After the health system a few weeks ago, it is now the education system which is going backwards on the gender issue in the United Kingdom. In a press release published Thursday on the official government website, the Ministry of Education hopes that the concept of gender identity will no longer be taught in colleges, and that sex education courses will no longer be taught to students. under nine years old. At the origin of these measures, a half-hearted explanation from the government which says it wants to “protect children from inappropriate teaching on sensitive subjects”.
If “Relationships, sexuality and health education” in primary schools, compulsory since 2020 in the United Kingdom, were to address the basics of family relationships, friendships, physical health, body parts and puberty, there have been several reports of “disturbing” and “inappropriate” elements during these classes. The Ministry of Education therefore announced a right of access for parents to the resources used in these courses, as well as the introduction of new age limits so that children are not introduced to content ” that they may not have the maturity to understand. These courses will only be taught from the age of nine, and from a “purely scientific” point of view. As for more “explicit” subjects linked for example to contraception, they will be taught from the age of 13.
These government proposals, announced a few months before the legislative elections, must be subject to consultation before coming into force.
On the question of gender identity, the government’s position does not fail to contrast with the path taken by the United Kingdom in recent years on the subject. “In light of the Cass Review,” the government document explains, “it is important that schools take a careful approach to teaching this sensitive subject, and do not present contested views as fact. including the view that gender is a spectrum.
Continuing in this direction, the ministry finally announced that gender theory should no longer be taught in primary school, and that it would be approached in middle school from a biological perspective. “In secondary education, students will learn about characteristics such as sexual orientation and gender reassignment, but schools should not teach the concept of gender identity.”
Also read “Transidentity of minors: gender confusion”
If the nuance between sex change and gender identity remains unclear, the Minister of Education Gillian Keegan explained on May 15 on BBC Radio 4 that she had seen “documents where gender identity is discussed as of a spectrum, due to the fact that there are many different genders, trying to get children to answer questionnaires about what is a different gender identity and what is not, and ignoring the biological sex… Many of these elements have raised concerns.
In an article in the British daily The Sun published on May 15, she also asserts that “teachers are there to teach students facts, not to push the agendas of activist groups.” And added: “Never again will we teach young girls that they would perhaps be happier as boys.” In short, the United Kingdom seems to want to educate middle school students about the existence of socio-medical gender transitions in adulthood, without falling into promoting a controversial ideology.
It also affirms its desire to place the protection of children at the heart of its directives and to “enshrine the right of parents to know what their children are being taught”, in the words of Gillian Keegan. A commitment confirmed by Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister, who recalls that by sending their children to school, “parents are rightly convinced that they are safe and are not exposed to disturbing content which are not appropriate for their age.