1/ Our petition to remove the school guidance will be considered by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on 19th April 2023.
You can access the petition here - parliament.scot/get-involved/p…
Long 🧵 on why we’re petitioning for its removal.
2/ Single sex facilities:
Boys & girls, regardless of how they id, must be excluded from the opposite sex spaces & services.
Legal arguments around GRC’s are not applicable to school aged children because they’re currently not eligible to apply for one.
3 @ForWomenScot sought a legal opinion from KC Aidan O’Neill on the provision of single sex toilets in schools. His advice was that schools are breaching their duty under the EqA to prohibit harassment related to pupils’ sex, by failing to use the single sex exceptions in the Act
5/ the School Guidance currently says:
“There is no law in Scotland which states that only people assigned male at birth can use men’s toilets and changing rooms, or that only people assigned female can use the women’s toilets and changing rooms”
6/ “It is therefore important that young people, where possible, are able to use the facilities they feel more comfortable with”
“If PE classes are organised by sex, a transgender young person should be allowed to take part within the group which matches their gender identity”
7/ “If a transgender young person wants to share a room with other yp who share their gender identity, they should be able to”
The law is clear - single sex facilities & sporting activities must be provided in schools. The advice in the guidance is not complaint with this
8/ Social Transition & #Safeguarding
@BayswaterSG “For many of our children, the trans identity began - & was solidified - in school. We have come to understand that when a child says they are trans, standard #Safeguarding procedures can be overlooked *because* of the trans id”
9 Dr Hilary Cass: “some children will remain fluid in their gender id up to early to mid 20’s” “social transition (changing name & pronouns) is “not an neutral act” and must be viewed as “an active intervention because it may have significant effects on psychological functioning”
10/ yet the school guidance says:
“Staff & young people should avoid misgendering a trans young person. Using the correct pronouns is the right & respectful approach to including transgender young people”
“Staff & young people should avoid ‘deadnaming’”
11/ “A trans young person may not have told their family about their gender id. Inadvertent disclosure could cause needless stress or could put them at risk & breach legal requirements. Therefore it’s best not to share info with parents without considering the up’s views & rights
12/ This is not best practice and if not approached with care and forethought, compliance by adults with a new name & pronouns has the potential to signify agreement with the child that there is something wrong with them - that the person they were is defective.
13/ Acceptance and inclusion of children who come under the LGBT umbrella has rightly been campaigned for by orgs who have worked to ensure this. However, there has also been a drive by these same orgs to to insist that a trans id is not a #Safeguarding issue.
12/ Within the school guidance they say- “Being transgender is not a child protection or wellbeing concern in itself”.
When a child declares a trans id, it’s not the same as as coming out as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Sexuality, unlike a trans id, doesn’t carry the same risks.
13/ We know from Cass and other research (thanks @BayswaterSG) that a child declaring a trans id often have significant and serious underlying co-morbidities which *are* safeguarding risks. These are often overshadowed when a trans id is declared.
14/ It’s important that professional curiosity and being aware of indicators of risk are exercised by teachers in order that any risks are identified as early as possible. Affirmation as promoted in the school guidance hinders this important #Safeguarding step.
15/ There are more areas of the guidance that we have concerns with, but for the sake of the length of this 🧵 we will simply mention some:
* parental exclusion
* neurodiverse children
* girls rights
* sexual assault and harassment
* bullying of children with GC beliefs
If you would like to watch the meeting online on 19th April, you can do so here: scottishparliament.tv
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