Women Speak Tasmania (WST) has uncovered concerning information regarding the content of teacher training programs delivered in Tasmanian schools. These programs, provided by the Department for Education, Children and Young People in collaboration with the political lobby group Working It Out, raise significant concerns about the rights and safety of women and girls in educational settings.
Through leaked documents, WST has reviewed slides from the teacher training sessions. Key issues identified include:
Promotion of Social Transitioning: The training encourages teachers to support the social transition of children experiencing gender dysphoria. This includes discussions on practices like breast binding and awareness of potential health impacts associated with such actions.
Gender-Neutral Facilities: The materials advocate for gender-neutral change rooms without considering the safety and privacy concerns of young girls, who may be more vulnerable to harassment and assault in such settings.
Compulsory Language Use: Teachers are urged to adopt specific language dictated by students and political lobby groups, potentially conflicting with scientific facts and biological realities. For instance, referring to women as “people with a uterus” is promoted, which may be distressing and dehumanizing.
Surgical Interventions: The training materials suggest that teachers should normalize discussions around irreversible surgical procedures for minors, such as genital surgeries for transgender or intersex students, without addressing the long-term health risks involved.
Chest Binding: Training material is not only misleading but factually incorrect. There are no long term systematic studies on the effects of breast binding on the reduction of gender dysphoria, what we have is an array of complications caused by binding.
Impact on Women and Girls
The implementation of these training programs poses several risks:
- Erosion of Sex-Based Rights: The push for gender-neutral facilities and the promotion of gender identity over biological sex threaten the rights of women and girls to have safe, single-sex spaces.
- Informed Consent Issues: Encouraging discussions about medical procedures and social transitioning without parental consent undermines the autonomy of families and the informed consent process.
- Psychological and Physical Harm: The endorsement of practices like breast binding, without acknowledging potential health risks, can lead to physical harm and psychological distress among young girls.
Correspondence to Jo Palmer
WST wrote to the Minister for Education, Jo Palmer, asking her to immediately terminate the teacher training program delivered by the political lobby group Working It Out. The content of these sessions not only oversteps educational boundaries but also compromises the safety and rights of women and girls in Tasmania.
We call for:
- Implementation of safeguards to protect the rights and safety of women and girls in all educational settings.
- Immediate cessation of all training programs promoting gender ideology in schools.
- Reevaluation of policies that allow political lobby groups to influence educational content.
References:
Time to First Onset of Chest Binding-Related Symptoms in Transgender Youth https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33542145
Chest Binding and Care Seeking Among Transmasculine Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6298447