A teacher alleges she was humiliated after being forced to apologize to students at a private girls’ school for calling them “girls.”
Pupils at the $25,000-a-year school protested, claiming that not everyone in the class identified as female, with one student daring the woman to recognize their pronouns.
After saying “good afternoon, girls” at the opening of the lecture, the philosophy and religion education teacher was compelled to apologize.
The following day, students wrote all of their names and pronouns on the board, with one of the students using the pronouns they/them.
They also staged a lunchtime protest after she refused to accept their use request and stated that if a student’s chosen pronouns differed from their biological sex, she would need to involve parents, The Mail on Sunday reported.
The teacher stated in a regular review of child and adolescent gender dysphoria treatment this week that the difficulties began in May 2021 when several Year 7 students complained.
It happened less than a week after the sixth form’s “diversity and inclusion” prefects held a gender and pronouns assembly.
Students were allegedly given a film about gender identities and sex assigned at birth.
“I was told that they made placards with slogans such as ‘Trans lives matter’,” the teacher said.
“Before the end of the week, I was in some sort of disciplinary process and the head of year was telling me I had to apologize to the girls.”
The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous to protect the pupils, said she was made to stand to one side as the head of year addressed the pupils saying “no one here would want to hurt you”.
Addressing the children on her behalf, the head of year said “I am sorry you’re upset”, explaining “no one here would want to hurt you” and “you’re all really loved by us”.
The teacher thinks she was then “managed out” by senior staff, who refused to extend her one-year contract at the independent Girls’ Day School Trust.
The trust was approached by the Telegraph, but declined to speak to the Mail on Sunday.