British schools suspend children, including toddlers, for being ‘transphobic’
A British nursery suspended a toddler during the 2022-2023 school year for “abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity,” The Telegraph reported Monday.
The child, who was between three and four, was one of 94 children suspended or expelled that year for offending gender ideology activists. These included 10 first graders, where children are between the ages of five and six, and three from second grade, where the maximum age is seven. How school officials determined that these children were “homophobic” or “transphobic” was not revealed.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling, a leading advocate for protecting children against gender ideology, reacted to the report by calling for the removal of “dangerous zealots” from schools.
“This is totalitarian insanity,” she wrote on X. “If you think small children should be punished for being able to recognise sex, you are a dangerous zealot who should be nowhere near kids or in any position of authority over them.”
Lord Toby Young, founder and director of the Free Speech Union, said: “It beggars belief that schools are suspending children as young as five for breaching their ‘transphobia’ policy. I would have thought that if your ideology is so rigid it justifies you punishing toddlers for not complying with it, that’s a powerful argument for discarding it in favour of something less dogmatic.”
Education Department doubles down
The UK Department for Education, however, doubled down on removing children from school if they are determined to be guilty of “abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity.”
“All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse,” a spokesman said. “The Education Secretary has been clear that she expects school leaders to enforce good behaviour and we are committed to a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools.
“Our Plan for Change sets out our relentless focus on making sure every child gets the best life chances, no matter their background, including establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, providing access to mental health support and making attendance one of the four core priorities of our school improvement teams.”
