Parental rights ignored by schools socially transitioning children

Hundreds of parents have been kept in the dark as schools use different names and pronouns for their children.

Bayswater Support Group has been contacted by more than 850 parents, many of them complaining that schools are helping to socially transition their children without their knowledge.

It was founded three years ago to support parents with gender-confused children. A spokeswoman said: “Parents tell us that when they try to engage constructively with schools, it is often implied that they are a risk to their own children.”

Parental rights

One mother told the Daily Mail that she only found out through a friend that her then 14-year-old daughter’s school was referring to her as a boy.

A private clinical psychologist confirmed that the girl might be autistic. He advised the family to “watch and wait” but not to affirm her gender confusion.

The parents informed the school, but claim it told them they “had no say” in how she wanted to be referred to and the school would continue to affirm her ‘gender identity’.

The school later reported them to social services, arguing that their child was at the “threshold for child protection”.

‘Behind my back’

Another mother came across a note from her daughter’s teacher addressing her as a boy.

The school said it has “socially transitioned” her daughter in line with its Equality, Inclusion and Diversity policy.

The distraught mother said: “I knew social transition could harm her mental health. She is on the autistic spectrum and has suffered with anxiety and depression.

“Changing her identity to one thing at school and being something else at home could make things even more difficult for her. I couldn’t believe the school had done this behind my back.”

Affirming confusion

[schools] have no business in socially transitioning children

Safe Schools Alliance’s Tanya Carter said such examples were rising “with schools acting as if they have the right to strip parents of parental responsibility but they don’t”.

Stephanie Davies-Arai of Transgender Trend said: “We need the DfE to be really clear in its guidance and tell schools that they have no business in socially transitioning children”.

She added that “for years, local authorities across the UK have been promoting guidance from lobbying groups such as Stonewall — which presents social affirmation as the only legitimate response to a child who says they are trans”.

A spokesman for the DfE said: “The Department for Education is working towards providing guidance to support schools in relation to these issues, and we plan to consult on a draft before final publication this year.”