Students as young as four years old in Scotland are now free to change their names and genders in school even without their parents' permission. The Scottish government has issued a 70-page guideline on LGBT inclusivity, which mandates that primary schools can allow children to change their gender identity without the child's parents' consent.
"Some young people are exploring their gender identity in primary school settings," the guidance stated, as reported by the Christian Headlines. "Primary schools need to be able to meet the needs of these young people to ensure they have a safe, inclusive and respectful environment in which to learn."
The Scottish government's new guidelines demands that teachers must not question students who choose to identify as a gender different from the one they are born with. Teachers are also not required to tell the parents about the child's request. Under the new guidelines, schools must add transgender books to their curriculum, allow students to use bathrooms of their choosing, and provide a gender-neutral uniform.
Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville explained in a statement that the new guidelines from the Scottish government "outlines how schools can support transgender young people while ensuring that the rights of all pupils are fully respected." She reassured parents, however, that these guidelines merely represent a suggestion and are "not prescriptive and [do] not promote transitioning."
But For Women Scotland campaign group co-director Marion Calder is concerned over the Scottish government's new transgender guidelines, especially how it will impact parents. She told The Telegraph, "To be transgender, you have to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Those children are now being encouraged on to a medical pathway, potentially for the rest of their lives."
"This is really, really worrying," Calder lamented. The bottom line is that this is a dangerous ideology that the Scottish Government is pushing."
Back in July, Scotland's deputy first minister announced that the country is considered one of the most progressive in Europe, Newsweek reported. Just last month, he announced that Scottish schools would be the first in the world to have LGBT education included in its curriculum.
The guidelines serve to protect young persons who have not come out to their parents and family about their gender identity and seek to protect them from "inadvertent disclosure" and "needless stress" for the youth who are battling gender identity issues.
Colin McFarlane, who serves as the director of the U.K.-based organization Stonewall Scotland and Northern Ireland that supports LGBT rights, said that transgender students must have the right "to be taught in a safe and inclusive environment," citing that the Scottish government's new LGBT guidance is "so important" in empowering teachers and schools in Scotland to support the youth to "thrive, both inside and outside the classroom."
The Christian Institute spokesperson Simon Calvert opposed the new LGBT mandates, telling Express, "For the Scottish government to come down so firmly on the side of trans activists is bad for schools, families and society."
