r/unitedkingdom Verified Media Outlet 5d ago

Keir Starmer says he doesn’t want schools teaching young people about transgender identities ...

https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/06/25/keir-starmer-trans-education-general-election-2024/
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u/jmdg007 Liverpool 5d ago

Surely people realise Trans people aren't going to just go away by not mentioning them in school? I went to a Catholic school about 10 years ago where they never got mentioned once by teachers yet I know at least 2 people from my year who are Trans now.

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u/Aiyon 5d ago

I had no idea trans people existed till I went to uni. All it achieved was making me more depressed because I didn't know why i was so miserable once puberty took effect.

I lost out on years of doing something about it, all because it was hidden from me.

It doesn't stop people being trans, it just makes trans people suffer. And that's the point

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u/_arthur_ 5d ago

It doesn't stop people being trans, it just makes trans people suffer. And that's the point

You can't turn cis kids trans. You can't turn trans kids into cis kids, but you can turn them into dead trans kids. As much as I dislike children that seems like a sub-optimal choice.

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u/BlackSpinedPlinketto 5d ago

I’m glad you figured it out, and I’m glad trans people exist. I’m not trans, but I think it’s good to learn about all people in society.

I thought the tories being out would end this right wing bigotry, I now can’t, and will not, vote for Kier in good conscience and I’d no idea he was like this.

Maybe school isn’t the place to learn anyway, tv does more raising us than school lol

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u/Aiyon 5d ago

Maybe school isn’t the place to learn anyway

If school doesn't teach us about it, then it enables bigoted parents to deliberately keep their child from learning about it and suppress that aspect of themself. Whether that's sexuality, gender identity etc.

It's similar to how actually, it is worthwhile teaching kids who aren't old enough to have sex yet, about sex and boundaries, because it can help them realise if they're being abused.

how we teach it is different, but "trans people exist" and "some people are gay/bi/ace/etc" isn't harmful, and is worth knowing