- School materials used telling a student that bullying stopped after moving on
- Activists said he tells vulnerable teens that transitioning is a “silver bullet” for trouble
Angry parents have claimed that the use of educational materials in sex education classes for children under the age of 14 tells pupils that transitioning between the sexes will prevent them from being bullied.
Content produced by education consulting firm Chameleon PDE says puberty can be optional and there are seven genders, according to a report.
The material includes a presentation on gender diversity that tells the story of Tom, who has gone from being known as Tina Mae, who says he is no longer bullied at school after transitioning gender.
In the story, Tom says he was upset after being placed in the same educational group as a “mean kid” but “as soon as I moved into the school, the bullying stopped”.
Tom said there were “whispers and stares at first” but his conversion eventually became “old news”.
Parents and activists have criticized the educational resource, saying it effectively tells vulnerable teens that changing their gender is a “silver bullet” to stop bullies, telegraph reports.
James Isis, co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, a group of physicians concerned with health care provided to transgender children, told the paper that the suggestion that feeling different from classmates or being bullied “could be resolved by appearing impulsive.”
He said that children should instead be taught self-acceptance rather than a “fundamental change” for who they are.
Mr. Isis said society should stop teaching children that transition is a “silver bullet” for any problems they face.
One parent, who claimed that the subject was taught at the child’s school, said the children were being taught: “I won’t be bullied anymore when I turn.”
They said that schools do not address bullying policies and instead teach children to walk a surgical or medical path.
Tanya Carter, of the Safe Schools Coalition, told the paper that hinting at shifting is an answer to bullying that is “extremely irresponsible” and that they were “appalled” to learn that schools were using the substances.
In a presentation produced by Chameleon, Tom decided against puberty blockers after consulting with a GP – but the slide says it’s “a choice”.
The consultancy says on its website that its clients include many schools and local councils, including Hull City Council and Borough Council.
The Gender Diversity offer, which comes with a number of other resources, is included in the subscription which costs £360 for the first year and £180 for subsequent years.
‘We follow current Department of Education (DfE) guidelines for legal relations, health and sexual education when writing materials,’ Angela Milliken-Toll, co-founder of Chameleon PDE, told the Telegraph.
“We allow schools to adjust our materials and we’re constantly updating lesson packages as things change.
We do not receive any government funding. We have an extensive library covering the much broader PSHE curriculum which allows young people to critically examine the full range of current issues.
We have deliberately chosen to design a library of optional resources that allow schools to customize PSHE to the needs of their students. Within the library of over 200 Lesson Packs, only two focus on gender diversity, the Quoted Lessons Pack and a Similar Pack for students over the age of 16. Schools will only use these Lessons if they feel they are suitable for the needs of their pupils.
We appreciate that this is a rapidly changing landscape and our 25 years of experience in the field has taught us that nothing stays in this field for long. We will update our materials accordingly in line with the government review of RSHE [relationships, sex and health education]. We have no affiliations with any of the groups mentioned.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘As part of the current review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum, we will look at introducing age ratings and ensuring teaching materials are of high quality and in line with guidelines in order to keep children safe.
We are clear that schools must make sure that all the content they use is factual and age appropriate, and that they engage with parents who are aware of what their children are learning.
“The Minister for Education is working closely with the Minister for Women and Equalities to publish guidance for schools for the summer term on how to respond to children who question their gender identity.”