A teacher has come under fire for telling a 13-year-old girl to move schools after she challenged the notion that her classmate could identify as a cat.
Following a Year 8 lesson on “life education” at Rye College, two friends secretly recorded the reprimand they received for upholding the reality of biological sex during class.
After asking why their view couldn’t be respected, the teacher can be heard calling it “really despicable”, responsible for “homophobia”, and saying if they don’t agree they “need to go to a different school”.
‘Bullied’
The girls refused to back down, saying that most people believe in the reality of two sexes but they “just don’t say it because then all this happens”.
“There’s only a boy and a girl, there’s no other private part”, if “you have a vagina you’re a girl, if you have a penis you’re a boy”.
The mother of one of the girls told MailOnline: “I’m so proud of my daughter, she will always stand up for what she believes is right and this is all that she did. She expressed a view that many, many of her classmates and their parents would share yet she was shouted down and bullied by someone in authority.
she was shouted down and bullied by someone in authority
“For that teacher to tell her to leave and go to another school if she didn’t like what she was being told made my blood boil. What kind of welcome is that for a 13-year-old girl.”
‘Disturbing’
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel stated: “This left-wing indoctrination of our young people is disturbing and must be stamped out of our schools. The government must put the rights of parents first.”
Miriam Cates MP highlighted the damage social transition is causing to children, saying: “Few parents will say no because children have been groomed to threaten suicide, few headteachers will say no because of pressure from activists. And few children will refuse to use preferred pronouns if adults are complicit in the transition, because they are children.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman added: “It’s clearly ridiculous if you’re in a situation where children are not being recognised as children. I think it’s fairly obvious what the right approach should be in this case.”
In response to the criticism, a Rye College spokesman said: “We will be reviewing our processes and working with the relevant individuals to ensure such events do not take place in the future.”
Ofsted
Following the incident, Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch has written to Oftsed requesting a “snap inspection” of Rye College.
She explained that by teaching there are “‘lots of genders’ or that ‘gender is not linked to the parts that you were born with’ – beliefs which are both politically controversial and have no scientific basis – it appears to me that the teacher was in breach of the political impartiality requirements set out in Articles 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996”.
Mrs Badenoch highlighted that Ofsted has previously conduted snap inspections over “safeguarding, equality and bullying” concerns.
‘Catself’
According to The Daily Telegraph, children in other schools in England and Wales identify as a dinosaur, horse and a moon who can curse people. One secondary school pupil in Wales told the paper of a Year 11 student who identifies as ‘catself’.
She explained: “When they answer questions, they meow rather than answer a question in English. And the teachers are not allowed to get annoyed about this because it’s seen as discriminating.”
“It’s affecting other people and their education and everybody in their lessons. It’s distracting to sit in a lesson and have someone meow to a teacher rather than answer in English, especially at secondary school age.”
Last month, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the Government’s upcoming transgender guidance for schools will recommend that schools inform parents if their child claims to be the opposite sex.
Activist tells school headteachers ‘trans is a gift’
Education Secretary: ‘Teachers should not hide kids’ gender-confusion from parents’