The couple claim they were told children who expressed surprised or confusion over a trans student would be deemed transphobic
Two parents who are suing the UK government over guidelines on transgender issues at their sons’ school have told RT that their children are trapped in a “culture war.”
British Christians Nigel and Sally Row previously told The Times that their two sons were left confused over ‘gender-fluid’ classmates.
After raising the issue with the Isle of Wight school, the Rows received a response saying a child would be dubbed ‘transphobic’ if he showed surprise or frustration over a friend’s unusual appearance. As a result, the couple chose to transfer both their sons to homeschooling and to launch legal action against the government.
In an interview with RT, the Rows said that a 500-page report, submitted by them to the court, contains “great warnings” from various specialists, including endocrinologists and psychologists. These explain in detail “what would happen if we continue to do this sort of thing in schools.”
The scandal, which has made headlines in the UK, shocked the tight-knitted school community. Speaking to The Times, Nigel described the “hostile” atmosphere his family has had to deal with.
However, in his conversation with RT, he mentioned that publicity has brought them unexpected allies from within the LGBTQ community. He referred to an email he was “really touched” with, from a lady who told him that she was a lesbian but supported their stance.
“I don’t want to see this kind of [trans]ideology being pushed on children,” her message said, as quoted by Row.
He said such messages prove that “people are beginning to understand what this really is all about – it’s basically a culture war.”
The parents expressed hope that the legal action would be a success and would contribute to the development of clear guidelines for schools on how to support all pupils, without enforcing any ideology.
The interview with the Rows came as the UK government categorically declined the idea of replacing ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’ in the country’s schools with the gender-neutral term ‘Teacher’. Calling the measure – which was proposed by the Educate and Celebrate charity – “inappropriate and completely unnecessary,” a Department of Education spokesperson, quoted by the media, said that “it should not be happening in our classrooms.”
A recent refusal by more than two dozen private girls’ schools in England to admit transgender students dealt another blow to trans activists – but the problem of how to handle trans issues in schools remains unresolved.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which represents headteachers, has issued a call to the government to urgently clarify the measures the schools should take amid a growing number of transgender ‘coming-outs’.
