July 19, 2023 - 9:30am
The Conservatives can’t be said to be in touch with the public mood on many subjects, but there is an important exception. Tory ministers and MPs have been outspoken in defence of women’s rights and single-sex spaces, making the official Opposition look feeble by comparison. Now, though, the Government’s delay in publishing trans guidance for schools is ringing alarm bells.
It’s being reported that ministers have been told that the tough guidelines supported by the Women and Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, might need a change in the law. Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, has apparently told colleagues that the proposed guidance on “social transitioning” in schools would be unlawful because gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act.
But reports about the legal hurdle raise questions about whether the Government is having second thoughts. Did they really wait until this late stage to seek legal advice? It’s a highly emotive subject, with some parents said to be angered and upset after discovering that their children have been allowed to use new names and pronouns at school without their knowledge. Teachers have been waiting for months for official advice, with Rishi Sunak promising in March that it would appear this week.
Government sources have denied that the delay is due to a conflict between Keegan and Badenoch, but rumours about rows in the Cabinet persist. We’ve known for ages that a handful of Tory MPs — Caroline Nokes, chair of the women and equalities committee, for instance — are sympathetic to the demands of trans activists. But parents have been hoping that the Government would draw a line against the encroachment of gender ideology in schools, where it has been adopted largely under the radar.
The idea that children can be trans is hugely contested, with NHS England warning that “social transitioning” — where kids change their names, clothes and pronouns — is not a neutral act. Two weeks ago, Keegan caused dismay when she suggested that 16- and 17-year-olds should be permitted to change their pronouns at school with parental consent. “We think the answer to that is yes,” she said.
It now appears that the “we” in that sentence may not include Cabinet colleagues like Badenoch. Critics of the proposal highlight that allowing pupils to adopt new names and pronouns doesn’t happen in isolation, forcing classmates to accept one of the key propositions of trans ideology. Why should a teenage girl have to pretend that a boy in her class is now a girl, when she knows perfectly well that he has male genitals?
There is apparently agreement that single-sex toilets and changing rooms will not be affected when pupils change their gender, ensuring protection for girls who don’t want to share intimate spaces with boys who “identify” as girls. Last month it was reported that police had been called into a secondary school in Essex following allegations that four female pupils had been sexually assaulted by a teenage boy, three of them in “gender-neutral” toilets.
If the Cabinet really is split on this issue, it is further evidence of how deeply the UK’s political parties have been influenced by organisations such as the controversial charity Stonewall. Leading figures in Labour, the Lib Dems, the Greens and the SNP have repeatedly made fools of themselves with their willingness to repeat meaningless slogans about sex and gender.
The Tories’ days in government are numbered, but they still have time to do the right thing for children and parents. They need to clamp down on this nonsense in schools before any more damage is done.
Joan Smith is a novelist and columnist. She has been Chair of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Board since 2013. Her book Homegrown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists was published in 2019.
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SubscribeThe AG is wrong if she claims gender is a protected characteristic under the EA 2010. It’s is gender reassignment that is protected. However schools rushing to support and affirm adolescents ‘new gender’ is not required by that Act or any other nor is failing to do that a breach. The clearest explanation of this issue is on the Sex Matters website. I encourage people to read it. Even the AG.
https://sex-matters.org/posts/schools-and-safeguarding/why-is-the-government-getting-in-such-a-mess-over-the-schools-guidance/
The Sex Matters commentary is very much the way to go. It acknowledges the truth of a pupil’s sex while treating pupils with dignity without pandering to fantasy.
I was about to make the same comment. And note that S7 of the Equality Act specifies that reassignment requires physiological changes – social transitioning is not protected.
Also note S85 (10) means that ‘misgendering’ a pupil is not harassment under S26.
Exactly right. Gender reassignment refers to adults who have a GRA. How can anyone, least if all someone in government, think children have a legal right to self-ID? Adults don’t. If the law is unclear (and this is misinterpreted), then clarify the law to make it so. Also, clarify sex in the Equality Act as well. Many in Scotland are hoping clarity in England brings some sanity and helps change happen here.
The Sex Matters commentary is very much the way to go. It acknowledges the truth of a pupil’s sex while treating pupils with dignity without pandering to fantasy.
I was about to make the same comment. And note that S7 of the Equality Act specifies that reassignment requires physiological changes – social transitioning is not protected.
Also note S85 (10) means that ‘misgendering’ a pupil is not harassment under S26.
Exactly right. Gender reassignment refers to adults who have a GRA. How can anyone, least if all someone in government, think children have a legal right to self-ID? Adults don’t. If the law is unclear (and this is misinterpreted), then clarify the law to make it so. Also, clarify sex in the Equality Act as well. Many in Scotland are hoping clarity in England brings some sanity and helps change happen here.
The AG is wrong if she claims gender is a protected characteristic under the EA 2010. It’s is gender reassignment that is protected. However schools rushing to support and affirm adolescents ‘new gender’ is not required by that Act or any other nor is failing to do that a breach. The clearest explanation of this issue is on the Sex Matters website. I encourage people to read it. Even the AG.
https://sex-matters.org/posts/schools-and-safeguarding/why-is-the-government-getting-in-such-a-mess-over-the-schools-guidance/
Having taught HS English for 25 years in the States, I can attest that teenagers have an incredibly unreliable sense of who they are. They try on identities like clothes. About ten years ago, all the girls claimed to be bisexual or lesbian, and dated each other, mostly I think to get the attention of the boys ironically. Now I see those same girls posting their wedding and baby shower pictures on Facebook – married to young men. The formerly goth kids are now homeowners, working in banks. To say kids should be driving the conversation, let alone the flying the plane, is just crazy talk.
Thank you for this
Thank you for this
Having taught HS English for 25 years in the States, I can attest that teenagers have an incredibly unreliable sense of who they are. They try on identities like clothes. About ten years ago, all the girls claimed to be bisexual or lesbian, and dated each other, mostly I think to get the attention of the boys ironically. Now I see those same girls posting their wedding and baby shower pictures on Facebook – married to young men. The formerly goth kids are now homeowners, working in banks. To say kids should be driving the conversation, let alone the flying the plane, is just crazy talk.
What Margaret Thatcher would have referred to as the Wets in the Conservative Party seem to have swallowed whole the Stonewall line as well as DEI, ESG and the other shibboleths of the bien pensants. What is particularly terrifying is the fanaticism with which they seek to enforce their views as demonstrated by the revelations of Coutts approach to Nigel Ferage as revealed in detail in the Telegraph today.
The Tories are heaving with woke activists and sympathisers. This party had prevailed over the most profound social impositions through the woke agenda that our ‘free’ society has ever experienced. Emboldened by the meek response (or lack of) by the population when freedoms were destroyed in the name of Covid, these people, politicians, civil servants and corporate leaders, have tightened their control over us all. And woe betide anyone, like Farage, who stands against such excesses and orthodoxies.
They are heaving with useful idiots and craven cowards not gifted with critical thinking skills.
What percentage of the middle and upper classes have the stomach for a fight compared to 1939 ?
What percentage of the middle and upper classes have the stomach for a fight compared to 1939 ?
From what I understand, unless you adopt and enforce progressive agenda points, there is a limit to how high you can climb professionally and politically. This transgender nonsense is coming from the very top.
They are heaving with useful idiots and craven cowards not gifted with critical thinking skills.
From what I understand, unless you adopt and enforce progressive agenda points, there is a limit to how high you can climb professionally and politically. This transgender nonsense is coming from the very top.
I tend to blame intellectual laziness.
Most people nowadays are comfortable with the idea that genuine minority groupings – gay people, black people, disabled people – should not be treated badly merely for being who they are.
Fair play for all is a motto most people can get behind.
So when lazy and fair minded people read about another minority group, the trannies, the knee-jerk reaction is to think, “oh well, we need to ensure fair play for the trannies also”.
The problem with this is that there is no such thing as trans.
I still have no idea what a “trans” actually is.
Even Stonewall is unable to enlighten me.
Here is their, er, “definition”:
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/the-truth-about-trans#know-trans
Q on Stonewall site:
“How does a person know they are trans?”
A on Stonewall site:
“Many people know they’re trans from a young age. Some trans people might not have the language or understanding of what it means to be trans until later in life. Other trans people do not know until they are teenagers or adults. There is no right or wrong way to be trans, but what is clear is that it’s not something that’s a fad or a ‘lifestyle choice’ and that all trans people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. If you aren’t recognised as being the gender you know you are, it’s extremely damaging.”
Clear as mud.
Now try adapting that question for straights and gays – see how clear and simple the answers are:
Q: How does a woman knows she’s straight?
A: She’s sexually attracted to men.
Q: How does a woman know she’s gay?
A: She’s sexually attracted to women.
When something actually exists, it’s easy to define.
I defy anyone to read the stonewall “definition” of what a trans person is and tell me what it means.
Schools are now extending equality policies to includes the fantasies of the mentally disordered.
The Tories are heaving with woke activists and sympathisers. This party had prevailed over the most profound social impositions through the woke agenda that our ‘free’ society has ever experienced. Emboldened by the meek response (or lack of) by the population when freedoms were destroyed in the name of Covid, these people, politicians, civil servants and corporate leaders, have tightened their control over us all. And woe betide anyone, like Farage, who stands against such excesses and orthodoxies.
I tend to blame intellectual laziness.
Most people nowadays are comfortable with the idea that genuine minority groupings – gay people, black people, disabled people – should not be treated badly merely for being who they are.
Fair play for all is a motto most people can get behind.
So when lazy and fair minded people read about another minority group, the trannies, the knee-jerk reaction is to think, “oh well, we need to ensure fair play for the trannies also”.
The problem with this is that there is no such thing as trans.
I still have no idea what a “trans” actually is.
Even Stonewall is unable to enlighten me.
Here is their, er, “definition”:
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/the-truth-about-trans#know-trans
Q on Stonewall site:
“How does a person know they are trans?”
A on Stonewall site:
“Many people know they’re trans from a young age. Some trans people might not have the language or understanding of what it means to be trans until later in life. Other trans people do not know until they are teenagers or adults. There is no right or wrong way to be trans, but what is clear is that it’s not something that’s a fad or a ‘lifestyle choice’ and that all trans people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. If you aren’t recognised as being the gender you know you are, it’s extremely damaging.”
Clear as mud.
Now try adapting that question for straights and gays – see how clear and simple the answers are:
Q: How does a woman knows she’s straight?
A: She’s sexually attracted to men.
Q: How does a woman know she’s gay?
A: She’s sexually attracted to women.
When something actually exists, it’s easy to define.
I defy anyone to read the stonewall “definition” of what a trans person is and tell me what it means.
Schools are now extending equality policies to includes the fantasies of the mentally disordered.
What Margaret Thatcher would have referred to as the Wets in the Conservative Party seem to have swallowed whole the Stonewall line as well as DEI, ESG and the other shibboleths of the bien pensants. What is particularly terrifying is the fanaticism with which they seek to enforce their views as demonstrated by the revelations of Coutts approach to Nigel Ferage as revealed in detail in the Telegraph today.
The 2010 Equality Act – drafted by Harriet Harman, endorsed by Polly Toynbee and worshipped by the Left wing moral bullies who run so much of this country. A major part of the toxic legacy of the Blair/Brown years in fact. I suppose it would be expecting too much to see it repealed.
The 2010 Equality Act – drafted by Harriet Harman, endorsed by Polly Toynbee and worshipped by the Left wing moral bullies who run so much of this country. A major part of the toxic legacy of the Blair/Brown years in fact. I suppose it would be expecting too much to see it repealed.
The conservative counter-revolution that Mary H wrote about this morning can’t come soon enough!
The conservative counter-revolution that Mary H wrote about this morning can’t come soon enough!
In fairness maybe they want to make sure the guidance is water tight and cannot be challenged later on.
In any case, and whatever the reason, they MUST do something about this.
That’s my take too. The issue in question is ‘social transitioning’ which may (or may not) be a youngster trying out a new identity for size – a notoriously difficult stage in many people’s lives especially at the older end of the school cohort as they seek to move away from the expectations they’ve been raised with. Again, that may or may not be to do with gender.
The legislation therefore needs to be very carefully drafted, since errors could result in the Tory government running out of time in office before getting it through parliament. A few more weeks to undertake further scrutiny, whilst frustrating for all concerned, is worth getting it right.
It’s guidance for schools. Not legislation. ??? I agree with the need to get it right. The evidence suggests that social transitioning is very difficult to come back from (the Tavistock stats.) It is a major step. The consequences are life changing and irreversible. Worse for girls. These are complex cases. That’s undeniable. These young people require intervention and support. What politicians need to ask themselves though is this. Do we facilitate self-harm in children? Answer: no. Then the starting point for guidance is easy. Protect children.
It’s guidance for schools. Not legislation. ??? I agree with the need to get it right. The evidence suggests that social transitioning is very difficult to come back from (the Tavistock stats.) It is a major step. The consequences are life changing and irreversible. Worse for girls. These are complex cases. That’s undeniable. These young people require intervention and support. What politicians need to ask themselves though is this. Do we facilitate self-harm in children? Answer: no. Then the starting point for guidance is easy. Protect children.
That’s my take too. The issue in question is ‘social transitioning’ which may (or may not) be a youngster trying out a new identity for size – a notoriously difficult stage in many people’s lives especially at the older end of the school cohort as they seek to move away from the expectations they’ve been raised with. Again, that may or may not be to do with gender.
The legislation therefore needs to be very carefully drafted, since errors could result in the Tory government running out of time in office before getting it through parliament. A few more weeks to undertake further scrutiny, whilst frustrating for all concerned, is worth getting it right.
In fairness maybe they want to make sure the guidance is water tight and cannot be challenged later on.
In any case, and whatever the reason, they MUST do something about this.
For years, I had grumbled that never, in 40 odd years of voting, had my MP sought my views or even spoken to me. Then, during the last local elections, Gillian Keegan turns up on my doorstep to solicit my vote for a Tory county council.
I give her, politely but firmly, the reasons why I, conservative-minded, will nevertheless not vote for anyone in the current Tory party. Immigration, the BBC, Universities, bodged Brexit, and woke nonsense in schools. She promised me that the cabinet were working flat out to fix these, and that we would see a transformation.
I’m waiting, Gillian. Let me know when you have found your conservative principles.
Another point. I note that several contributors have taken the trouble to debunk the idea that gender is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. I’m sure they are right, but perhaps we should repeal it, just to be on the safe side…
For years, I had grumbled that never, in 40 odd years of voting, had my MP sought my views or even spoken to me. Then, during the last local elections, Gillian Keegan turns up on my doorstep to solicit my vote for a Tory county council.
I give her, politely but firmly, the reasons why I, conservative-minded, will nevertheless not vote for anyone in the current Tory party. Immigration, the BBC, Universities, bodged Brexit, and woke nonsense in schools. She promised me that the cabinet were working flat out to fix these, and that we would see a transformation.
I’m waiting, Gillian. Let me know when you have found your conservative principles.
Another point. I note that several contributors have taken the trouble to debunk the idea that gender is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. I’m sure they are right, but perhaps we should repeal it, just to be on the safe side…
‘Gender’ is not a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. ‘Gender reassignment’, ridiculously is (what actually is ‘gender’?) but there is clearly a grey area about whether a minor can announce that they are undergoing ‘gender reassignment’.
Because the Equality Act was mainly intended to apply to workplaces, it covers people of sixteen and over. Children are not covered.
It must be said, once again, that there is no such thing as transitioning from male to female or visa versa. One can make cosmetic changes, but only that. Those changes make it clear just how male the would-be female still is.
It must be said, once again, that there is no such thing as transitioning from male to female or visa versa. One can make cosmetic changes, but only that. Those changes make it clear just how male the would-be female still is.
‘Gender’ is not a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. ‘Gender reassignment’, ridiculously is (what actually is ‘gender’?) but there is clearly a grey area about whether a minor can announce that they are undergoing ‘gender reassignment’.
Because the Equality Act was mainly intended to apply to workplaces, it covers people of sixteen and over. Children are not covered.
How can a mental disorder be a protected characteristic?
How can a mental disorder be a protected characteristic?
Given that the “guidance” in schools at the moment predominantly comes directly from Stonewall with a number of schools being pert of their “Champions” scheme, some more sensible guidance is urgently needed, even if it cannot address all the issues in one go.
At least the Tories are prepared to debate the issues. Their days are numbered and unless there are some radical advances in protecting free speech on this and other “Social Justice” issues, then we may not even be able to read and comment on articles like this in a few years!
Given that the “guidance” in schools at the moment predominantly comes directly from Stonewall with a number of schools being pert of their “Champions” scheme, some more sensible guidance is urgently needed, even if it cannot address all the issues in one go.
At least the Tories are prepared to debate the issues. Their days are numbered and unless there are some radical advances in protecting free speech on this and other “Social Justice” issues, then we may not even be able to read and comment on articles like this in a few years!
Here’s a brave woman who’s actively seeking to challenge what’s going on in schools: https://youtu.be/q7Mhyc4d7M4
this is a very vigorous speech from the Bad Law project. Highly recommended
this is a very vigorous speech from the Bad Law project. Highly recommended
Here’s a brave woman who’s actively seeking to challenge what’s going on in schools: https://youtu.be/q7Mhyc4d7M4
How can the chair of the’Womens and Equalities Committee’ possibly be in favour of the trans position?
How are these people appointed?
What a bizarre world we live in.
How can the chair of the’Womens and Equalities Committee’ possibly be in favour of the trans position?
How are these people appointed?
What a bizarre world we live in.
Kemi Badenoch, Victoria Prentice, Gillian Keegan, Caroline Nokes, Nicola Sturgeon, Joanna Cherry, Joan McAlpine, Sian Berry, Edwina Davy, Kiera Starmer, … I see a connection … but not a Tory civil war.
I agree. Given that girls are disproportionately affected by social contagion (as previously with eating disorders and self-harm) maybe (contrary to the predictions of utopian feminists of yesteryear) women are the more likely to not protect the rights of other women. What a conundrum indeed ! Be careful what you wish for and be wary of St’s Nicola and Jacinda of the sisterhood of ‘be kind’ bleeding hearts.
I agree. Given that girls are disproportionately affected by social contagion (as previously with eating disorders and self-harm) maybe (contrary to the predictions of utopian feminists of yesteryear) women are the more likely to not protect the rights of other women. What a conundrum indeed ! Be careful what you wish for and be wary of St’s Nicola and Jacinda of the sisterhood of ‘be kind’ bleeding hearts.
Kemi Badenoch, Victoria Prentice, Gillian Keegan, Caroline Nokes, Nicola Sturgeon, Joanna Cherry, Joan McAlpine, Sian Berry, Edwina Davy, Kiera Starmer, … I see a connection … but not a Tory civil war.
In the US the same people who have lobbied for laws that ban so-called conversion therapy — which is psychological counseling done voluntarily to help gay people re-orient themselves to heterosexuality — are now promoting the “right” of grade-school teachers to counsel children about re-orienting their sexual identities.
We don’t need “guidelines.”
I say treat it like conversion therapy: outlaw it.
Ten years in prison for violators sounds about right
In the US the same people who have lobbied for laws that ban so-called conversion therapy — which is psychological counseling done voluntarily to help gay people re-orient themselves to heterosexuality — are now promoting the “right” of grade-school teachers to counsel children about re-orienting their sexual identities.
We don’t need “guidelines.”
I say treat it like conversion therapy: outlaw it.
Ten years in prison for violators sounds about right
The Attorney General is a fool who apparently knows nothing about the Equality Act or the Gender Recognition Act. Nothing in either demands that educators play pretend with their charges.
The Attorney General is a fool who apparently knows nothing about the Equality Act or the Gender Recognition Act. Nothing in either demands that educators play pretend with their charges.
When did the Tories cease to be conservatives?
When did the Tories cease to be conservatives?
I don’t want the state intervening in the relationship between children and parents. If they decide the child should socially transition, the state should not prevent it. Medical intervention is a completely different issue if it’s paid for with tax dollars.
In some provinces in Canada, kids are socially transitioning without the permission of parents, without parents even being told. This is unacceptable as well – a different side of the same coin.
But socially transitioning kids in school is demanding that everyone else involved tells lies….. teachers, kids, everyone!! A big no to gaslighting!!!
No it doesn’t. Teachers should follow the wishes of parents of course, but students shouldn’t be forced to use someone’s preferred pronouns etc…
No it doesn’t. Teachers should follow the wishes of parents of course, but students shouldn’t be forced to use someone’s preferred pronouns etc…
But socially transitioning kids in school is demanding that everyone else involved tells lies….. teachers, kids, everyone!! A big no to gaslighting!!!
I don’t want the state intervening in the relationship between children and parents. If they decide the child should socially transition, the state should not prevent it. Medical intervention is a completely different issue if it’s paid for with tax dollars.
In some provinces in Canada, kids are socially transitioning without the permission of parents, without parents even being told. This is unacceptable as well – a different side of the same coin.
Based on the progressive attitudes of a majority of young women it’s obvious that eventually the discourse will be dominated by trans-women and their supporters. They will continue to chip away at the protectionist measures that are currently being erected in the hope of restricting participation to the so-called “pure females.” Older women will continue to fight for what they see as their historical female privileges that date from the days of chivalry but they will eventually by outnumbered by a new generation with very different views. Change is inevitable. The old will pass away and the young will shape their own future.
Based on the progressive attitudes of a majority of young women it’s obvious that eventually the discourse will be dominated by trans-women and their supporters. They will continue to chip away at the protectionist measures that are currently being erected in the hope of restricting participation to the so-called “pure females.” Older women will continue to fight for what they see as their historical female privileges that date from the days of chivalry but they will eventually by outnumbered by a new generation with very different views. Change is inevitable. The old will pass away and the young will shape their own future.