[Re: Guidelines are evidence-based, Times, March 6], the problem with RSE [relationships and sexuality guidelines] and pronoun policies are that they teach ideology as fact:
- that biological sex is assigned/changeable;
- that disagreement is hateful/transphobic;
- that gender distress requires affirmation (social transition, blockers, hormones, organ removal).
Gender ideology is known to harm children. Gay allies are among some of its strongest opponents. UK MP Kemi Badenoch says, “young gay children are being told that they are trans and being put on a medical pathway for irreversible decisions, and they are regretting it. … I am making sure that they do not find themselves being sterilised because they are being exploited”.
WPATH’s [World Professional Association for Transgender Health] arm, PATHA, is New Zealand’s authority on gender care. Internal leaked videos have exposed WPATH doctors acknowledging that hormonal treatments cause cancer, that kids don’t understand treatment implications and there are no controls to compare their experimentation.
“Eunuch” (self-castrating male) is a legitimate gender identity (Standards of Care 8). Regret of patients from treatment is considered part of their gender “journey”.
Schools should be respectful places where bullying is not tolerated. Parents have diverse views, and the right to determine their child’s beliefs (Care of Children Act).
Teachers must respect the diversity of all learners (Code of Responsibility).
However, panic about bullying does not justify policy that guides children into permanent decisions they may regret.
It is also a failure of child safeguarding to use indoctrination and false accusations of transphobia, to guide young children into pseudoscientific treatments and harm.
Katherine Chua, Mellons Bay School parent
