We have been warning for over a year now that the ‘Supporting transgender young people in schools: guidance for Scottish schools‘ document from the Scottish Government needs to be withdrawn, and the headlines in the Mail Online confirm our fears.
The headlines are shocking enough.
What’s more shocking is that the article arises from a parent trying to find out what their child was being taught in school.
at primary school I’d have needed an explanation of what’s meant by ‘identify as gay or transgender’
The school refused, the parent went to court, and still could not find out what was being taught in classes.
There is something deeply disturbing about a school concealing lesson content from parents, particularly over such an important personal area.
The article is written about English schools: it could just as well have been written about Scottish schools.
If it had, it would no doubt have included the guidance that “it is best to not share information with parents or carers” (Supporting Transgender Pupils In Schools p.35), and “If a young person comes out as transgender there is no immediate need to inform their parents or others.” (p.56).
One worksheet has been highlighted before from a Scottish Primary school, asking primary age children to consider issues which are hardly age-appropriate.
I’m not sure about you, but at primary school I’d have needed an explanation of what’s meant by ‘identify as gay or transgender’. How much teaching time is being lost to teach to this agenda in schools?
One problem highlighted in the Mail article is the influence of charities and ‘activist teachers’ with controversial views on underage sex.
In Scotland there has been an undue influence from transgender activist charities, funded by the Scottish Government as outlined in our original article here.
When you look at the policies of the other political parties in Scotland, and their voting record on the failed Gender Rights Reform Bill, it is clear that the SNP, Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties all support furtherance of the aims of transgender pressure groups.
One of the main tactics of such groups has been to conflate the rights of transsexual people, which are protected by law in the Equality Act 2010, with those of transgender people, which are not even mentioned in the Act.
To be clear: AyrshireAlba supports the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and transgender people. All have the right to live their lives peacefully, free from harassment and prejudice. We ask only that they respect the right of women and girls to have single-sex spaces for their security and dignity and allow children their childhood without undue influence or interference.
ALBA has always stood up for the rights of women and girls – see our policies here.
Update –
We’ve had a big response to this blog, and an omission has been highlighted.
Scottish schools are being invited to apply for an LGBT Youth Scotland Charter, for which 190 schools have already paid £1250. This gives them access to classroom materials for teachers, but schools have to sign a confidentiality clause promising not to let parents see the materials. More details from For Women Scotland here …
Another point being raised is – what is transgender?
There is no legal definition that we are aware of, the term seems to cover transvestite, transsexual, autogynephile, and any number of other more vague preferences. The common thread seems to be that the claim for transgender rights is conflated with those for transsexuals.
There are legal protections for transsexual people, and a recognised process to be recognised as such. The applicant has to go through an involved process of assessment prior to surgical and hormonal procedures including surgically altering the sex organs themselves.
Through conflation these rights are then claimed for transgender people, who have not been through these thorough processes.
The vociferous attempts to legalise SelfID would result in a person being able to claim the legal rights of a transsexual on the basis of informal, some would say flimsy, declarations of intent. No need for surgery or hormone treatment. That person would then have access to single sex spaces such as ladies’ toilets, changing rooms in shops, and the ability to compete as a woman in sports.
The potential for the abuse of this privilege is obvious.