by Emma Shaw
Tasmanian DECYP is the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People
Release 14 June 2024
Analysis of DECYP Respectful Relationships and Consent in the Early Years
This document does contain some good and useful information for teachers however a careful reading of it and a look at some of the various links contained in this document show that it is underpinned by gender ideology. It is written with the belief that this ideology has been accepted by society and is not controversial.
Here are some examples of the bias of this document
P. 22 In this section it is stated that everyday interactions provide consistent opportunities to reinforce and develop every child’s sense of self. ‘Gender is a way to describe someone’s identity. It is not the same thing as their biological sex. People can feel they are male, female, both or neither.’ Teachers are adjured to ‘affirm children’s unconventional choices – our job is to support all children in their decisions.’ Here again we see the dominance of gender ideology. Teachers are expected to deny the scientific fact that there are two biological sexes and to lead children down a path that would be unlikely to be agreed with by the majority of Tasmanians who would have no idea that this is being taught to children in our schools.
P. 29 The main text is about accepting differences in others. It explores the idea that children may have absorbed gender stereotypes such as boys can’t have long hair or girls can’t like trucks and gives teachers strategies to help children understand that you can ‘like whatever you want- it’s important that we can do the things that make us happy.’
It states that 3 year olds explore different roles and expressions with play
and dress-ups and that is normal.
Breaking away from gender stereotypes and fostering un-gendered play is what Women Speak Tasmania and women’s groups generally support so we have no issue there. However, the first reference given on this page leads to an information sheet from the Australian Psychological Society ‘ entitled ‘Transgender and gender diverse children’ This document contains advice to follow the affirmation-only model.
It contains the definition of a transgender child as a ‘child who was assigned male at birth but is female, or a child who was assigned female but is male.’ It gives no explanation of how we can know that a male child is female or vice versa. This document says parents can support their transgender or gender diverse child by affirming the child’s expressed gender. “It is essential to their child’s well-being that parents, caregivers and families support the child and affirm the child’s gender. This entails supporting the child’s gender expression in the form of dress and activities and using the names and pronouns that the child expresses rather than those assigned at birth.
It goes on to say ‘Some children know as young as three years old and
others may only realize when they are teenagers.’
This is of great concern to us. The Cass Report has thrown light on how inadequate this model is. Australian psychologists such as Diana Kenny
and Jillian Spencer are not in agreement with this model yet it is referenced as though it is a statement of fact.
P. 55 This section is entitled ‘who has what?’
We are told ‘Boy, girl, man, and woman are words that describe gender identity, and some people with the gender identities ‘boy’ or ‘man’ have vulvas, and some with the gender identity ‘girl’ or ‘woman’ have penises/testicles. Your genitals don’t make you a boy or a girl.’ Again, teachers are expected to deny science and teach children an ideology that has no basis in reality.
Also, in this section there is a footnote which contains a link to the American organization Planned Parenthood. This organization originally worked in women’s health but has embraced gender ideology and now supplies hormones and advice on gender surgeries. It is currently being sued by numerous detransitioners for advising minors to transition and failing to give proper counselling.
P. 57 Here we note this proposed answer if a child asks where babies come from. A basic answer like, ‘babies grow inside a special place next to the tummy, and then come out of the vagina,’ might be enough information. Notice that no mention is made of Mummy or a woman being the person with a vagina. This is avoided to cater to the contingency that the mother of the child is a trans man who is not to be described using female words.
Emma Shaw
Click the link below to access the full Guideline