Children as young as four are receiving lessons from transgender campaigners – including a man who revealed to primary school classes that he is a ‘trans man’ and was ‘assigned female’ at birth.
Thousands of pupils have had the controversial classes, in which they are encouraged to explore their ‘gender identities’ and are questioned on what being a transsexual means, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Up to 20 primary schools a year pay for the classes, given by campaigners’ organisation Gendered Intelligence. Parents’ groups have reacted with concern that pupils may be ‘frightened’ by the workshops, while experts warned the lessons may confuse young children.
What is a “campaigner’s organisation” (aka “trans activist group”) doing in UK schools?
A look through its extensive website and blog makes it clear that Gendered Intelligence has been embedded with, and partially funded via, the National Health Service, the London Museum, UK lottery funds, and the pharmaceutical company Burroughs-Wellcome for many years. In fact, young people affiliated with Gendered Intelligence literally wrote the book used by the NHS to indoctrinate teachers, kids, and providers about “trans kids.” (See page 3).
Why is the Daily Mail only “revealing” this now, 7 years after the group’s inception? Better late than never, I guess.
Gendered Intelligence has confirmed it teaches pupils of all ages in primary schools, from reception class – where children are aged four and five – up to Year Six, where pupils are aged ten and 11. The workshops cost an undisclosed sum and have been available since 2008.
The Mail on Sunday has seen footage of Gendered Intelligence conducting workshops with primary classes, in a video available for teachers to hire at the cost of £20.
Gendered Intelligence’s founder Jay Stewart, who is giving the class, asks the pupils if they think ‘life will be hard at school if you’re a boy at school who likes doing “girlish things”?’
Mr Stewart then asks the class what they think the word ‘transgender’ means and he follows this by revealing he is a ‘trans man’. He says: ‘When I was assigned at birth, I was assigned female when I was born. So I am transgendered. So have you got any questions for me?’
Let’s see. If I’m a 4-year-old girl, but I’m jealous of my boy classmates, or I like to play with trucks and wear my hair short, maybe I can actually turn into a boy, just like this important, authoritative adult I’m seeing in this film did!
At the second school featured in the film, Westerhope Primary, also in Newcastle, Mr Stewart again tells the pupils that he is transgender – despite teachers asking him beforehand not to do so.
Wow, are those teachers just horrible transphobes? Or do they maybe understand that little kids tend to look up to and EMULATE adults, especially ones they see on a cool video?
Have no fear, though. The Mail reporter tells us the transphobic teacher relented (caved?) and decided it was “right” that Stewart revealed his identity. But at least one psychotherapist, Dilys Daws said:
‘What can get confused is that children who just happen to be unhappy at the moment actually fixing on this being about their gender, when it might be to do with the relationship with a parent.’
What is Ms. Daws driving at here? Could a kid decide they are trans for reasons not necessarily to do with some innate gender?
Margaret Morrissey, of pressure group Parents Outloud, said four and five-year-olds were ‘far, far too young’ to receive the lessons. She added: ‘We’re in danger of frightening children and making them feel they ought to feel like this.’
Interesting. Parents Outloud is a “pressure” group, while Gendered Intelligence is…an activist a (no pressure!) “campaign” group.
Mr Stewart said: ‘It’s so important to be teaching children in schools that they can be anything that they want regardless of the gender that they have been given at birth.
It’s so important to tell little 4-year-old children that they can be or have anything they WANT. Because kindergartners don’t ever engage in magical thinking. Little kids don’t ever confuse fantasy with reality.
Gendered Intelligence are very serious about their work. In a blog post this past July, members laid out their vision of the future indoctrination education of all students in the UK schools:
Compulsory introduction of information concerning trans identities and issues into PSHE would give trans* young people the language to talk about and understand their gender identity, as well as reducing the amount of transphobia stemming from ignorance. It is also important to include trans people and the discussion of the issues they face in other areas of the curriculum, for example studying the work of trans writers and artists, or influence figures such as the actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, this provides role models for all students.
What’s next? Uniformed Thought Police patrolling and monitoring classrooms?
Strict policies should be in place for challenging transphobia, as there are with other types of prejudice and discrimination, this includes deliberate misgendering. Once students have been educated on what transphobic actions are and why they are harmful, as well as the appropriate way to discuss trans issues, a zero tolerance policy should be adopted. If both students and staff are encouraged to consistently challenge transphobic actions, it will soon become clear that transphobia is not tolerated, creating a safer environment for trans young people.
In addition to providing posters for schools (only one pound!) like the one pictured above, with helpful pink-in-dress, blue-in-pants stereotyped stick figures, the folks at Gendered Intelligence are busy with many other projects. They run the “whatmakesyourgender” blog with a number of important initiatives, such as helping kids realize they are just fine as they are might very well need packers, pills, padding, or makeup to express their gender identity.
We each use many objects in order to manipulate our bodies and express our gender identity. Gender can be thought of in terms of ‘boy’ and ‘girl’, but also in terms of ‘boyishness’ and ‘girlishness’. Sometimes we call this ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’.
Not only do they educate the ignorant on the science of “gender” and what it means to be “boyish” or “girlish.” They are also involved in the arts, some of it generously funded by the grant-making arm of pharmaceutical giant Burroughs-Wellcome (see Excel spreadsheet, with 30K British pounds to “Drawing Gender, Drawing Sex, Drawing Bodies” earmarked for Jay Stewart.) Odd. Why would a pharmaceutical company have an interest in funding a drawing project run by trans activists? No conflict of interest there.
And there’s much, much more than a slick website, school programs, youth (ages 11-25) support groups, and summer camps. The Wellcome [as in, you know, the pharmaceutical company–Burroughs-Wellcome] Collection features a comic exhibit by the Transvengers, a group of 13-19 year old Gendered Intelligence members. Comics! A sure way to appeal to today’s anime-obsessed youth. And like most of the Orwellian propaganda helpful information distributed by trans youth organizations, these comics turn common sense on its head. They sound like they are about breaking the gender mold, but then….if you’re not into gender roles and stereotypes, how come you need to “transition” to the other sex?
Seems there is no end to the money available to fund activities the staff of 12 has been working on all these years. And the busiest one of all must be director and Gendered Intelligence co-founder Dr. Jay Stewart, who, besides being the star of the preschool video presentations that help children question themselves and reject their own bodies discover their true gender identity,
carries out and oversees the main activities that take place across the organisation. Recently Jay has led on the projects: ‘What makes your gender? Hacking into the Science Museum’ – a £10,000 project funded by Heritage Lottery Fund with the Science Museum, London – and ‘GI’s Anatomy: a life drawing project for trans and intersex people’ – a £30,000 project funded by the Welcome Trust carried out in collaboration with Central School of Speech & Drama, London Drawing and the Gender Identity Development Service, Tavistock Clinic, NHS Trust. Jay also delivers much of the youth group sessions and is a mentor.
A mentor. That sounds benign. Kind of like Big Brothers/Big Sisters? Except we are talking about a “mentor” who was born female but now has a beard and the other accouterments of medical transition. If you’re a little girl “assigned female at birth” and you really don’t like those itchy girl clothes and feel like the boys are having all the fun, Jay tells you “that you can be anything you want regardless of the gender you were given at birth.“ How exciting is that?
The UK organization Schools Improvement is asking for feedback on the role of Gendered Intelligence in the UK schools. (See bottom of linked page.) Have an opinion? Let them know, especially if you’re a UK resident.