‘Transwashing’ the tradition of dressing young boys and girls in similar clothing has been dismissed as “absolute nonsense”.
The ‘LGBTQIA+ Object Trail’ at the Bowes Museum in County Durham claims that the historic custom of boys wearing dresses is evidence of ‘gender non-conformity’.
Visitors are also encouraged to look for “hidden butterflies” around the gallery trail; insects which the Bowes’ pro-trans working group promote as a reflection of the “innate authenticity” of gender-confused people.
Practicalities
The trail guide states: “It’s often assumed that gender binaries (the classification of gender into two opposing categories: male and female) have always been strictly enforced and that gender fluidity is a recent development.
“However, this is not entirely true. Throughout history, gender distinctions in children’s clothing were less rigid, especially in early childhood. Both boys and girls commonly wore dresses during infancy and toddlerhood for practical reasons.
“The transition from dresses to trousers, known as ‘breeching,’ marked an important cultural milestone for boys, typically occurring between ages four and seven, depending on family traditions.”
Gender ideology
A spokesman for the Bowes Museum said: “As part of our commitment to equity, we established an LGBTQIA+ community working group to explore the stories and emotions held within the collection through lived experience.”
“The group has selected and researched artworks reflecting LGBTQIA+ histories, co-producing a new trail that offers fresh perspectives for all visitors.”
But Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters, told The Daily Telegraph: “The idea that Victorian children were ‘gender fluid’ because of practicalities relating to clothing is absolute nonsense.”
“This is the latest example of the cultural sector desperately rewriting history to pretend that the fantasies of gender ideologues aren’t a modern invention.”
