Should teachers and schools be allowed to keep information about a student's pronouns or gender identity from parents?

Poll - Total Votes: 33

Yes. The child's health and well being are more important than the parent being informed.

No. Parents should get to know this information even if that puts some kids at risk.

You can only vote on one answer.

Personally I think that right now it is for a child's safety that their choice of pronouns or expressed gender identity not be relayed to the parents.
Why?
Because if the child wanted their parents to know then they would tell them. The child might not feel comfortable telling their parent just because it's awkward but it could also be a much more substantial fear of repercussions, punishment or even harm.

You have only to see how some people in this debate advocate hate and even execution to understand why it is worrying to out a trans child to certain kinds of parent.

It's just so gross how this issue has been weaponized by the political right to get cheap votes.
Just following the ol playbook "If you don't have policy, target a minority" lol

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BRUUH · VIP

If a parent has no option but to send the kid to public school, then my answer would be no. If the parent can choose, and they decide to let some random adult they don't know spend almost as much time with their kid as they do, then that's on them. Ultimately, parents need more choice and more ability to protect their kids as they see fit. The state should not be raising our kids

Pikachu

@BRUUH

Weird tirade against schools aside, was that vote that a vote against teachers keeping a child's pronoun choice between the child and whomever they chose to share it with?

BRUUH · VIP

@Pikachu Not a weird triad at all. Extremely relevant, actually.

It's hard to say. I think parents should have the freedom to raise their children how they like, with some exceptions being abusive behavior. I don't think that it's abusive to tell your male child that he is a he or your female child that she is a she. If the teachers are saying the opposite to the kid, I think that's fucked up.

Would I vote for or against the teachers keeping the pronouns between them? Depends. If the teacher knows the parents don't like it, then yeah, the teacher shouldn't be doing that shit. If an adult was around my child as much as teachers were, and were calling my son a she, I would do everything in my power to annihilate them.

Pikachu

@BRUUH

I think you think teachers are doing a lot more than they are which typically is hanging on by the skin of their teeth and wishing parents would realize that they have to raise their own kids and teachers are just there to teach them.

If the teachers are saying the opposite to the kid, I think that's fucked up.

I think you're missing the point. This has nothing to do with the teacher/student interaction. This is all about whether teachers should be telling parents this kind of thing. Because we're not talking about abuse as in calling your kid a pronoun with which they don't identify. That's not what's going to happen in some families if it gets back to mom and dad.
Same thing if a teacher outed a child as homosexual to their parents. Not so long ago that would have been really bad news for a lot of kids. And in a lot of places even in the west, that's still really bad news.

Same thing here.

If an adult was around my child as much as teachers were, and were calling my son a she

...you would murder someone for calling your son she?

BRUUH · VIP

@Pikachu No, personally I don't think teachers are indoctrinating kids into a tranny ideology the way right wingers think. Public schools are for the most part whatever. The Desantic base that fears this are overreacting. There are some LGBT things that occasionally get taught to children in schools, but those are rare.

Oh, I am glad you clarified that tho. Cause my anser is no, if a child privately identifies as whatever they want among their peers, then the teacher probably shouldn't be obligated to tell the parents. I think if a kid wants to identify as a girl and other students call the male child a she (or female child a he) and the child is ok with it, then that's as far as it should go. I consider that fine.

...you would murder someone for calling your son she?

No. What I was talking about was if they were around my child as much or around as much as I was, and was coaching them about their gender opposite to what I was. Thats a definite no go and a boundary you can't cross. Telling other peoples kids things relating to sex or gender just in general is a firm boundary. This goes both ways tho; a christian fundamentalist shouldn't be indoctrinating kids about their ideas either.

Pikachu

@BRUUH

Oh ok i get ya. Yeah, if a teacher is actively trying to convince a kid to identify as another gender then that's a huge problem.

BRUUH · VIP

@Pikachu What's problematic is whether the teacher should affirm the kids gender. Like, what if the kid just wants to be called the pronoun the parent doesn't; should they do it? That's a gray area. If I say "no" to that, then I have to say "no" to a LOT of things. For example, is it wrong for a teacher to tell a kid that evolution is real if the kid is from a creationist household? Many people, even some atheists, say no. But then, what if it's a flat earth? It seems almost abusive to raise a kid to be that dellusional. Where the line is between what the state can teach kids is a tough debate i'm interested in hearing out.

Pikachu

@BRUUH

I don't think that's problematic at all. If it's a phase then they'll grow out of it. If it's who they are then they deserve to be recognized for who they are.

But this isn't about the state teaching a child anything.

LeopoldBloom · M

@BRUUH I want my kid to attend Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. Are your taxes going to pay for that? No? Then why should my taxes pay for some other kid to attend a religious school that I don’t personally agree with?

How about if you want to send your kid to private school or homeschool them, that’s on you, and if you can’t afford it, tough luck.