Newly-published government guidance has been published that says teachers have to tell parents if their child wishes to change their gender identity at school.
Talking about the new guidance on GB News, Andrew Pierce said that the news was “a bit of common sense.”
Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said: “Schools have asked for because they are struggling with dealing with, what is a relatively new phenomenon of children questioning their gender.
“This is a very serious thing. And social transitioning, as we’ve described in the guidance, is not a neutral act and it is something that parents should be made aware of at the earliest opportunity.”
Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch spoke about the changes today
GB News
When asked of she is worried that the guidance will push trans children to stay in the closet and impact their mental health the minister said that she was not concerned about this.
She added: “That is not something I’m concerned about. And I should stress that we fundamentally disagree with Stonewalls analysis.
“We fundamentally disagree with their facts. The CAST review has shown that social transitioning is not a neutral act.
It puts children on a medical pathway that can lead to irreversible medical decisions, the use of puberty blockers and so on. But also something that’s really important to emphasize is that just because a child doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes doesn’t mean that they are the opposite sex.
Transgender guidance for schools has been released today
PA
“We shouldn’t assume that because a boy likes pink or a girl likes football that they are of the opposite sex.
“We need to make sure the schools understand what is going on and that is what this guidance is there to achieve.”
Discussing the guidelines on the show Ben Habib said: “You claim common sense. It is common sense. And funny enough, when I read it, I thought, great, a bit of common sense.
“But the reason you and I both say it’s a bit of common sense is because we’re so used to hearing utterly balmy stuff coming out that this is something that we should take utterly for granted.
Ben Habib said that it was a welcome chaneg
GB News
“For example, that you shouldn’t assume just because a child says that they’re not male, that they actually genuinely are not feeling male, that parents should be consulted on how children are treated at school.
“All of this stuff which we we should take for granted, we now regard as there’s some kind of move towards common sense.”
The new guidance state that teachers do not have a “general duty” to allow pupils to socially transition and are urged to use caution.
This includes “watchful waiting periods, and ensuring parents are fully consulted before any decision is taken.”
