Primary age is too young for discussing transgender issue

APPARENTLY, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in favour of a proposal to introduce the teaching of transgender issues to primary school children. He said the purpose of education is to prepare children for life and to teach them about the world.

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman also believes transgender education should be part of the primary cycle, to promote a greater understanding of the diversity in modern Irish society.

In their opinion, trans people have always existed so it makes sense for schools to just inform children about the world around them and they should be taught what it means to be transgender.

They are supported by BeLonG To, an organisation representing LGBT young people.

I must admit, I had never heard of BeLonG To until I read a piece recently, in which the chief executive of that organisation, Moninne Griffith, said children as young as six and seven can know that they are LGBT, and educating children about trans issues could help trans children “feel safe and included in their school”.

“We know from research that 12 is the most common age for a young person to know they are LGBT, but I know from talking to teachers and parents all over the country that there are young people, as young as six and seven, who know they are LGBT,” she said.

Hang on there now for a second while I catch my breath, I’m starting to get palpitations.

I’m not normally argumentative and I don’t consider myself to be a militant person. I don’t join demonstrations or protest marches, but that might be about to change.

I am completely against the notion of introducing transgender issues to primary school kids. I feel so strongly about this that I am tempted to leave my recliner and go stand at the school gates with a placard on my shoulder.

I have raised two children and I have three grandchildren, so I have some experience of dealing with kids. Anyone who has dealt with smallies knows that at primary school age they are innocent. They believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, and that’s how it should be.

They love bedtime stories, hugs and cuddles, their toys, their warm beds, comfort blankets, and their teddies.

How are they supposed to get their heads around transgender-speak when it is such a complicated topic. Many of us adults struggle with it, never mind the kids.

I’m not the only one who thinks this is a daft idea. There has been considerable backlash from the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA). They believe a more prudent and sensible policy is to teach children to respect every human being and to allow children to be children.

Many parents and teachers have also spoken out and taken to social media to voice their concerns, and I’m glad about that. I’m happy it’s not just me.

Having just hit the age of 65 recently, I was afraid that maybe it was only the older generation like me who had difficulty with trying to cope with the pace of change, but it seems not.

I have discussed this with many of my friends too, and as far as I can see most of us are struggling, particularly when it comes to the new non-binary language and the use of pronouns.

For example, I came across this on the internet recently, “Fae/faer pronouns are neopronouns first invented by a demi-girl for demi-girls to use. Fae/faer pronouns are sometimes called offensive, though these pronouns are not intended to be offensive, and if you don’t feel comfortable using them for cultural reasons, just ask the person if fae would be okay with you using they/them for faer. Never ask anyone to change their personal pronouns for your benefit.”

I couldn’t make head nor tail of this so, to get a better understanding, I looked for some expert guidance.

I turned to Health, a publication that was founded in 1981 to provide health and wellness information. It reaches more than 120 million people annually with accurate, empathetic, and actionable health information, so it seemed like an appropriate source. The magazine states that, for the most part, that people typically fall into two categories: male or female, and that idea is known as a gender binary.

But not everyone fits so perfectly into the man-or-woman categories and that’s where the term ‘non-binary’ comes into play.

The Human Rights Campaign defined non-binary as “an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman”.

The campaign additionally said that, while some non-binary people also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people identify that way.

While non-binary is a specific gender identity, it’s also often used as an umbrella term for others who don’t identify with being a man, a woman, or another gender.

Most people who are non-binary prefer the pronoun ‘they’, but it never hurts to ask someone how they wish to be identified, because there are a number of pronouns that can be used:

She, her, hers, and herself

He, him, his, and himself

They, them, their, theirs, and themself

Ze/zie, hir, hir, hirs, and hirself

Xe, xem, xyr, xyrs, and xemself

Ve, ver, vis, vis, and verself

Now, honestly speaking, I would never set out to be intentionally disrespectful to anyone, so apologies in advance if I should ever use the incorrect pronoun, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen because I can’t get the hang of this language. You’ll just have to make allowances for the fact that I’m old and can’t keep up.

But, rest assured, if there is any attempt to introduce this subject matter to my grandchildren in primary school, you’ll find me on the picket line.

APPARENTLY, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in favour of a proposal to introduce the teaching of transgender issues to primary school children. He said the purpose of education is to prepare children for life and to teach them about the world.

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman also believes transgender education should be part of the primary cycle, to promote a greater understanding of the diversity in modern Irish society.

In their opinion, trans people have always existed so it makes sense for schools to just inform children about the world around them and they should be taught what it means to be transgender.

They are supported by BeLonG To, an organisation representing LGBT young people.

I must admit, I had never heard of BeLonG To until I read a piece recently, in which the chief executive of that organisation, Moninne Griffith, said children as young as six and seven can know that they are LGBT, and educating children about trans issues could help trans children “feel safe and included in their school”.

“We know from research that 12 is the most common age for a young person to know they are LGBT, but I know from talking to teachers and parents all over the country that there are young people, as young as six and seven, who know they are LGBT,” she said.

Hang on there now for a second while I catch my breath, I’m starting to get palpitations.

I’m not normally argumentative and I don’t consider myself to be a militant person. I don’t join demonstrations or protest marches, but that might be about to change.

I am completely against the notion of introducing transgender issues to primary school kids. I feel so strongly about this that I am tempted to leave my recliner and go stand at the school gates with a placard on my shoulder.

I have raised two children and I have three grandchildren, so I have some experience of dealing with kids. Anyone who has dealt with smallies knows that at primary school age they are innocent. They believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, and that’s how it should be.

They love bedtime stories, hugs and cuddles, their toys, their warm beds, comfort blankets, and their teddies.

How are they supposed to get their heads around transgender-speak when it is such a complicated topic. Many of us adults struggle with it, never mind the kids.

I’m not the only one who thinks this is a daft idea. There has been considerable backlash from the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA). They believe a more prudent and sensible policy is to teach children to respect every human being and to allow children to be children.

Many parents and teachers have also spoken out and taken to social media to voice their concerns, and I’m glad about that. I’m happy it’s not just me.

Having just hit the age of 65 recently, I was afraid that maybe it was only the older generation like me who had difficulty with trying to cope with the pace of change, but it seems not.

I have discussed this with many of my friends too, and as far as I can see most of us are struggling, particularly when it comes to the new non-binary language and the use of pronouns.

For example, I came across this on the internet recently, “Fae/faer pronouns are neopronouns first invented by a demi-girl for demi-girls to use. Fae/faer pronouns are sometimes called offensive, though these pronouns are not intended to be offensive, and if you don’t feel comfortable using them for cultural reasons, just ask the person if fae would be okay with you using they/them for faer. Never ask anyone to change their personal pronouns for your benefit.”

I couldn’t make head nor tail of this so, to get a better understanding, I looked for some expert guidance.

I turned to Health, a publication that was founded in 1981 to provide health and wellness information. It reaches more than 120 million people annually with accurate, empathetic, and actionable health information, so it seemed like an appropriate source. The magazine states that, for the most part, that people typically fall into two categories: male or female, and that idea is known as a gender binary.

But not everyone fits so perfectly into the man-or-woman categories and that’s where the term ‘non-binary’ comes into play.

The Human Rights Campaign defined non-binary as “an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman”.

The campaign additionally said that, while some non-binary people also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people identify that way.

While non-binary is a specific gender identity, it’s also often used as an umbrella term for others who don’t identify with being a man, a woman, or another gender.

Most people who are non-binary prefer the pronoun ‘they’, but it never hurts to ask someone how they wish to be identified, because there are a number of pronouns that can be used:

She, her, hers, and herself

He, him, his, and himself

They, them, their, theirs, and themself

Ze/zie, hir, hir, hirs, and hirself

Xe, xem, xyr, xyrs, and xemself

Ve, ver, vis, vis, and verself

Now, honestly speaking, I would never set out to be intentionally disrespectful to anyone, so apologies in advance if I should ever use the incorrect pronoun, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen because I can’t get the hang of this language. You’ll just have to make allowances for the fact that I’m old and can’t keep up.

But, rest assured, if there is any attempt to introduce this subject matter to my grandchildren in primary school, you’ll find me on the picket line.