Teaching gender identity as fact in schools has emerged as a subject of considerable concern for parents, teachers and professionals working to promote the welfare of children and adolescents. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) draft Junior Certificate SPHE/RSE curriculum was presented to Minister for Education, Norma Foley on February 9th 2023 ahead of its proposed rollout in September 2023. This curriculum teaches gender identity as a fact. The resources provided by the NCCA to support the current SPHE curriculum already endorse this view. A public consultation on the new SPHE/RSE curricula for Leaving Cert students commenced in 2022. There have been no formal discussions or consultation yet on the new SPHE programme for primary pupils. It is clear from statements made by Minister for Equality, Children, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman that it is the intention of Government that primary school children “should be taught more what it means to be transgender”.
There is no scientific consensus on what this means. The word transgender has no stable definition. There is considerable debate around the cause/or causes of gender dysphoria, considered by some to be the root cause of a trans identity. There is currently an intense international debate on the appropriate treatment of children with gender dysphoria. The affirmative care model that was considered the gold standard of care for gender dysphoric children has been rejected in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK. The Irish National Gender Service has also voiced its concerns about this model of care highlighting the increase in numbers being referred for treatment. They also state the possibility that this is a phenomenon influenced by peer groups and exposure to online influences particularly among girls, children with autism, or mental health issues.
Navigating this arena is difficult for parents. In the absence of evidence that teaching this subject in school does not result in an increase in trans identification, we believe the best way forward is to be cautious. The Countess developed this letter for you to notify your school, primary or secondary, that you do not consent to the teaching of promotion of gender identity ideology to your child/children as part of any curriculum subject or informal activity. Your right to exert your authority as the primary educators of the child is enshrined in the Constitution.
We hope you find this resource useful.
Primary School Statement of Objection & Withdrawal of Consent
To whom it may concern,
A recent campaign by The Countess advocacy group has alerted me to the potential harm of teaching Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to my son/daughter [Insert name], as part of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme and/or Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programmes – specifically, information published in the 2020 edition of the Busy Bodies booklet (pgs. 41 & 42), the 2020 edition of Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks booklet (pgs. 42 to 44 inclusive) and any information similar to that seen in the “Facilitating a social transition” video produced by the INTO.
I hereby notify you that I do not consent to the teaching of Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to my son/daughter [Insert name] as part of any curriculum subject or informal activity. Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology promotes homophobia, sexist stereotyping, and contradicts the science curriculum. It also ignores the experiences of desisters and detransitioners. Advocacy groups promoting Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology under the guise of “inclusion” frequently abandon the basic tenets of child safeguarding and consent principles.
The teaching of Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to children, as fact, when “there is a lack of agreement, and in many instances a lack of open discussion, about the extent to which gender incongruence in childhood and adolescence can be an inherent and immutable phenomenon” (Cass, 2022), runs contrary to my conscience, as it should the conscience of education professionals who respect evidence-based policies. Schools have an obligation under Department of Education Circular 2018/43 to ‘protect students in their care at all times from any potentially harmful, inappropriate or misguided resources, interventions or programmes’. Teaching Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology as fact does not meet this standard of care.
The work of developmental psychologist Laurence Kohlberg is widely accepted as demonstrating that children do not understand that their sex is constant across situations and time until they are about age 6 or 7. To interrupt that process of development with the idea that ‘boys can be girls and girls can be boys’ can cause profound confusion and distress. This precise statement appears in a 2019 video produced by the INTO (Irish National Teacher’s Organisation) to support teachers socially transition primary school pupils.
While I understand that you may have acted under the understanding that you were following government guidelines, teaching children to uncritically accept this system of beliefs as fact, in this manner, amounts to indoctrination. I would draw your attention to the fact that following these guidelines contrary to the conscience of parents would be unlawful for the reasons set out above.
I/we look forward to receiving confirmation that our instruction will be respected.
Yours sincerely,
______________________
Secondary School Statement of Objection & Withdrawal of Consent
To whom it may concern,
A recent campaign by The Countess advocacy group has alerted me to the potential harm of teaching Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to my son/daughter [Insert name], as part of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme and/or Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programmes – specifically, information published in the 2020 edition of the Busy Bodies booklet (pgs. 41 & 42), the 2020 edition of Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks booklet (pgs. 42 to 44 inclusive) and information pertaining to gender identity published in You’ve Got This (Educate.ie 2023), Wellbeing for SPHE (Folens 2023) and Health and Wellbeing 1 (Edco 2023) and any resource produced independently by teachers or others using the SPHE Toolkit on the NCCA website.
I hereby notify you that I do not consent to the teaching of Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to my son/daughter [Insert name] as part of any curriculum subject or informal activity. Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology promotes homophobia, sexist stereotyping, and contradicts the science curriculum. It also ignores the experiences of desisters and detransitioners. Advocacy groups pushing Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology under the guise of “inclusion” frequently abandon the basic tenets of child safeguarding and consent principles.
The teaching of Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology to children, as fact, when “there is a lack of agreement, and in many instances a lack of open discussion, about the extent to which gender incongruence in childhood and adolescence can be an inherent and immutable phenomenon” (Cass, 2022), runs contrary to my conscience, as it should the conscience of education professionals who respect evidence-based policies. Schools have an obligation under Department of Education Circular 2018/43 to ‘protect students in their care at all times from any potentially harmful, inappropriate or misguided resources, interventions or programmes’. Teaching Gender Identity Theory/Transgender Ideology as fact does not meet this standard of care.
Teaching this factually incorrect ideology will sow the seeds of confusion among more children. Teenage girls are particularly susceptible to the well-established phenomenon of “social contagion”. The growing prevalence of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) with an increase of over 5200% in the past twenty years will only be exacerbated if this ideology is legitimized by those entrusted with their education.
Furthermore, schools must comply with Section 30-2(e) of the Education Act 1998, which protects a student’s right not to attend instruction that goes against the parents’ conscience. This is in accordance with Article 42.1 of the Irish Constitution, which guarantees the rights of parents as the primary educator. The Department of Education and Skills cannot override these constitutional rights.
While I understand that you may have acted under the understanding that you were following government guidelines, teaching children to uncritically accept this system of beliefs as fact, in this manner, amounts to indoctrination. I would draw your attention to the fact that following these guidelines contrary to the conscience of parents would be unlawful for the reasons set out above.
I/we look forward to receiving confirmation that our instruction will be respected.
Yours sincerely,
___________________________