UK may ban teachers from discussing gender identity with students: 'Inappropriate'
LONDON (CITC) — The U.K. Department for Education released a draft of new guidance Thursday restricting schools from teaching about gender identity.
The materials, which are in the review stage, would advise teachers against discussing the concept that gender lies on a spectrum. They will be open for consultation over the next eight weeks.
“Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “I will always act swiftly to protect our children and this new guidance will do exactly that, while supporting teachers to teach these important topics sensitively.”The draft also ensures parents the ability to see educational materials their children are using in sex, relationship and health education lessons without interference from copyright law. New age restrictions limiting the materials’ use would come into effect so students do not learn about content they are too immature to understand, according to the department.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan argued the guidance prioritizes children’s safety.
“It will support schools with how and when to teach often difficult and sensitive topics, leaving no doubt about what is appropriate to teach pupils at every stage of school,” she said. “Parents can be reassured once and for all their children will only learn age-appropriate content.”
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Students would not learn sex education until their fifth year in school, when they would study it from a “purely scientific” viewpoint, according to the department. The proposals follow December guidance informing schools they are not required to allow students to publicly align with their gender identity.
As explanation for its guidance changes, the Sunak ministry has pointed to the Cass Review, which found unclear reasoning behind puberty blockers, as well as weak evidence regarding their impact on gender dysphoria and mental and psychosocial health.
Dr. Hilary Cass, the report’s author, claimed her work detailed what the approach to healthcare should be without challenging transgender identities, the right of people to express themselves or people’s rights to healthcare.
Eight days after its publication, Scotland’s only clinic providing gender-related services for children paused the prescription of puberty blockers for new patients. Sandyford Sexual Health Services halted referrals for puberty suppressing hormones and barred transgender minors from beginning gender-affirming hormone treatment until they turned 18 years old.
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