By Mabel Wellman, Trans Pride Southampton.
We at Trans Pride Southampton directly oppose the non-statutory guidance the government have given on transgender pupils or pupils questioning their gender.
The guidance released states the teachers must speak to parents if a pupil mentions they have a preferred name they would like teachers and classmates. As well as that teachers do not “need” to respect a pupils preferred pronouns or “allow” a pupil to socially transition.
Both cisgender and transgender pupils will discover who they are through their school years. This includes making choices about the subjects they want to learn; the career opportunities they will have for their whole lives; and other aspects of their identity including gender identity. Trans Pride Southampton say that schools and teachers do a have a duty to respect pupils and their wishes to be treated as they wish to be treated – including any preferred names or pronouns different to those of “their birth sex” as the government have put it.
When I (Mabel) started coming out as trans at school I did have to come out to my parents, but being outed could have gone horrifically wrong. My headteacher fully understood how stressful and worrying this was for me. However, she and I spoke for a good hour in her office to make sure I was ready and understood I needed to let my mom know I was coming to school wearing a skirt, for safeguarding. My headteacher also let me speak to her early in the morning the day after to make sure I was OK. If I was instead outed by her or any other teacher, not only could it have led to a worse outcome with my parents, but the loss in trust on the adults who should have (and did) support me would have ruined my school attendance and motivation right before my GCSEs.
Trans Pride Southampton also reject the idea that a school can say no to a child socially transitioning both with or without parental support. Teachers should be given guidance to help their pupils to succeed and be themselves, not be warned by the government about pro-trans groups or told they are ok to reject name or pronoun preferences. The government should be helping teachers, schools and councils to help disadvantaged or deprived pupils and young people to thrive in the austerity-fueled cost of living crisis of their own making; Not act like they are equipping teachers to fight against the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah.
We ask teachers who are neutral or supportive of trans people (including those they may be educating) to engage in the 12 week consultation process this guidance is in at the moment to let the government know these will not be acceptable standards for trans youth. Please also speak to and fight in your union against this guidance too. We also want to remind these teachers this guidance is non-statutory, meaning you do not have to follow, so please keep on being excellent to your trans students instead of following this guidance.
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