Schools remove transgender guide after parents complain
Warwickshire County Council has suspended the booklet while they review it (Pexels)
A 50-page booklet that provides guidance to transgender students has been removed from Warwickshire schools after a parents’ group complained about it.
The booklet—which was created by Gendered Intelligence and Allsorts Youth Project—is called “gender is not just pink and blue,” according to Coventry Live.
However, parents group Safe Schools Alliance took issue with the advice on chest binding for transgender students. Chest binding is usually used by transgender men and non-binary people to help create a flatter chest.
Parents took issue with the guidance about chest binding for transgender people
The booklet urges teachers to be aware of transgender students’ hygiene needs if they are wearing chest binders on a school trip.
“It may be that pupils wash their binders every night at home and this will need to be considered on a residential trip,” the booklet says.
After the Safe Schools Alliance complained, Warwickshire County Council decided to suspend the use of the booklet in schools while they conduct a review of its use.
“The toolkit is currently being reviewed in light of feedback to ensure it is as robust as possible for schools to use.”
– Warwickshire County Council
A spokesman said: “Trans is an evolving complex area and it was identified that there was a knowledge gap within schools.
“It is our duty to provide schools with guidance to ensure all pupils are able to be themselves and reach their full potential in an inclusive school environment, without fear of judgement and discrimination.
“The toolkit is currently being reviewed in light of feedback to ensure it is as robust as possible for schools to use.”
Pexels
The Safe Schools Alliance was set up by parents to challenge the guidance presented in the “gender is not just pink and blue” booklet, according to The Times.
The booklet has also been removed by Oxfordshire County Council while they investigate its use after the group applied pressure.
A 2017 study found that chest binding can pose health risks, but that it provides relief for transgender people
The first major study into binding was released in 2017 in which researchers looked at the health benefits and risks of the practice for transgender people.
1,800 transgender people were asked about binding and the effect it had on their health.
Many said binding was a “daily occurrence” and said they wore binders for an average of 10 hours a day.
97 percent of respondents said they had experienced one or more negative health effects from binding, which included pain, overheating and shortness of breath. 50 people reported having fractured ribs as a result of binding.
While binding can come with risks, many of the respondents said they would keep binding despite negative health risks as it gave them significant relief from their gender dysphoria.
Trans and non-binary people who bind their chests are recommended to buy binders from specialist providers and to not use DIY methods.
