Oddbean new post about | logout
 

Enabling social transition at school also aids this culture of censorship and suppression of free speech. Social transition consists of changing pronouns and usually names to be ones more suited to the opposite sex. However, social transition always relies on other people to take part in the pretence that a child has changed sex – it’s up to other people to actually use the new name and pronouns; the requirements for social transition fall upon the classmates of the transitioning child, not the transitioning child themselves.

This is what needs to be emphasized, again and again, to anyone in making decisions about this matter.  A “trans” child doesn’t simply “change pronouns at school.”  In fact, the child probably uses all of the same pronouns:  “I” in first person, and accurate third person pronouns for most other people.  It’s other children (and teachers) who are forced to “change pronouns” – from accurate ones to inaccurate ones, diminishing their personal integrity. 
 One of the picture grabs I made a few years ago says it all from a woman's point of view:
"STOP RIGHT THERE!
I refuse to use Trans-speak jargon which undermines the legal and safety concerns of my sex!" 
Any child or teacher who follows this advice should be supported to the hilt.