RUTHFULLY YOURS

The rise of gender ideology in British schools has me fearing for my three young granddaughters. You might think that is excessive, but the trans takeover of British schools is no small matter. An unscientific belief system is now being pushed as fact, and our children are being bombarded with two ludicrous ideas – namely, that a person can change sex and that there are countless made-up genders to choose from.

Alarmingly, many teachers buy into this, or at least they toe the line with school diktats. This poses a serious problem for our children’s developing personalities. Trans ideology is exceedingly regressive and is based on old-fashioned attitudes about gender roles – that boys should wear blue and play with toy soldiers, and girls should wear pink and play with dolls. And, worryingly, if children don’t fit into these stereotypical moulds, it is assumed that something is wrong with them.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that little girls and boys have various interests and behaviours, many of which might be called ‘gender non-conforming’. We should celebrate these unique behaviours, rather than constricting children with a set of fantasy labels.

Placing new and confusing genders on kids who are just starting to figure out who they are is not helpful – especially when these labels are simply made up by activists. For instance, one gender group (which has helped inform Irish government legislation) claims that there are 58 genders to choose from. Another offers 72. Meanwhile one 2021 BBC programme, aimed at children aged between nine and 11, said there were over 100 genders. New genders are being invented all the time.

These made-up ‘gender identities’ tend to pander to childish, fanciful minds. After all, what young child, interested in science and outer space, wouldn’t enjoy calling themselves ‘astralgender’ and feeling somehow connected to the galaxy? And I imagine many children might identify with the so-called burstgender, when they experience sudden spikes of intense emotion and liveliness. It takes only a smidgen of common sense to realise that letting children’s personalities shine through is far more sensible than assigning them a new ‘gender’.

It should also go without saying that we shouldn’t want children to ever think that their personalities don’t match their bodies. This can lead kids down a horrendous pathway towards puberty blockers and surgeries, which will cause them permanent damage. Instead, we should want children to understand the basic facts of human biology and how these interact with their fledgling personalities.

While many adults rightly recognise the absurdity of this ideology, they make the mistake of believing that children won’t fall for it, either. They assume children are astute at recognising fact from fiction. However, one crucial thing I have learned from working in child and adolescent mental health is that young children generally absorb what they are told by adults about life – especially from adults in positions of authority.

Young children don’t critically think through what teachers tell them. They are often blank slates that teachers can write on. And if that ‘writing’ states that girls can be boys and vice versa, kids will sadly take that as truth.

Children simply don’t have the same levels of scepticism that most adults do. We rightly celebrate their innocence for this very reason. One interesting report found that once in school, children frequently believe what their teachers say over what a parent says. Because, usually rightly, we instruct our children to listen to their teachers.

Studies have also found that young children crave approval from adults like teachers. And they’ll conform to what a teacher asks to garner that approval. If their teacher instructs them to choose their gender from a colourful chart, they are likely to oblige. They want that teacher’s metaphorical pat on the head.

Traditionally, we’ve taught children that we are individuals with unique personalities that don’t need labelling. Psychologically, this is a much healthier attitude, especially as children have so much to contend with nowadays. The next generation has faced enormous challenges from regular changes to the syllabus, the effects of lockdown and stress in families due to the troubled economy. All of that is in addition to the normal confusion of childhood and adolescent friendships and relationships.

It should come as no surprise, then, that rates of anxiety and depression in children have skyrocketed in recent years. They simply don’t need to have additional burdens about ‘gender identity’ heaped on them.

I’d hate for any of my unique and precious granddaughters to be influenced by this pernicious ideology. And the fact is, no matter how hard parents try to counteract this at home, children are still at risk of being influenced at school. This talk of over 100 genders should have no place in the classroom.

Dr Pam Spurr is an award-winning radio presenter, sex-and-relationship adviser, author and life coach. Visit her website here and follow her on X: @drpamspurr.