The latest guidance given to schools has only worsened the polarised debate on LGBT+ rights.
Affirmative support like using gender-neutral phrases to avoid discrimination in schools will only improve the mental health of many children, an LGBT+ activist said.
The latest guidance given to schools to drop titles like Mr and Mrs seems to have added fuel to the debate on LGBT+ rights in the UK, The Telegraph reported.
In a workshop called Getting the Language Right for 2022, funded by the National Education Union (NEU), Dr Elly Barnes said the education sector should be moving towards a ‘gender-free model’.
Dr Barnes, the chief executive of the Educate & Celebrate charity, allegedly told staff they should be referred to as ‘teacher’ or ‘headteacher’ followed by their surname.
Similarly to obsolete terms like ‘lady doctor’, ‘policeman’ and ‘male nurse’, schools are also advised to adopt more gender-neutral words such as ‘pupils’, ‘students’, ‘child’ and ‘parent’.
According to feminist and writer jane fae, such affirmative support to pupils is great for their mental health and – at the most extreme – is likely to reduce self-harm and suicide thoughts.
Speaking on behalf of TransActual – an organisation working to combat rampant transphobia in the UK, she told Metro.co.uk: ‘If you are dealing with a trans or non-binary person, then modify your language, but for anyone else, go as it is.
‘All they [Educate & Celebrate] is point out the best practice, remembering that not all teachers are binary.
‘It is appropriate to use gendered terms when people are, but not when they aren’t – it is adding, not banning.
‘The absolute bottom line is that nobody wants to ban anything, just using the appropriate word in any given situation.
‘Terms for non-binary people has slight linguistic complication but frankly, English as a language is far less complex around pronouns than many others.
‘When people start saying, “it’s complicated”, it just reminds me that English people are pretty awful at languages.
‘It is a small difference but in terms of respect for the individual it is massive.
‘If anyone thinks it is not, I advise them to go into some journalistic office and start referring to all the men as “she” and all the women as “he”, and see how quickly people start to object.’
Alongside this, the activist is calling for an end to stereotyping in their uniforms, which would benefit students who are gender-nonconforming and do not really get on with dress codes assigned to their gender.
‘A lot of pupils will benefit from a uniform that is either neutral or simply allows them to adapt to whatever fits best,’ jane added.
Following the webinar, a teacher who wished to remain anonymous branded it as ‘propaganda for trans activists’ and told The Telegraph she thought it was against the Department for Education guidelines.
She said: ‘Teachers will take what this woman says as fact because the training was organised by the NEU and they’re not going to question their union.’
But as more children feel comfortable coming out as trans or non-binary, charities like Educate & Celebrate and Mermaids work to spread positive messaging about LGBT+ acceptance in schools and provide training.
At a cost of £150 per session or £600 for a full day, Dr Barnes delivers a workshop on LGBT+ inclusion, actively engaging students in discussion with regards to language, law and social justice, encouraging debate and to ask questions.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Educate & Celebrate and NEU for a comment.
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