in school should be demanding sex from other children. Yes, I know it happens, but regardless of the child's sex, sexuality or so-called 'gender identity', no child should be subjected to sexual violence in school and the school ultimately has to take responsibility for this if they allow it to happen. The boys concerned also have to take responsibility for their actions if they are raping or attempting to rape other children.

Labelling a child turning up to school as themselves abuse, is pure evil.

A child turning up to school pretending to be the opposite sex is, by definition, not being themself.

Hateful transphobia against kids is treated like a fun discussion topic on here. It's repulsive, and is impacting real children, right now. Including the poor kid so many on here are determined to take apart.

The majority of people posting here don't treat this as a fun discussion topic, but as a disturbing trend which worries us. Real children being impacted by adult paraphilias is not something to laugh at. Leave children alone. Let kids be kids.

@SevenYellowHammersor another way to look at it:

what exactly was born in the wrong body?

how does that what know it’s in the wrong body?

how did the what end up in the wrong body?

have to admit to being fairly straight forward in nature and believing and people are born who they are. We’ve all got bits of our bodies and personalities that we’re unhappy with and wish were different but that’s life, it doesn’t mean we were born in the wrong body.

@JellySaurus senior management are politicians!