CELEBRATING QUEER CULTURE

Our response to the Government Draft Guidance for Schools

Transgender Equality flag in blue, pink white on mint background

This is our response to the non-statutory draft guidance for schools & colleges in England and Wales regarding gender-questioning children and young people that was released on 19 December 2023 with a consultation open until 12 March 2024.

We sent our own response as an organisation to that consultation back in March and are sharing our response publicly now to record our opposition to it in its entirety. 

Andro and Eve have been working with the LGBTQ+ community for the last eight years, with LGBTQ+ young people the last 3 years, and we know first hand the impact on trans and gender expansive people when their right to exist is called into question. We are also leading facilitators of Gender Awareness Training, delivering our training to organisations throughout the UK since 2021. Our training enables teams to better serve and meet the needs of clients and customers of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella. It is continually developed in response to the latest research and is grounded in lived experience and informed by sector best practice principles.

Every child and young person should be safe and respected in school or college and their best interests met in an environment that celebrates learning, inclusivity and diversity. The UK government’s draft guidance for schools in England does not respect or serve the interests of trans and gender-expansive children and young people and is at odds with existing children’s rights and equalities legislation in the UK, including both the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998. The Equality Act and the protected characteristic of gender reassignment applies at any age. 

This guidance harmfully promotes and justifies the active exclusion of trans and gender-expansive children and young people, rather than seeking to support a cohort of young people whom we know already experience elevated risks of harm and bullying in educational settings. (Estyn, 2020, Hudson-Sharp & Metcalf, 2016, Jadva et al, 2023). 

Evidence indicates that 64% of trans young people had been bullied at school (Stonewall, 2017) and there has been an 186% increase in reported transphobic hate crimes in the last 5 years (ONS, 2023). While guidance asserts that bullying should never be tolerated in our schools and colleges, there is a concerning lack of measures to protect, include or advocate for trans and gender-expansive children and young people.

Teachers are often a vital resource for trans children and young people who do not feel safe at home. This guidance not only risks damaging the relationship between young people and teachers by creating additional barriers to disclosure or help-seeking, but could also mean trans and gender-expansive children and young people no longer feel safe at school or college. The risk of harm posed to young people if their parents are informed without their consent is deemed ‘exceptionally rare’ in the guidance. This does not cohere with findings from recent studies which document the lived experiences of trans young people (Just Like Us, 2023, McDermott et al., 2017), including research conducted by this government (Government Equalities Office, 2018).

That children and young people are questioning their gender identity is framed in this guidance as a product of ‘gender ideology’. This language departs from that which is used elsewhere in dominant UK political discourse and legislation, the UK Census, and the NHS, and is unacceptably inflammatory.  

The guidance is written through an unduly narrow ideological lens and perpetuates false narratives concerning sex and gender that have no basis in evidence. This only serves to deepen divides and stigmatise trans children and young people further. Crucially, the guidance inflames what is already an incredibly dangerous ‘culture war’, as it calls into question trans children and young people’s right to exist. This does nothing to mitigate the elevated risks of harm faced by vulnerable transgender young people and goes against the statutory duties of schools to safeguard all young people. The lives of trans and gender-expansive children and young should never be up for debate. 

We join with many other LGBT+ organisations, youth organisations and schools in urging the government to reconsider the position taken in this guidance and instead to view this as a vital opportunity to implement clear guidance that creates genuine inclusivity and safety for all children and young people, including by listening to children and young people themselves.

References: 

Estyn, 2020, Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion: Good practice in supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) learners in schools and colleges

Hudson-Sharp, Nathan and Metcalf, Hilary, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (commissioned by the Governement’s Equalities Office), 2016, Inequality among lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender groups in the UK: a review of evidence. 

Jadva, J, Guasp, A, Bradlow, JH, Bower-Brown, S, Foley, S, 2023, Predictors of self-harm and suicide in LGBT youth: The role of gender, socio-economic status, bullying and school experience, Journal of Public Health, Volume 45, Issue 1, Pages 102–108.

Government Equalities Office, 2018, National LGBT Survey.

Just Like Us, 2023, Positive Futures: How supporting LGBT+ young people enables them to thrive in adulthood.

McDermott, Elizabeth, Hughes, Elizabeth, Rawlings, Victoria, 2018, The social determinants of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth suicidality in England: a mixed methods study, Journal of Public Health, Volume 40, Issue 3, pages e244–e251.

    Bookable Gender Awareness Training

    Gender Awareness Training

    We’re pleased to announce a new date for our Gender Awareness Training. Booking is now open for 15 March 10am – 1pm. This online session is aimed at freelancers, individuals and organisations where less than 6 people would like to undertake this training. 

    This 3 hour Gender Awareness Training session is designed to pass on knowledge and best practice enabling you to better serve and meet the needs of clients and customers of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella.

    We cover topics including, language, intersectionality, non binary identities, allyship gender in a global context, feminism, LGBTQ+ herstory and transgender health and equality and the law.

    Learning Outcomes – You will;

    • Feel more confident in your knowledge of the experiences of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+).
    • Understand what gender inclusive language is and when to use it. 
    • Learn about LGBTQ+ histories, rights and current legislation and understand what this might mean for trans and non-binary people living in the UK today. 
    • Explore practical steps to help build gender inclusive practices and spaces, including by being an ‘ally’ to trans, non-binary and gender minoritised people.

    As one past participant said;

    ‘This training was empowering and motivating, and I felt that the trainer created a really safe space for respectful and open discussion’.

    Each participant will take away a resource pack with content covered in the session along with further advice and reading. Places are limited, and priced on a sliding scale. Book via Eventbrite now!

    Access Information – We will take two breaks during this session and each participant receives information on session structure in advance. Closed Captions will be provided via zoom and the training is supported with slides with text and images. 

    GENDER AWARENESS TRAINING – BOOKING NOW!

    a pink square has turquoise squiggles and geometric shapes across it. At the top is Andro and Eve logo of inverted triangle in purple with white writing overlaid. In the centre of the image is the words Gender Awareness Training in purple text.

    New for 2022, we’re taking bookings for our Gender Awareness Training!

    On February 8th we’re delivering an online Gender Awareness Training aimed at freelancers, individuals and smaller organisations. You can book a place here.

    UPDATE – MARCH 2022 – Book a place on this session on Tue 5 April at 6pm here.

    This session is designed to pass on knowledge and best practice enabling your team to better serve and meet the needs of clients, customers and service users of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella.

    Drawing upon our extensive experience in meeting the needs of the LGBTQIA community in creating safe and inclusive events, this session covers;

    • Context. Where are we at with Trans Rights in the UK?
    • Terminology. Words have impact. We explore definitions and when to use.
    • Best practice. Looking at case studies and practical steps to implement, in order to be inclusive of transgender and gender diverse people.
    • Sharing experiences. Stories help us make sense of the world. We use practical exercises to help develop understanding.

    We cover topics including, language, intersectionality, non binary identities, gender in a global context, feminism, LGBTQ+ herstory and transgender health and equality and the law.

    In doing so you will;

    • Feel more confident in your knowledge of the experiences of people who identify as LGBTQ+.
    • Understand what gender inclusive language is and when to use.
    • Understand the practical steps to help build gender inclusive practices and spaces.
    • Take away your own resource sheet with content covered in the session along with further advice and resources.

    It was an informative, inspiring and thought provoking session with a friendly facilitator! Thanks!

    – Previous Training Participant

    This online training session is designed as 2.5 hour session which is inclusive of a 10 minute break. Places are limited in order to facilitate meaningful group discussions. We are offering places on a sliding scale depending on your individual or organisation’s income level.

    This training is delivered by Andro and Eve’s Artistic Director Finn Warman who has 12 years experience leading CPD sessions and training for education professionals, artists, and higher education students. Found out more about Finn here.

    If you have any questions about this session, please feel free to get in touch. Our Gender Awareness training is still available to book for organisations. Find out more about our bookable Gender Awareness Training here.

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