Trans Kids in UK Schools
Two boys – a 9 year old and a 12 year old — came back to school as girls after the summer break in the UK and caused quite a bit of drama. Parents say their kids were “shocked” and “traumatised” due to the sex change of their fellow pupils:
My son came home from school and asked why one of his friends had become a girl. I thought he was joking, but he kept asking – that’s when alarm bells began ringing. The pupil’s classmates were told he had left and that a new girl would be starting in his place this term. We have had to deal with the fall-out from all this. It’s not a situation I or other parents are comfortable with and we’ve not been given any help from the school about how to handle it. My son is too young to really understand the significance of what’s happening. It’s hard to explain to him. He doesn’t understand the differences between girls’ and boys’ bodies yet. I’m terrified he’ll ask me if he can become a girl as well.
Although the boys are doubtless on the fast track to a sex-change operation and hormonal treatment in order to turn them into girls, they must wait until they are legally an adult before any actual operation may take place in the UK which means German pop singer Kim Petras stays the youngest transgirl who underwent gender reassignment.
+1
about 3 years ago
=D
about 3 years ago
yay you finally covered this, wondered how long it would take. i must say i only read one newspaper that reported this (the sun i believe) and i was very pleased at it’s respectful and honorable way of reporting on this story, to be honest i was expecting to read a story that was judgmental against the parents for allowing her to do it, instead the story condemned the school (rightly so) for not handling the situation correctly which is no surprise at all as a lot of schools can’t even handle homosexuality. as for the legal age of sex realignment i believe current laws are fair as it’s only very rare cases that children of this age are truly sure of what they want but there are many cases that children are confused of what they want and how they feel (especially with homosexuals) i myself was a very confused child i liked girls things i even like dressing up as a girl sometimes and often thought i should be a girl but had i had a sex change after reaching the legal age i would have regretted it I’m happy with who i am now so children going through that confusing time in life could make the wrong choice and regret it in the future at least the way the law is now they have time to really think about it and be sure.
about 3 years ago
oh and also….. good on these two for having the guts to do this they must be truly brave and strong people.
about 3 years ago
I’m confused as to how this is ‘shocking’ and ‘traumatizing.’
Sure, some might think it’s strange, but….?
about 3 years ago
beatiful
about 3 years ago
It’s nice that the schools accepted to take them, but the way they handled the communication with both the other children and their parents is appalling.
I hope the 2 girls won’t undergo even hormonal treatment until much later, boys can easily naturally look like girls at this age. Hormonal treatment and surgery should probably not be considered until their mid teens, after years of discussion and confirming that this feeling of being born in the wrong gender is still genuine, and it’s not just a Lady Gaga fad, or a mix of gay and cross-dressing desire, or whatever other possible cause…
about 3 years ago
you know, everyone says that sex is for adults. I think it is about youth. it is about the most vital time of your life. who are these people that think they must controll everyone’s sex life?
about 3 years ago
who is controlling their sex life?
about 3 years ago
I agree with all of you; it is nice to see that the children are allowed to express themselves regardless of how they are going to feel when they are 30. I strongly believe that if I had been given the freedom to explore my desires more openly as a child, I would be a more confident and assured person.
I do, however find the other parents reactions amusing: “He doesn’t understand the differences between girls’ and boys’ bodies yet. I’m terrified he’ll ask me if he can become a girl as well.” to which I would respond “Maybe you should explain the difference and what would be so bad if he did want to be a girl aswell!?!” I think if one can’t explore these things at a formative stage, it becomes a lot harder!
about 3 years ago
click on the link (a 12 year old) check out the comments…. so much hate …….. i can’t believe it
about 3 years ago
this post makes me sadder than usual =\
about 3 years ago
ummmm Hey Mom? The difference in boys and girls isn’t in the pants… it’s in the brain! You could probably read up on the Internet Mom! Try Googling it like you do when you want to find the best sex toys. And get that Dildo out of your ear Mom, then maybe you will understand that the problem is not that your son is to young to understand. You see, it’s not your son Mom, it’s yourself, go look in the mirror. The gender differences is in the brain, yes.Try looking for articles on Gender Disforia for starters. I think it would shock you to find out what your son can understand. You’d probably pee yourself.
God she pisses me off. I didnt even get past her quote… think I’ll go back and finish reading the post… thank you for posting this Josh.
about 3 years ago
I wonder how many ”HATE” comments will be directed at me for telling the truth?
NO NINE OR 12 YEAR OLD CHILD IS MATURE ENOUGH IN ANY RESPECT TO MAKE A DECISION,
CONCERNING THE ONE IN THE SUBJECT OF THIS DISCUSSION!!!! And probably are not mature
enough even at legal age to make such a life-changing decision.
about 3 years ago
Are you a psychologist or doctor?
about 3 years ago
I’m not going to say anything hateful to you. There really isn’t any point.
The decision being discussed doesn’t require maturity to make. Regardless of their age, they will know what gender they are mentally. If their brains tell them they are girls, then they’re girls. Ignoring this will only make them feel even more uncomfortable and different than teenagers usually feel. Also, given that they are not a legal age, the decision will ultimately be made by their parents. And given the way they have been living as boys so far, it’s really quite likely that their parents have been unwilling to allow them to live as girls up to this point. The decision is far more likely to be one made from the end of a long period where the parent has had to watch their child suffer rather than to have been a snap judgment.
about 3 years ago
This is true in my opinion, i hold no reservation about sex changes and choices in life, but just because a kid wants to wear dresses or womens clothes doesnt mean he knows what he will want in twenty years time.
about 3 years ago
No-one knows what they will want in 20 years time, so no-one should do anything more serious than decide whether to eat apples or pears
about 3 years ago
Robbie, it’s as much a decision as you have “decided” to be gay.
about 3 years ago
Good point. And seeing how many boys in my class were confused about their sexuality and are happy heterosexuals just five years later makes me think one should wait a little longer before taking any permanent steps. Nonetheless anything non-permanent might be the right thing to try out. Even if just to see that its not what one wants and try something else.
about 3 years ago
It does not surprise me that people feel unsure about transsexuality, especially kids. I mean, I’m 28, bisexual, have a boyfriend — and I can’t quite wrap my head around the concept. It’s an alien notion. Or it’s like those movies like “Freaky Friday” where people swap bodies.
Also, reading testimonials from people who did have a sex change surgery, there’s a serious chance that one becomes completely unable to ever orgasm again. Hell, you’d have to be crazy to accept that risk. It’s smarter to see things this way: it’s the body that mother nature gave you, and like it or not, you have to accept it.
about 3 years ago
The surgery is very risky, but I believe the possible side-effects are, for the people that undergo it, a trade-off. The way I see it, it’s a trade off between possibly not getting off again, and living your life in a body that you actually have a possibility of being comfortable in. Also, I have heard the hormone treatment can suppress sex drive. And a sex-life isn’t always necessary for somebody to live a full and happy life, asexual people are living proof of this.
about 3 years ago
Some small number of children are born “requiring” surgery to establish a dominant sex, so we aren’t necessarily talking about the “simple” case of a “male” or “female” child wanting to be “the opposite sex”, we might be talking about something (medically and otherwise) a lot more complicated.
@Robbie- Why shouldn’t a 12-year old make decisions about their own life? What about an even younger child who wants to be a gymnast or ballet dancer? Those decisions, too, could have a major impact on their future.. why allow them to make those decisions? Cos you like the decisions?
But in general I was a bit saddened by the story – sort of happy at the “trans” children’s parents supporting their own kids, kind of happy that the school didn’t itself freak, a little down that the other parents had the expected reaction… but mostly sad at the kid’s parents… no chance would I send any kid of mine back to the same school following such a change. No amount of instruction on “how” to act is going to overcome the other kids’ curiosity or even perhaps their fear of difference.
about 3 years ago
The parents and its children should watch “Ma vie en rose”.
about 3 years ago
So, the decisions of a 9 and 12 year old for gender reassignment should be indulged? Are these people insane? HELL YES they are! I would imagine if these children wanted to vote, drive cars, enter into contracts, live on their own, or make other decisions should also be indulged. How effed up must these parents be to have been so completely inneffectual. If these boys were effeminate, so what? Tomboy girls and effeminate boys have always existed – and it’s no excuse to carve them up. These kids need shrinks not surgeons-and so do their parents.
Hmmm. What a curmudgeon I seem to have become…
about 3 years ago
It’s. Not. A. Decision.
about 3 years ago
Being in the wrong body – not a decision.
Changing one’s body – clearly a decision.
From what i read in the article its just about finding out what they want to decide so far.
about 3 years ago
Okay, there is a huge difference between an effeminate boy and a girl in a boys body. I’m an effeminate boy, but I’m a boy. These kids aren’t male mentally. They are girls. The big difference? I’m perfectly happy being a guy. The dislike I have of my body is self-esteem related, and has nothing to do with it being male. These kids, if they continue living as boys, will usually grow to hate their male body. This can lead to problems such as self-harming later in their lives. No amount of therapy will ever make them boys, in the same way those wonderful little “straightening out” camps fundamentalist Christians are fond of just don’t work. All the child will do is learn to suppress their emotions, which is very rarely a healthy thing to do.
about 3 years ago
I missed this story, then I don’t read the SUN.
I am sure that the kids didn’t make the decision on their own. I am sure that the parents and children were given advice and support before a life changing situation like this. Good luck to them and lets hope they will be happy with their new persona and their peers give them all the support that they are definitely going to need.
about 3 years ago
This is a really hard one — why? In the story above the children are boys who want to be girls. However, when you turn it around it starts to show up some of the bigger societal issues. My middle school daughter wants to be a boy. She dresses as a boy, uses the boys restrooms, and a large number of her friends believe she is a boy. What’s the problem you ask: for me the problem in this particular case is that it is quite apparent to me that s/he’s figured out that being female in this society (USA) is not a very good deal. It really isn’t about her body or sex or love relationships (at this point) — but about being treated with respect and dignity. I suspect the same is true of a lot of boys — men may have power, but boys get a lot of stuff shoved off on them. If everyone were given equal dignity, respect and opportunity, I’m sure there would be less feeling of being trapped in the wrong body. Well, if everyone were given dignity, respect and opportunity it would also be a lot easier to let people know you felt trapped in the wrong body. What I’m asking: let’s treat everyone as wonderful humans!!!
about 3 years ago
This is weird. sO IT IS ILLEGAL TO HAVE A SEX CHAGE OPERATION. Then they did not really change sex. It should be illegal to get that kind of operation before age 20 or so. Being a gril and acting like one are two different things.