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Kia ora [teacher] Regarding the health curriculum, we are happy for [child] to learn about puberty, gay, lesbian and bisexual sexualities, reproduction, menstruation, conception etc. We wish to opt [child] out of any discussion about gender identities. We consider gender theory (the idea that everyone has an inner feeling known as a gender identity and that this subjective feeling should be prioritised in law and policy over biological sex) unscientific, sexist and homophobic. For example the book " Jack (Not Jackie)" promotes the sexist idea that if you are a girl and you don't conform with sex stereotypes, then you must really be a boy. A better book (and one that was included in the Navigating the Journey materials and is probably in our school's collection) is " My Princess Boy" . This story is about a boy who doesn't conform with sex stereotypes (he likes pink and wearing dresses). His family accept his non-conformity and there is no suggestion that his gender non-conformity means he is any less a boy or that he has magically changed sex. We also think it is important for boys and young men to learn to respect females' boundaries, to understand that girls and women have the right to say no to males - however those males might identify - who might wish to access spaces reserved for females. Young girls should also be taught that they are allowed to set boundaries. It would also be healthy for boys to be taught to be more accommodating and accepting of males who don't conform with sex stereotypes. We also have concerns about the affirmation approach that underpins the school curriculum (affirming the cross-sex identity of children experiencing gender dysphoria by for example requiring others to use preferred pronouns). NZ's Ministry of Health is currrently conducting a review of evidence for treatment of gender dysphoria in children and it would be prudent for schools to be cautious about promoting any particular approach in the absence of a good evidence base. I mention this as your synopsis includes the discussion topic "Community actions to make everyone safe, comfortable, and included", and in my experience this has meant promoting use of opposite sex pronouns (or neo pronouns) or using opposite sex bathrooms/changing rooms. We teach our kids that everybody is equally deserving of kindness, regardless of how they identify. However, treating other people well does not require that we share in their subjective beliefs about themselves. For example we are atheists but we respect the right of other people to hold their religious or spiritual beliefs. Ngā mihi etc ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

Are schools required to teach about relationships and sexuality? Yes , but HOW schools teach the subject is decided by each school. While the RSE curriculum is being rewritten, what topics should schools be teaching? The Minister of Education recommended that schools follow the 2007 curriculum in the interim but some schools are continuing to use the same resources as before, such as Navigating the Journey . Read more about it here . Do parents have any say in what is taught? Yes. By law, schools must consult with their community every two years to decide the content of their RSE. More information about what is a meaningful consultation is here . A case study of a successful primary school consultation is here . Can parents withdraw their children from RSE lessons? Yes. Put your request for withdrawal in writing. A template letter is here . An example of a successful approach to a principal is here . Can parents speak at a Board of Trustees meeting? Yes. Advice on how to go about that is here . Should the school have written policies about RSE and gender practices? Yes. A list of things BOTs should consider and questions to ask them is here . Are all teachers, principals and BOTs in favour of the MOE guidelines for RSE? No. There is a general lack of knowledge, amongst teachers as well as parents, about the detail in the RSE curriculum. While some teachers (and parents) do agree with gender identity beliefs, many are alarmed by the ideas being promoted but are fearful of losing their jobs if they speak against the RSE guidelines or question social transitioning at school. Principals and BOTs are sometimes waiting for parents to speak up so that they have evidence that this teaching is not wanted by their community. You will achieve more if you treat teachers, principals, and BOTs as allies rather than adversaries, and work together to create an RSE curriculum that everyone can support. Can schools transition my child behind my back? Unhappily, yes. This has happened to parents in New Zealand. (See our testimonials . ) The Ministry of Education endorses the practice of hiding changed pronouns in its guide Supporting LGBTQIA Students . RGE has received legal advice that it is entirely dependent on the principal's opinion whether or not parents will be informed. As you cannot be certain that you will be made aware of your child’s social transition at school , it is imperative that you become fully aware of what is being taught there regarding gender identity and which rainbow organisations or clubs the school hosts. Knowing what beliefs are being presented to your child as facts is the first step towards countering this damaging ideology. Can schools take my child to get a binder or puberty blockers without my permission? Possibly. (See previous answer above.) RGE has heard of schools discussing binders , puberty blockers, and cross sex hormones with secondary students but we have not had reports of these things being supplied via schools, possibly because they are easy to get elsewhere. Information about how to access these items is readily available from rainbow lobby groups like InsideOUT, Rainbow Youth, or Gender Minorities. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

The teaching of gender identity ideology is a new practice in Aotearoa and raises many questions for teachers who do not subscribe to the belief. Under the NZ Bill of Rights Act, people have the right both to hold and not to hold a belief. In the United Kingdom, The Maya Forstater case upheld the right for people to hold and express gender critical views. Are teachers’ views protected in the same way in Aotearoa? To find out, we asked the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Council a series of questions: What are the rights of teachers or schools to decline to teach gender identity ideology if they don't subscribe to that belief system, even though teaching it is recommended in the Ministry of Education Relationship and Sexuality Guide ? Would it be against the law for a school to teach that sex is binary and cannot be changed but that people can change their gendered behaviour? Do students or staff have the right to ask others to use their preferred opposite sex or neo pronouns (as that is their protected belief) AND is there a matching right for students and staff to decline to do so (as that is their protected belief)? What are the employment rights of staff who decline to participate in social transitioning of both children and adults, for example by not using opposite sex or neo pronouns? How can teachers manage the expectation of the school that they must, at the same time , both keep confidential an adult or child’s gender identity and also affirm it? Would teachers who provided information about the negative consequences of gender transitioning to students be considered to have broken the Conversion Therapy Practices Prohibition Act? How does the Privacy Act fit with the Care of Children Act and the rights of parents to be informed and make decisions about their child’s care and education? Do parents, staff, and students in schools have the right to single-sex toilets and changing rooms that opposite sex people, including those with transgender identities, cannot access? We received only the briefest of answers to these and our other important questions: The Teaching Council The Teaching Council advised: “We have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) and I can advise as follows. As we have neither sought or received any legal advice in relation to any of these questions, we must refuse your request under section 18(e) of the OIA - as the information sought does not exist.” The Council continued, “I can, however, advise that the professional expectations we have of teachers to maintain their practising certificates is to meet Our Code, Our Standards. The code sets out principles that are relevant to your questions to help teachers make sound judgements in supporting both children and their whanau.” One of the “sound judgements” expected, according to the Code, is for teachers to use a students’ preferred pronouns. (Our Code: Examples in Practice p13) However, in 2024 in response to a query from the Free Speech Union , the Teaching Council CEO, Lesley Hoskins, agreed that teachers do have the right to decline to use preferred pronouns, as long as they do so in a respectful way. The Ministry of Education The Ministry also does not know the answers to our questions and is unconcerned by them: “The Ministry has not sought any legal advice in relation to the specific questions mentioned in your request therefore your request has been refused under Section 18(e) of the Act, as the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist.” Its response continued: “It should be noted that The Education and Training Act 2020 requires a school’s board to provide a safe environment for students and to ensure that their school is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing needs. This means that we expect school policies and practices to protect and promote the safety and inclusion of all students, including transgender and non-binary students. Schools can do this by: Supporting transgender students to use the facilities (e.g. bathrooms and changing rooms) they feel safe and comfortable using; (That’s a ‘no’ to our last question.) Ensuring transgender and non-binary students are supported to engage in sport and other physical activity in a way that is safe and inclusive; and (Safe and inclusive for the other students as well?) Upholding transgender, intersex and non-binary students’ privacy by confirming the student’s wishes around what name and gender identity they would like used at school and in communication with parents and whānau. (That’s a blanket endorsement of keeping secrets from parents.) The Ministry’s response then became patronising – assuming that our questions were prompted by our not understanding the curriculum or by being prudish about sexuality. We were advised to educate ourselves: The Ministry of Education provides guidance to teachers who may feel uncomfortable with topics in relationship and sexuality education. We suggest that it may be useful for teachers to support each other (or seek extra support from others) if needed to reflect upon teaching practice in relation to feeling uncomfortable or being in conflict with their values, attitudes and beliefs. This will help teachers to think critically about the questions and responses they are providing in class when these feelings arise.” The advice from the Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education is full of double-speak. Although the Council’s Code of Professional Responsibility requires teachers to “respect the diversity of the heritage, language, identity and culture of all learners”, the views and values of those who don’t believe in gender identity theory are officially repudiated. Although the Ministry says about RSE education, “It is good practice to communicate with whanau prior to let them know that the learning is coming up...” it also advises: “Schools do not need to seek permission from parents, caregivers or whanau for akonga to participate in RSE.” Teachers are in a dilemma. The Ministry of Education endorses the idea that being transgender is a positive and ‘authentic’ choice for children to make, even at a very young age. As a teacher, if your own school’s Board of Trustees and principal hold the same ideological view, what can you do if you disagree and don’t want to teach children that sex is on a spectrum and can be changed at will? The choices are stark: 1. Keep your head down and hope you can avoid the topic and that no trans or non-binary students appear in your classes. (This is becoming an increasingly unrealistic hope.) 2. Comply with school policy to the minimum required, trying not to compromise your own values at the same time. 3. Raise the issues you have with gender theory and try to change the school’s gender identity policies. (It is best to collaborate with parents on this.) 4. Resign before you are compelled to leave. (Some NZ teachers have already been forced into this position.) We hope that the fourth option does not become necessary for any more teachers. Instead, we want to support teachers to pursue option three. If you are interested in this option, please email resist@resistgendereducation.nz and ask for the school gender policy information pack that we are currently preparing. Here are some further useful links: Stella O'Malley, psychotherapist and Director of Genspect provides an introduction to the issues for schools here . Genspect advocates for a "cautious, gentle, compassionate and understanding approach." Saying no to school transition . In this article from the Critic, UK MP Miriam Cates, explains why new Education Department policy should ban schools from socially transitioning a child, even with parental consent. “ The need for guidance is indisputable, but anything other than a total ban on schools socially transitioning children will exacerbate [these] tensions. Not only is a ban the right ethical solution, it is also the only way to protect head teachers from being forced to make high stakes decisions for which they are unqualified. ” We recommend this policy from a US school: " We believe in parental choice and that we are here to serve families. As we strive to build upon connections with our families, we leave the job of parenting to our parents. They are responsible for imparting morals and values taught in their homes including practiced political, religious, and social viewpoints. We trust that they know what is best for their student as the student grows and develops into an adult.” The gender affirmative model and social transition in schools (April 2023) Transgender Trend responds to the Department for Education draft transgender guidance proposals for schools in the UK. " The DfE must decide if schools are to follow either an activist approach or an approach in line with normal standards of safeguarding. It can’t be a bit of both." A Teacher’s Guide to Sex and Gender This UK website from Teachers for Evidence-based Education provides guidance and resources to help educational professionals navigate the issue of sex and gender identity in schools. The group believes that “sex matters and that to deny the importance of material reality will lead to inequality and conflict between people with different protected characteristics.” Guidance on supporting trans children in schools This new (Feb 2023) guidance is provided by UK education unions and sector bodies and aims to help schools meet their legal duties while supporting all children. Sex and Gender Identity This February 2023 revised and updated guidance for UK schools was jointly produced by Sex Matters and Transgender Trend. Brief Guidance for Schools Produced by Genspect, this guidance advises schools to develop a sex and gender policy and to take a "cautious, least-invasive- first approach" to gender issues. Brief Guidance on Social Transition Also produced by Genspect, the guidance includes several cautions, including one against allowing students to dictate other people's use of pronouns, saying "it is not acceptable to act as though it is an act of hostility to use the biologically correct pronoun." I’m a teacher and I will not be complicit https://open.substack.com/pub/pitt/p/im-a-teacher-and-i-will-not-be-complicit?r=24091f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web In this article a teacher from Chicago describes the insidious spread since 2015 of gender theory in schools, culminating now in its compulsory inclusion in lesson content. The teacher has resigned, saying: “ I am going to do my best to blow the whistle and restore sanity to my once honorable profession.” ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

Manual for Parents We have prepared this resource for parents who are concerned about the way that gender identity ideology is being taught in the Relationships and Sexuality Education in their child’s school. In this material we outline what you need to know, your parental rights, school responsibilities, the relevant laws, and we offer ideas for how to best challenge this ideology. Get informed – get together – get activated! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can be of any assistance to you. info@resistgendereducation.nz Get Informed Scroll down to the FAQs link for the detailed information you need about the RSE curriculum, NZ law, your parental rights, and how to engage in consultation with your school Board. Letter templates are here. Get Together It is vital that you are very well informed before you approach the school, and that you have formed a group of concerned parents, to avoid being easily fobbed off. Steps to take: 1. Talk to your child’s teacher and ask for all the resources they are using in RSE, including worksheets, videos, and any visitors who will speak to the children. 2. Read our critique of the RSE Guide and of resources from InsideOut and Family Planning (Navigating the Journey) in the Q&A below (scroll down). 3. Request the school policy documents on diversity, equity, and inclusion and child safeguarding. Ask if they have a policy about social transitioning and whether students have access to facilities of the opposite sex. Does the school have a policy for managing questions of a sensitive or sexual nature? 4. Talk to other parents and gather a group who are all concerned by the content of the school curriculum. (It is much easier for the school to discount the concerns of a single parent.) Consider circulating a petition. 5. Hold a community public information meeting. This is to inform other parents and to create an action group. Board of Trustees members should be invited to hear your concerns. 6. From the public meeting, select 3-5 parents who will represent your group at a formal BOT meeting. Get Activated Find out when your next BOT meeting is and request to speak to the Board to share your concerns and to ask for change. Prepare well for the meeting as described in the Q&A below. The BOT has the statutory authority to determine the school's RSE curriculum and your best chance of persuading them not to authorise the teaching of gender identity ideology is to provide reputable evidence that it is not scientifically accurate, age appropriate, or beneficial for children's health and safety. Conclusion T eachers normally keep their religious and political beliefs to themselves and the same should apply to any beliefs they have about gender identity. It is not possible for humans to change sex and children should not be confused by being taught anything else. We recommend Boards of Trustees remove gender politics from the classroom and ensure schools are not centres of gender activism and children are not being used as foot soldiers for an activist agenda. Gender identity activism is not a school’s purpose and teaching gender identity ideology by disguising it as fact is not education. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

The first you as a parent may know about your child's transgender ideation, is when they request (or demand) to “socially transition”. Social transitioning is not a good idea Social Transitioning locks in gender dysphoria By the time your child tells you they’re transgender, they will have already been swamped by both information and misinformation on the internet. There is no shortage of online groups, containing both adults and peers, telling kids that if they’re feeling awkward about their lives and bodies or if they’re struggling to fit in socially, they may be transgender. In fact, the kids can get told that if they’re even just thinking about whether they may be transgender, they probably are. The first you as a parent may know about it, is when your child requests (or demands) to “socially transition”. This can mean anything from choosing a gender-neutral nickname and wearing androgynous clothing, right through to adopting an opposite sex name, pronouns, and clothes and wanting to be recognised as the chosen sex by everyone else and in all facets of life. This thorough article from Transgender Trend, A Childhood is not Reversible , explains why social transition is not the “kind and affirming” act it is purported to be. Saying no to school transition . In this article from the Critic, UK MP Miriam Cates explains why new Education Department policy should ban schools from socially transitioning a child, even with parental consent. “ The need for guidance is indisputable, but anything other than a total ban on schools socially transitioning children will exacerbate [these] tensions. Not only is a ban the right ethical solution, it is also the only way to protect head teachers from being forced to make high stakes decisions for which they are unqualified. ” Affirmation makes it harder to desist At first, social transitioning may seem to be a good idea, to help your child through a difficult patch in life. Parents can also be emotionally blackmailed by therapists, counsellors, and schools with incorrect dire warnings of the harm their child might do to themselves if absolute affirmation of their transgenderism is not forthcoming. However, if left with a way out, around 80% of kids desist with the ideation of transgenderism after going through puberty. Of course, it will be much more difficult for them to desist if they feel locked into being transgender by their own dramatic insistence, and if all the adults in their lives have fully affirmed the child or young person’s new identity and the entire family has been affected by it. Large amounts of time immersed on the internet can be a lightning rod for cultivating the belief for a child or young person that they’re transgender, when they showed no previous signs of it. Children who are non-conforming, lonely, have abnormally discordant and tumultuous lives, or particular discomfort with puberty, can be seduced by the feeling of belonging to a ‘tribe’. Although it is okay to not be stereotypically conformist, it can be hard to feel okay in the world about it. Transgender ideology offers a way for kids to conform to a stereotype and feel that they fit in somewhere where they are unquestioningly supported. Parents, on the other hand, can be slated as the enemy for their hesitancy to believe their child is really transgender. Parents may feel blindsided by their child’s announcement that they’re transgender. Often, they don’t see it coming, and the only information they can find when they go looking is to be instructed to defer to everything their child wants in their transitioning journey to live as the opposite sex. Tension with others’ rights On the surface, social transitioning sounds like a harmless thing to go along with but delve a bit deeper and there’s a lot attached to it. Using preferred pronouns, for example, is akin to immediately giving the child or young person permission to use the facilities for the opposite sex. Most girls who identify as boys probably won’t immediately use the boys’ facilities, but boys who identify as girls will often immediately start using the girls’ facilities, with the blessing of their school. Irrespective of what may appear to be a consensus amongst girls that this is okay, it is often a false consensus as girls can feel uncomfortable for various social reasons at not going along with what appears to be the ‘right’ belief. That means that there could be a boy, or boys, in with the girls when a girl most needs privacy. The boy is also left open to accusations of improper behaviour. With the advent of more mixed-sex facilities, especially in schools – promoted as being gender-neutral – there is likely to be a rise in tensions around this. Although language is always evolving it also helps us to navigate the material world, and changing structural language also changes everything it supports. More commentary on preferred pronoun use is here . Being trans is tough Changing gender is not the easy road to happiness it’s promoted to be by those invested in encouraging people to take that path, as the growing numbers of detransitioners will attest to. It is hard work to try to force one’s body to be the opposite sex to that which it was born, even with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and it requires maturity to be able to deal with that. Chances are that the initial encounter with your child when they announced they were transgender may not have gone well. All is not lost, however, so don’t be afraid to ask to start again with them but request the respect of a two-way conversation. Keeping the lines of communication open is most important. Listen to their point of view calmly and ask them to do the same with your perspective. Ask for time to process this new information before any decisions are made. Go to Genspect and Transgender Trend for authoritative information about all facets of gender beliefs and guidance for parents so that you are fully informed when talking to your child. "It can be important that you don’t overwhelm your child with advice or information when your child is feeling vulnerable and trying to find themselves. It can sometimes be more helpful to ‘show’ you care rather than ‘tell’. "(Genspect) When the time is right, talk about applying sensible caution to all life-changing decisions and the importance of leaving the door open for changing one’s mind. Discuss the reality of transgender medicine (see our reading list here ) which is quite different from the relentlessly glamourised accounts they will have viewed online. The dating pool for transgender people shrinks, no matter how much others are admonished to accept trans people in their new gender, and long-term intimate relationships, although not impossible to achieve, will be more difficult to find. Ask them to watch some testimonials from detransitioners. "We recommend that you focus on your personal understanding of your child and find areas where you might agree." (Genspect) Try to negotiate a compromise – agree to use a gender-neutral nickname but ask that they delay making permanent decisions and public announcements until an adult. As they grow up and go through puberty, allow your kids to express themselves how they want and emphasise that being different does not automatically mean they are transgender. Exploration of our identity is normal and to be embraced, but identity should not be set in stone at a young age.

Two NZ Emeritus Professors have endorsed RGE's School Guidelines. RGE’s Independent Guidelines challenge the evidence base of the ‘sex, gender and identity’ component of the Ministry of Education’s 2020 Guidelines for Relationships and Sexuality Education. Referencing recent research and the UK’s Cass Report, RGE reject the Ministry’s endorsement of an ‘affirmation’ model, which is often a pathway to lifelong medicalisation. A school should create space for students to hold options open. And it “should project the attitude that there is no right or wrong way to be a boy or a girl.” Sue Middleton, PhD (Emeritus Professor), Faculty of Education, University of Waikato. ****** As a retired academic physician, but more importantly as a parent and grandparent, I add my strong endorsement to the opinions of the group, Resist Gender Education. Today, more than ever, our shared responsibility to nurture young minds and bodies must be informed by evidence-based, scientific fact. The Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) Guide as currently taught in the school curriculum contains inaccurate misinformation with incontrovertible potential for harm to young consumers. This is no place to peddle subjective, confusing ideology. I respectfully urge Ministers to be guided by objectivity in matters of gender education in an urgent review of the existing RSE Guide. Emeritus Professor David Gerrard CNZM OBE MB ChB(Otago) FACSEP FFSEM(Hon) University of Otago Medical School ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

In March 2025, the Relationships and Sexuality (RSE) Guide was removed from the Ministry of Education's website and the following month a new draft RSE framework was released for public consultation. The draft is a huge improvement in basing RSE on scientifically accurate and age appropriate information. Changes to Relationships and Sexuality Education Changes in RSE began with a review undertaken by the Education Review Office in 2024. Here is our assessment of the ERO report . Here is the RGE response to the Draft RSE framework and here is our formal submission to the public consultation . See below for a critique of the old RSE Guide. The Ministry of Education’s official guide to teaching about relationships and sexuality is awash with gender identity beliefs. Many New Zealand schools are now constantly promoting, in every facet of school life, the disorder of body dissociation as an ideal, chosen identity. The Relationship and Sexuality Education Guide (RSE Guide) for teachers, school leaders, and boards of trustees, produced by the New Zealand Ministry of Education and published in September 2020, not only accepts but actively promotes the ideas of gender identity and gender diversity and encourages schools to focus on being a safe place for lgbtqi+ students. The authors of the guide reveal themselves to be totally captured by gender ideology, and the guide promulgates this ideology at every point. In this regard, it is a highly politicised document that is pushing an agenda with which the majority of the population is unfamiliar and for which there is no evidential basis. There is no recognition in the guide that there is a strongly critical international movement which completely rejects gender ideology. This movement includes academics, psychotherapists, social workers, scientists, doctors, teachers, parents, people who identify as transgender, and detransitioners. They all reject the notion that it is possible to change sex the idea that gender identity is real the language that says biological sex is “assigned” at birth the idea that there is a male brain and a female brain state schools promoting a belief system as if it is fact state schools forcing staff and students to acknowledge and affirm people’s self-identification of gender the deception involved in assisting school age children to socially transition and to keep this secret from their families the “affirm only” approach which leaves no room to encourage a child to explore their gender expression and any confusion they may feel when their feelings and preferred behaviour do not fit with sex role stereotypes outdated sex role stereotypes being used to encourage children to believe that they may have been born into the wrong body giving primacy to a concept (gender) over a reality (biological sex) children being set on a path of surgical intervention and lifelong dependence on pharmaceuticals before they are legally old enough to understand the consequences the proposition that ‘social transition’ is harmless and in a child’s best interests that there is ever a case for suggesting that permanently changing and damaging a healthy body is an acceptable response to any form of mental and emotional distress that it is ever acceptable to lie to a child and pretend that they are something they are not. Teaching gender identity across the curriculum The RSE guide encourages the teaching of gender ideology as fact from Year 1. Five year olds are to be taught to “Understand the relationship between gender, identity and wellbeing” and the concept of ‘gender identity’ and that people can change their sex is reinforced every single year thereafter. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 30) Level 2: Akonga can show that they: Are able to identify gender stereotypes, understand the difference between sex and gender, and know that there are diverse gender and sexual identities in society. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 31) Level 3: Akonga can show that they: Understand how communities develop and use inclusive practices to support gender and sexual diversity. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 32) Level 4: Akonga can show that they: Know about pubertal change (including hormonal changes, menstruation, body development, and the development of gender identities), and about how pubertal change relates to social norms around gender and sexuality; and can make plans to support their own wellbeing and that of others. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 33) Level 5: Akonga can show that they: Know about a range of cultural approaches to issues of gender and sexuality and how these relate to holistic understandings of wellbeing, eg, in terms of: varying perspectives on contraception and reproduction for different people, such as teens, heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, and single parents or cultural, generational, and personal values related to gender and sexual identities. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 9-13 Pg 36) Level 6 : Akonga can show that they: Are able to examine how gender and sexual identities can shift in different contexts and over time, and understand how these identities can be affected by relationships, family, media, popular culture, religion, spirituality, and youth cultures. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 9-13 Pg 37) Level 7 : Akonga can show that they: Understand how sex, gender, and sexuality might change across the lifespan (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 9-13 Pg 38) Schools are prompted to adhere to gender beliefs in everyday practices: Programmes should acknowledge gender and sexual diversity and make sure that a range of identities is visible in resources. Ākonga should be addressed by their preferred name and pronouns. Teachers can reflect on and change exclusionary practices such as lining up in girls’ and boys’ lines, requiring students to place bags in girls’ or boys’ categories, or organising class groups according to gender binaries. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 36) Further, the RSE Guide recommends embedding the concept of gender into all areas of the curriculum: While RSE concepts and content will be specifically taught in health education and supported in physical education, there are many opportunities for RSE across the New Zealand Curriculum. (Examples are given of how to do this in physical education, English, science, technology, social sciences, the arts, languages, and mathematics and statistics.) ( Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 28-29) The Guide does not draw attention to how the right of parents to withdraw their children from sexuality and relationship education classes will be impacted by this ‘embedding’ recommendation, and thus does not suggest how parents’ rights in this regard might be respected. Although the Guide correctly states that schools must consult parents about the content of relationship and sexuality lessons, there is no question that the practice of embedding the topics throughout the curriculum thwarts the ability of parents to opt their children out of specific lessons. [1] The Guide asserts that Many ākonga at primary and intermediate schools are thinking about their gender identities, and some are aware of their sexual orientation . (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 35) We would suggest that while awareness of sexual orientation is often (but not always) innate, children are only thinking about their gender identities because that is a concept that school introduces them to in their first year at school and continues to reinforce in all subsequent years. Teaching belief as fact The RSE Guide promotes as fact the idea that a person’s feeling of being masculine, feminine, or neither, is more important than their physical sexed body. The phrase “assigned sex at birth” is referred to multiple times and, along with the use of words such as “cisgender” and “gender fluid”, demonstrates how the Guide has completely adopted the language of gender Ideology, and uses words which are offensive to many people world-wide who do not share this ideological belief. The scientific evidence is very clear that there are two, and only two, distinct biological sexes. Sex is not an assumption and is not “assigned at birth” – it is observed and recorded. Teaching these falsehoods means children are learning to genuinely believe that it is possible to be born in the wrong body and that a person can actually – literally – change their sex. Schools should be promoting body positive messages, not the idea that non-conformity to gender stereotypes means that a child’s personality or body is wrong. Children should not be led to believe that they need to change their body, bind their breasts, or wear different clothes to match a regressive sex stereotype. Confusing and contradictory definitions The glossary for the RSE Guide for both Years 1-8 and Years 9-13 is confusing to say the least: (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 48-50) Sexual orientation: A person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are attracted. Sexual orientation and gender identity are two different things. Sexual orientation can be fluid for some people. Lesbian: A woman who is emotionally and sexually attracted to other women. This is used as both a personal identity and a community identity. Gay: A person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to the same gender. This is more widely used by men than women and can be both a personal and community identity. Bisexual: A person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to more than one gender. According to this guide, sexual orientation is about which gender a person is sexually attracted to. Any adult and many children can see the contradiction in sexual orientation being described as attraction to a gender. We all know that sexual orientation refers to the sex one is attracted to. Gender is an irrelevant concept when talking about sexual orientation. There is no acknowledgement at all given to the clear and consistent opposition by lesbian and gay organisations to the idea of lesbians and gays being same gender attracted [2] . Nor is there any recognition that for young lesbians and gays the idea that they ought to be attracted to the males and females who identify as the opposite sex is distressing and confusing . Of course, in the gender identity world, gender is fluid and can change over one’s life as defined below: Gender: Gender is an individual identity related to a continuum of masculinities and femininities. A person’s gender is not fixed or immutable. Gender binary (male/female binary): The (incorrect) assumption that there are only two genders (girl/boy or man/woman) Gender fluid: Describes a person whose gender changes over time and can go back and forth. The frequency of these changes depends on the individual. Sex assigned at birth: All babies are assigned a sex at birth, usually determined by a visual observation of external genitalia. A person’s gender may or may not align with their sex assigned at birth. Transgender (trans): This term describes a wide variety of people whose gender is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people may be binary or non-binary, and some opt for some form of medical intervention (such as hormone therapy or surgery). The writers of the glossary seem oblivious to the incoherence of saying that gender is not binary while at the same time believing trans people can change from one side of the binary to the other (multiple times) or can be non-binary. If there is no such thing as the gender binary, doesn’t that make everyone non-binary? Missing from the glossary are the definitions of words which reflect biology such as male and female. It is challenging to imagine how biology and reproduction will be taught in this brave new world! (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 48-49) & (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 9-13 Pg 53-54) Eroding parents’ rights The RSE guide encourages schools to socially transition children without necessarily seeking parental consent. Socially transitioning a child is not an isolated act without consequence – it is the first step in a very serious, complex and life-changing process about which parents ought to be fully informed. Gender ideology supporters also specifically encourage gender-questioning children to speak to Rainbow organisations, peers, or an ‘online family’ rather than their parents. In some schools, advice about using binders or starting on hormones is being provided to students by teachers who are not medically qualified. The RSE guide appears to endorse this approach, not once stating that schools should inform or seek parental permission before using a student’s preferred name or pronouns. Where students need access to ‘support services’ and these cannot be accessed onsite, the guide specifies that students should be supported in seeking access to professionals outside of the school with no mention made of seeking parental consent. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 19; Pg 22) The question of pronouns A child changing pronouns is the beginning of social transition. Asking students and teachers to use ‘preferred pronouns’ may appear to be kind and inclusive, but in reality is forcing other people to adhere to a belief system they may not agree with. Preferred pronouns can cause tension and conflict through the fear, or in the event, of someone making a mistake. They cement the social transition of a child, making it harder for them to later change their mind. Some gender non-conforming children may feel forced to choose different pronouns to avoid scrutiny from bullies. Preferred pronouns reinforce the incorrect idea that people can change their sex. When the school encourages their use, they are promoting gender ideology as fact rather than belief. It is difficult to see this as anything other than ideological indoctrination. Safe-guarding Issues The RSE guide recommends, “Ideally, schools will have at least one gender-neutral toilet available for akonga, but trans, non-binary, and intersex akonga should not be required to use this rather than male or female toilets.” This is an extraordinary double standard and creates a significant safe-guarding issue. Trans, non-binary, and intersex children can choose which toilets and changing rooms they use but girls are forced to accept males (who say they are really girls) in their toilets and changing rooms. Teaching girls that a boy really can become a girl trains them to suppress their instinctual caution and override their embarrassment and natural discomfort with having boys in their single sex spaces. It says that what girls want or feel doesn’t matter, and that they have no right to set their own boundaries. Absolutely no consideration is given to the comfort or dignity of girls who do not want to share intimate spaces with male-bodied people and who have the right to set such boundaries. This statement clearly prioritises the needs of children who believe they are trans over those who don’t. Gender questioning children need privacy and dignity just the same as other students. To that end, the school should ensure there are some unisex facilities for these students to utilise, but they should continue to offer single sex facilities as well. Boys and girls alike deserve a single-sex shared space where they can get changed and be comfortable together. Students are entitled to sex-segregated changing rooms, especially when some children, in particular those who are beginning puberty, are experiencing significant bodily changes. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 20- 22) Outside Providers The Guide is clear that it is not considered best practice to hand over the responsibility for RSE programmes to outside providers and there are a number of questions they suggest should be asked such as “ How is this provider funded and what is its purpose for existing? What is its agenda? ” And “ Schools should evaluate the programmes and services provided by outside agencies alongside their in-school learning programmes” . (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1-8 Pg 34 & Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 9-12 Pg 40) Despite these previous cautions, In April 2022 the Ministry of Education issued new resources designed to provide further support for teaching relationships and sexuality education in schools. As part of this update schools are urged to “use resources from trusted organisations like InsideOUT or RainbowYOUTH”. Many of the third party activist groups that are endorsed by the Ministry have links on their pages that lead children to ever more extreme versions of gender ideology. These rainbow lobby groups universally glamourise the concept of being trans and convince children it is possible and even easy and desirable to change sex. (Refer Relationships and Sexuality Education Guidelines: Years 7-10 Pg 21) Conclusion The RSE guide sets out many values with which most New Zealanders will agree, in terms of inclusiveness, safety and respect, and it deals with issues such as pornography and online abuse that are unfortunately highly relevant in today’s world. However, its heavy focus on gender theory is hazardous for children. Many schools are now constantly promoting, in every facet of school life, the disorder of body dissociation as an ideal, chosen identity. Gender ideology communicates to children that some identities are more or less fashionable or desirable. Children who adopt a gender identity are constantly praised, put on a pedestal and celebrated; whilst lesbian, gay or heterosexual children are painted as privileged, boring, or undesirable. Placing so much significance on gender identity creates a breeding ground for social contagion and a consequent sharp increase in students developing gender dysphoria. Affirmation of a trans identity is not kind. On the contrary it confirms to a child that they are the wrong sex and encourages their belief that their body needs to be changed. Medical intervention can only ever effect cosmetic change; the child’s sex remains the same. Other children should not be coerced into expressing a belief in ‘gender identity’ through the threat that not to do so is ‘unkind’ or ‘transphobic’. Schools should be teaching that no child is born in the wrong body and that children can reject gender stereotypes and be their authentic selves without discrimination, labelling, or medical intervention to ‘fix’ them. [1] https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-at-school/sexuality-education/ [2] https://lgballiance.org.uk/about/ https://www.lesbians-united.org/about.html https://lesbianalliance.org.uk/

Social Transitioning locks in gender dysphoria By the time your child tells you they’re transgender, they will have already been swamped by both information and misinformation on the internet. There is no shortage of online groups, containing both adults and peers, telling kids that if they’re feeling awkward about their lives and bodies or if they’re struggling to fit in socially, they may be transgender. In fact, the kids can get told that if they’re even just thinking about whether they may be transgender, they probably are. The first you as a parent may know about it, is when your child requests (or demands) to “socially transition”. This can mean anything from choosing a gender-neutral nickname and wearing androgynous clothing, right through to adopting an opposite sex name, pronouns, and clothes and wanting to be recognised as the chosen sex by everyone else and in all facets of life. This thorough article from Transgender Trend, A Childhood is not Reversible , explains why social transition is not the “kind and affirming” act it is purported to be. Saying no to school transition . In this article from the Critic, UK MP Miriam Cates explains why new Education Department policy should ban schools from socially transitioning a child, even with parental consent. “ The need for guidance is indisputable, but anything other than a total ban on schools socially transitioning children will exacerbate [these] tensions. Not only is a ban the right ethical solution, it is also the only way to protect head teachers from being forced to make high stakes decisions for which they are unqualified. ” Affirmation makes it harder to desist At first, social transitioning may seem to be a good idea, to help your child through a difficult patch in life. Parents can also be emotionally blackmailed by therapists, counsellors, and schools with incorrect dire warnings of the harm their child might do to themselves if absolute affirmation of their transgenderism is not forthcoming. However, if left with a way out, around 80% of kids desist with the ideation of transgenderism after going through puberty. Of course, it will be much more difficult for them to desist if they feel locked into being transgender by their own dramatic insistence, and if all the adults in their lives have fully affirmed the child or young person’s new identity and the entire family has been affected by it. Large amounts of time immersed on the internet can be a lightning rod for cultivating the belief for a child or young person that they’re transgender, when they showed no previous signs of it. Children who are non-conforming, lonely, have abnormally discordant and tumultuous lives, or particular discomfort with puberty, can be seduced by the feeling of belonging to a ‘tribe’. Although it is okay to not be stereotypically conformist, it can be hard to feel okay in the world about it. Transgender ideology offers a way for kids to conform to a stereotype and feel that they fit in somewhere where they are unquestioningly supported. Parents, on the other hand, can be slated as the enemy for their hesitancy to believe their child is really transgender. Parents may feel blindsided by their child’s announcement that they’re transgender. Often, they don’t see it coming, and the only information they can find when they go looking is to be instructed to defer to everything their child wants in their transitioning journey to live as the opposite sex. Tension with others’ rights On the surface, social transitioning sounds like a harmless thing to go along with but delve a bit deeper and there’s a lot attached to it. Using preferred pronouns, for example, is akin to immediately giving the child or young person permission to use the facilities for the opposite sex. Most girls who identify as boys probably won’t immediately use the boys’ facilities, but boys who identify as girls will often immediately start using the girls’ facilities, with the blessing of their school. Irrespective of what may appear to be a consensus amongst girls that this is okay, it is often a false consensus as girls can feel uncomfortable for various social reasons at not going along with what appears to be the ‘right’ belief. That means that there could be a boy, or boys, in with the girls when a girl most needs privacy. The boy is also left open to accusations of improper behaviour. With the advent of more mixed-sex facilities, especially in schools – promoted as being gender-neutral – there is likely to be a rise in tensions around this. Although language is always evolving it also helps us to navigate the material world, and changing structural language also changes everything it supports. More commentary on preferred pronoun use is here . Being trans is tough Changing gender is not the easy road to happiness it’s promoted to be by those invested in encouraging people to take that path, as the growing numbers of detransitioners will attest to. It is hard work to try to force one’s body to be the opposite sex to that which it was born, even with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and it requires maturity to be able to deal with that. Chances are that the initial encounter with your child when they announced they were transgender may not have gone well. All is not lost, however, so don’t be afraid to ask to start again with them but request the respect of a two-way conversation. Keeping the lines of communication open is most important. Listen to their point of view calmly and ask them to do the same with your perspective. Ask for time to process this new information before any decisions are made. Go to Genspect and Transgender Trend for authoritative information about all facets of gender beliefs and guidance for parents so that you are fully informed when talking to your child. "It can be important that you don’t overwhelm your child with advice or information when your child is feeling vulnerable and trying to find themselves. It can sometimes be more helpful to ‘show’ you care rather than ‘tell’. "(Genspect) When the time is right, talk about applying sensible caution to all life-changing decisions and the importance of leaving the door open for changing one’s mind. Discuss the reality of transgender medicine (see our reading list here ) which is quite different from the relentlessly glamourised accounts they will have viewed online. The dating pool for transgender people shrinks, no matter how much others are admonished to accept trans people in their new gender, and long-term intimate relationships, although not impossible to achieve, will be more difficult to find. Ask them to watch some testimonials from detransitioners. "We recommend that you focus on your personal understanding of your child and find areas where you might agree." (Genspect) Try to negotiate a compromise – agree to use a gender-neutral nickname but ask that they delay making permanent decisions and public announcements until an adult. As they grow up and go through puberty, allow your kids to express themselves how they want and emphasise that being different does not automatically mean they are transgender. Exploration of our identity is normal and to be embraced, but identity should not be set in stone at a young age. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

In the last few years, schools and teachers have found themselves in a gender minefield without the training or quality guidance they need on how to navigate through the demands being placed upon them by some very confused ideas about sex and gender. The Responsibilities of Boards of Trustees In the last few years, schools and teachers have found themselves in a gender minefield without the training or quality guidance they need on how to navigate through the demands being placed upon them by some very confused ideas about sex and gender. Among other things they are being asked to: teach gender identity beliefs as if they are facts use the pronouns and names chosen by individual students allow students who claim to be the opposite sex to use the toilets of that sex irrespective of any discomfort the other students may feel keep a student’s social transition to another gender a secret from their parents. Why is this a problem for Boards of Trustees? The stewardship role of Boards of trustees involves planning for, and acting in, the interests of the school and its community. Student learning, wellbeing, achievement, and progress are the board's main concern. (Ref Pg 2, ERO School Trustees Booklet 2017). Issues which affect student well-being affect their learning. The sudden rise in the numbers of students expressing gender identity beliefs - the idea that they can change their sex or be non-binary or have no sex at all - has serious implications for schools. When students assert that their feelings about their sex or gender are more important than their physical sexed bodies, and when school policies and practices support those beliefs, the well-being of everyone in the school is affected. The desires of some students should not be met at the expense of other students. School policies and practices need to be respectful of the whole school community and facilities need to meet the needs of all students. In order to navigate the gender minefield, trustees and staff need to become fully informed about the concepts associated with gender identity theory and be aware that these concepts are heavily criticised by a wide range of international experts. This is a complex issue that has the potential for conflict in the community and even litigation against the school. In this video, Stella O'Malley , psychotherapist and Director of Genspect, provides an introduction to the issues for schools. Genspect advocates for a "cautious, gentle, compassionate and understanding approach." Relationship and sexuality education The Relationship and Sexuality Education Guide (RSE Guide) for NZ schools that was published in September 2020 not only accepts but actively promotes controversial gender identity beliefs as if they are fact. Schools are entrusted to educate children about controversial topics by providing students with both sides of a debate presented neutrally and objectively. This trust is being undermined by the MOE’s policies for teaching children that they can choose their sex and that embracing body dysmorphia as part of a trans identity is an easy, joyful, and authentic response to unhappiness. No alternative viewpoint is presented. Guidelines that recommend schools collude with students to keep their gender transition at school a secret from their parents are the ultimate betrayal of trust and are unprofessional in the extreme. Court cases have already been instigated overseas in relation to demands like those placed upon our teachers. Litigation has been brought by parents whose children have been socially transitioned at school without their consent; on behalf of girls who have been sexually assaulted in mixed-sex school facilities; and by teachers whose personal beliefs have been overridden by school policies that enforce gender ideology practices such as using preferred pronouns. The purpose of a school is not to provide a conduit for political or social ideologies. We recommend that Boards of Trustees remove gender politics from schools and focus on respecting the needs of all students and creating an environment of acceptance rather than one of exceptionalism. Concepts that everyone needs to fully understand: What is gender identity theory? Why do some people say it is fact when it is really a belief? What are the new definitions and language of gender theory and are they accurate? What is gender dysphoria and what are the differing explanations for it? Why are there suddenly so many students saying they are trans and what is the best evidence for how to support them? What is gender affirmation and what are the implications for schools when they automatically affirm students in an adopted gender identity? What is social transition and is it a harmful option for children with gender distress? What is the new evidence that puberty blockers are powerful drugs that are being used experimentally to disrupt puberty? Why are mental health outcomes better when children are allowed to mature naturally? What are the flow-on effects in a school when students claim they are the other sex or that they don’t have a sex? Why are transgender rights not an extension of gay rights? What are intersex conditions (DSD – differences in sex development) and what do they have to do with being transgender? For answers to these and other questions go to https://www.resistgendereducation.nz/faqs School Policies and practices School policies need to be based not on ideology but on facts, reality, and evidence. Safety and fairness fo r all students should be paramount and any political or ideological positions should be avoided. Social transition (the adoption of names, pronouns, and clothing of the opposite sex). Social transition is a process that schools do not have the knowledge or expertise to oversee. It can prematurely cement a life-altering decision and make it hard for a student to retract. Unambiguous policies are needed to enable schools to manage any student or parental requests to affirm a child in a chosen identity. Uniforms. It is appropriate for uniforms and hairstyles to be fluid. If students want to wear a different uniform, they should be able to without it being a major statement. Allowing students to express themselves as they choose does not make them the opposite sex. Names. While peers and teachers may choose to use nicknames, legal names should be used for all formal documents. Only when there has been a documented legal change of name should formal school records be altered. Pronouns. The use of ‘preferred pronouns’ is an unworkable concept in schools. Many neurodiverse and learning-disabled students, or those with speech and language difficulties, or with English as a second language, find the concept very confusing and difficult. It is also discriminatory to those who do not adhere to gender identity beliefs. It is not the responsibility of children or teachers to provide opposite sex affirmation to students in their classes. Toilets, changing rooms, and residential stays. Single-sex facilities at school and on residential stays are necessary for the safety and dignity of children of both sexes and should be protected. For the small number of children who find that challenging, separate single-occupancy facilities can be provided. No children should be asked to ignore their own need for privacy and dignity in order to validate another child’s self-perception. Sport. After puberty, for fairness and safety , all sports should be segregated by sex. Where it is safe, separate mixed-sex teams can be formed as optional extras. Birth Certificates. From June 2023 it will be possible for parents to change the sex marker on their child’s birth certificate. Very serious safe-guarding issues are raised if this change is not disclosed to the school. If the correct sex of a child is not known, the possibilities are open-ended for accusations of, or actual, sexual assaults. Keeping secrets provides a ripe environment for all sorts of bullying and emotional blackmail. If teachers do not know the actual sex of the children under their care, they cannot safely provide medical assistance, or plan for residential camps, or offer sex-specific advice. In order to implement the school's policies around gender that have been formed for the benefit of all, the biological sex of every student must be declared upon enrolment. Meaningful consultation By law, schools are required to provide full consultation for parents on sexuality education every two years and to be guided by community input. As parents may want to withdraw their children from particular RSE lessons, the consultation needs to be full and transparent. For parents to make fully-informed decisions, schools need to consult with them in good faith. There should be a consultation period of at least two months. All materials to be used with their children (including worksheets, videos, and graphics) should be readily available for parental assessment, without them having to go into the school. No materials should be withheld for copyright reasons. The school should confirm that all teaching of RSE content will be in dedicated lessons, and that RSE will not be embedded throughout the curriculum as recommended by the MOE . Embedding the content thwarts the parents’ right to withdraw their children from some or all lessons. Education about sex, gender, and sexuality should be age appropriate. Schools and parents should reach a consensus about what topics will be covered at each level at school and which questions will be referred to parents for answering. Examples of good consultation practices, a body positive policy, and a policy about teachers answering questions are on the RGE website. https://www.resistgendereducation.nz/information/get-involved Some points for Principals and Boards to consider: What is the school’s definition of sex and gender identity? Is the school’s definition in keeping with the views of its community? Is the school teaching scientific facts or ideological beliefs about human sexuality, or is it avoiding the subject altogether? How does the school show respect to those who don’t believe in gender theory? How will the school ensure that no-one is pressured to endorse a belief they do not hold? Does the school have robust policies around gender identity? What evidence has been used to support those policies? Is the school gender identity policy consistent with the way it treats other religious or political beliefs? What school policies might need to change, be added, or be removed so that children can be free to explore their identities in a neutral space that neither celebrates nor shames them? How will the school manage requests to ‘affirm’ a student in beliefs that are not supported by scientific evidence and not held by the majority of families or staff? How will the school meet the needs and safety of all students (and staff) in a way that ensures everyone’s values and beliefs are respected ? Schools are required to have an 'Inclusive Education' policy but there can be fishhooks in the nice-sounding words. Read our substack on the subject here . We recommend this policy from a US school: " We believe in parental choice and that we are here to serve families. As we strive to build upon connections with our families, we leave the job of parenting to our parents. They are responsible for imparting morals and values taught in their homes including practiced political, religious, and social viewpoints. We trust that they know what is best for their student as the student grows and develops into an adult.” Useful guidance for schools from Sex Matters, Transgender Trend, and Genspect: Sex and Gender Identity This February 2023 revised and updated guidance for UK schools was jointly produced by Sex Matters and Transgender Trend. Brief Guidance for Schools Produced by Genspect, this guidance advises schools to develop a sex and gender policy and to take a "cautious, least-invasive-first approach" to gender issues. Brief Guidance on Social Transition Also produced by Genspect, the guidance includes several cautions, including one against allowing students to dictate other people's use of pronouns, saying "it is not acceptable to act as though it is an act of hostility to use the biologically correct pronoun." Saying no to school transition . In this article, UK MP Miriam Cates explains why new Education Department policy should ban schools from socially transitioning a child, even with parental consent. “ Not only is a ban the right ethical solution, it is also the only way to protect head teachers from being forced to make high stakes decisions for which they are unqualified.” Conclusion T eachers normally keep their religious and political beliefs to themselves and the same should apply to any beliefs they have about gender identity. It is not possible for humans to change sex and children should not be confused by being taught anything else. We recommend Boards of Trustees remove gender politics from the classroom and ensure schools are not centres of gender activism and children are not being used as foot soldiers for an activist agenda. Gender identity activism is not a school’s purpose and teaching gender identity ideology by disguising it as fact is not education. Further recommended reading: The Transgender Children’s Crusade by Kay S Hymowitz Time to Think by Hannah Barnes (review) Gender dysphoria is rising - and so is professional disagreement (British Medical Journal)

In the last few years, schools and teachers have found themselves in a gender minefield without the training or quality guidance they need on how to navigate through the demands being placed upon them by some very confused ideas about sex and gender. Among other things they are being asked to: teach gender identity beliefs as if they are facts use the pronouns and names chosen by individual students allow students who claim to be the opposite sex to use the toilets of that sex irrespective of any discomfort the other students may feel keep a student’s social transition to another gender a secret from their parents. Why is this a problem for Boards of Trustees? The stewardship role of Boards of trustees involves planning for, and acting in, the interests of the school and its community. Student learning, wellbeing, achievement, and progress are the board's main concern. (Ref Pg 2, ERO School Trustees Booklet 2017). Issues which affect student well-being affect their learning. The sudden rise in the numbers of students expressing gender identity beliefs - the idea that they can change their sex or be non-binary or have no sex at all - has serious implications for schools. When students assert that their feelings about their sex or gender are more important than their physical sexed bodies, and when school policies and practices support those beliefs, the well-being of everyone in the school is affected. The desires of some students should not be met at the expense of other students. School policies and practices need to be respectful of the whole school community and facilities need to meet the needs of all students. In order to navigate the gender minefield, trustees and staff need to become fully informed about the concepts associated with gender identity theory and be aware that these concepts are heavily criticised by a wide range of international experts. This is a complex issue that has the potential for conflict in the community and even litigation against the school. In this video, Stella O'Malley , psychotherapist and Director of Genspect, provides an introduction to the issues for schools. Genspect advocates for a "cautious, gentle, compassionate and understanding approach." Relationship and sexuality education The Relationship and Sexuality Education Guide (RSE Guide) for NZ schools that was published in September 2020 not only accepts but actively promotes controversial gender identity beliefs as if they are fact. Schools are entrusted to educate children about controversial topics by providing students with both sides of a debate presented neutrally and objectively. This trust is being undermined by the MOE’s policies for teaching children that they can choose their sex and that embracing body dysmorphia as part of a trans identity is an easy, joyful, and authentic response to unhappiness. No alternative viewpoint is presented. Guidelines that recommend schools collude with students to keep their gender transition at school a secret from their parents are the ultimate betrayal of trust and are unprofessional in the extreme. Court cases have already been instigated overseas in relation to demands like those placed upon our teachers. Litigation has been brought by parents whose children have been socially transitioned at school without their consent; on behalf of girls who have been sexually assaulted in mixed-sex school facilities; and by teachers whose personal beliefs have been overridden by school policies that enforce gender ideology practices such as using preferred pronouns. The purpose of a school is not to provide a conduit for political or social ideologies. We recommend that Boards of Trustees remove gender politics from schools and focus on respecting the needs of all students and creating an environment of acceptance rather than one of exceptionalism. Concepts that everyone needs to fully understand: What is gender identity theory? Why do some people say it is fact when it is really a belief? What are the new definitions and language of gender theory and are they accurate? What is gender dysphoria and what are the differing explanations for it? Why are there suddenly so many students saying they are trans and what is the best evidence for how to support them? What is gender affirmation and what are the implications for schools when they automatically affirm students in an adopted gender identity? What is social transition and is it a harmful option for children with gender distress? What is the new evidence that puberty blockers are powerful drugs that are being used experimentally to disrupt puberty? Why are mental health outcomes better when children are allowed to mature naturally? What are the flow-on effects in a school when students claim they are the other sex or that they don’t have a sex? Why are transgender rights not an extension of gay rights? What are intersex conditions (DSD – differences in sex development) and what do they have to do with being transgender? For answers to these and other questions go to https://www.resistgendereducation.nz/faqs School Policies and practices School policies need to be based not on ideology but on facts, reality, and evidence. Safety and fairness fo r all students should be paramount and any political or ideological positions should be avoided. Social transition (the adoption of names, pronouns, and clothing of the opposite sex). Social transition is a process that schools do not have the knowledge or expertise to oversee. It can prematurely cement a life-altering decision and make it hard for a student to retract. Unambiguous policies are needed to enable schools to manage any student or parental requests to affirm a child in a chosen identity. Uniforms. It is appropriate for uniforms and hairstyles to be fluid. If students want to wear a different uniform, they should be able to without it being a major statement. Allowing students to express themselves as they choose does not make them the opposite sex. Names. While peers and teachers may choose to use nicknames, legal names should be used for all formal documents. Only when there has been a documented legal change of name should formal school records be altered. Pronouns. The use of ‘preferred pronouns’ is an unworkable concept in schools. Many neurodiverse and learning-disabled students, or those with speech and language difficulties, or with English as a second language, find the concept very confusing and difficult. It is also discriminatory to those who do not adhere to gender identity beliefs. It is not the responsibility of children or teachers to provide opposite sex affirmation to students in their classes. Toilets, changing rooms, and residential stays. Single-sex facilities at school and on residential stays are necessary for the safety and dignity of children of both sexes and should be protected. For the small number of children who find that challenging, separate single-occupancy facilities can be provided. No children should be asked to ignore their own need for privacy and dignity in order to validate another child’s self-perception. Sport. After puberty, for fairness and safety , all sports should be segregated by sex. Where it is safe, separate mixed-sex teams can be formed as optional extras. Birth Certificates. From June 2023 it will be possible for parents to change the sex marker on their child’s birth certificate. Very serious safe-guarding issues are raised if this change is not disclosed to the school. If the correct sex of a child is not known, the possibilities are open-ended for accusations of, or actual, sexual assaults. Keeping secrets provides a ripe environment for all sorts of bullying and emotional blackmail. If teachers do not know the actual sex of the children under their care, they cannot safely provide medical assistance, or plan for residential camps, or offer sex-specific advice. In order to implement the school's policies around gender that have been formed for the benefit of all, the biological sex of every student must be declared upon enrolment. Meaningful consultation By law, schools are required to provide full consultation for parents on sexuality education every two years and to be guided by community input. As parents may want to withdraw their children from particular RSE lessons, the consultation needs to be full and transparent. For parents to make fully-informed decisions, schools need to consult with them in good faith. There should be a consultation period of at least two months. All materials to be used with their children (including worksheets, videos, and graphics) should be readily available for parental assessment, without them having to go into the school. No materials should be withheld for copyright reasons. The school should confirm that all teaching of RSE content will be in dedicated lessons, and that RSE will not be embedded throughout the curriculum as recommended by the MOE . Embedding the content thwarts the parents’ right to withdraw their children from some or all lessons. Education about sex, gender, and sexuality should be age appropriate. Schools and parents should reach a consensus about what topics will be covered at each level at school and which questions will be referred to parents for answering. Examples of good consultation practices, a body positive policy, and a policy about teachers answering questions are on the RGE website. https://www.resistgendereducation.nz/information/get-involved Some points for Principals and Boards to consider: What is the school’s definition of sex and gender identity? Is the school’s definition in keeping with the views of its community? Is the school teaching scientific facts or ideological beliefs about human sexuality, or is it avoiding the subject altogether? How does the school show respect to those who don’t believe in gender theory? How will the school ensure that no-one is pressured to endorse a belief they do not hold? Does the school have robust policies around gender identity? What evidence has been used to support those policies? Is the school gender identity policy consistent with the way it treats other religious or political beliefs? What school policies might need to change, be added, or be removed so that children can be free to explore their identities in a neutral space that neither celebrates nor shames them? How will the school manage requests to ‘affirm’ a student in beliefs that are not supported by scientific evidence and not held by the majority of families or staff? How will the school meet the needs and safety of all students (and staff) in a way that ensures everyone’s values and beliefs are respected ? Schools are required to have an 'Inclusive Education' policy but there can be fishhooks in the nice-sounding words. Read our substack on the subject here . We recommend this policy from a US school: " We believe in parental choice and that we are here to serve families. As we strive to build upon connections with our families, we leave the job of parenting to our parents. They are responsible for imparting morals and values taught in their homes including practiced political, religious, and social viewpoints. We trust that they know what is best for their student as the student grows and develops into an adult.” Useful guidance for schools from Sex Matters, Transgender Trend, and Genspect: Sex and Gender Identity This February 2023 revised and updated guidance for UK schools was jointly produced by Sex Matters and Transgender Trend. Brief Guidance for Schools Produced by Genspect, this guidance advises schools to develop a sex and gender policy and to take a "cautious, least-invasive-first approach" to gender issues. Brief Guidance on Social Transition Also produced by Genspect, the guidance includes several cautions, including one against allowing students to dictate other people's use of pronouns, saying "it is not acceptable to act as though it is an act of hostility to use the biologically correct pronoun." Saying no to school transition . In this article, UK MP Miriam Cates explains why new Education Department policy should ban schools from socially transitioning a child, even with parental consent. “ Not only is a ban the right ethical solution, it is also the only way to protect head teachers from being forced to make high stakes decisions for which they are unqualified.” Conclusion T eachers normally keep their religious and political beliefs to themselves and the same should apply to any beliefs they have about gender identity. It is not possible for humans to change sex and children should not be confused by being taught anything else. We recommend Boards of Trustees remove gender politics from the classroom and ensure schools are not centres of gender activism and children are not being used as foot soldiers for an activist agenda. Gender identity activism is not a school’s purpose and teaching gender identity ideology by disguising it as fact is not education. Further recommended reading: The Transgender Children’s Crusade by Kay S Hymowitz Time to Think by Hannah Barnes (review) Gender dysphoria is rising - and so is professional disagreement (British Medical Journal) ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

Under NZ law, parents have a range of rights and responsibilities that they can exercise when raising their children. Human rights for everyone

Some schools may not have teachers instructing students on relationships and sexuality at all, but may instead outsource this teaching to various Rainbow organisations or other groups under the guise of ‘anti-bullying’ or ‘diversity’ classes. Be aware of what these organisations are teaching your children: Click on the logos for more information The Birds and the Bees. Our review of this app that is available online to any children and is inappropriately recommended by its developers for children from the age of 12. (Note that the app is not officially used in schools and children can access it from anywhere. ) Guide for gender-diverse students includes subterfuge This 9 page guide for Hutt Valley High School students who are gender-questioning includes advice on how to change their pronouns at school without alerting their parents (p4.) It supports mandatory use of preferred pronouns (p4) and refers students for further advice to a long list of Rainbow groups where students will receive unquestioning affirmation. (p9) Click here to view When a quarter of the class identifies as trans This testimonial is from a US school but Aotearoa is on the same trajectory. See our testimonials. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.