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They never had Holidays like this when I was at school
Thought some may find this interesting.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26090952-401,00.html
Moderator
Quote:Here is the text for those who find this thread after the article has been archived:Quote:A SCHOOLBOY in the UK has returned from holidays as a schoolgirl.The 12-year-old is preparing for surgery that could make him the world’s youngest sex-swap patient and arrived at school this week sporting pigtails and wearing a long dress.
His transformation sparked an emergency meeting at the school, with teachers gathering up students and ordering them to treat the boy as a girl.
Angry parents told The Sun their children were in tears and confused by news of the boy’s transformation, and said they should have been warned so they could discuss the issues with their children before school resumed.
The boy’s parents have changed his name by deed poll and are helping him prepare for hormone treatment.
They hoped his disguise would protect him from being bullied by his fellow students, but he was recognised immediately, according to reports.
He had been telling his friends “for years” that he yearned to be a girl, The Sun reported.
Teachers also helped to blow his cover, telling students at the assembly: “You may notice one pupil is not present in this assembly – that is because the pupil is now a girl.”
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4 Replies
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And the same story form that bastion of quality journalism in the UK – The Sun!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2643393/Boy-12-turns-into-girl.html
By BRIAN FLYNN
and VIRGINIA WHEELERPublished: Friday, September 18, 2009
A BOY aged 12 turned up at school as a GIRL – after changing sex during the summer holidays.Teachers called an emergency assembly to order fellow pupils to treat him as female.
The lad, whose parents have changed his name to a girl’s by deed poll, arrived in a dress with long hair in ribboned pigtails. He is preparing for sex-swap surgery.
Angry parents told yesterday how their kids were left tearful and confused after school staff announced the boy pupil was now a girl.
They said the head teacher should have informed them in advance of the “sex change” so they could prepare their sons and daughters and inform them about gender issues.
They added that the school’s failure to do so had left the boy to suffer cruel taunts and bullying.
One mum said: “They behaved appallingly by throwing this hand grenade into the room and then leaving the inevitable questions about it for unprepared parents.
“Maybe we could have explained sexual politics and encouraged our kids to be more sensitive if we’d had a chance to be involved.”
Over the summer holidays his parents changed his name to a female one by deed poll. He is preparing to undergo hormone treatment and surgery – and could become the world’s youngest sex-swap patient in the coming years.
The Sun knows his identity but will not reveal it. His mother told us last night: “We are committed to ensuring the very best for our child. We are working with other agencies to ensure our child’s welfare is protected.”
The 1,000-pupil school, in southern England, has given the lad a separate toilet and changing room in the sports hall.
It is understood he hoped his transformation would go unnoticed as he was starting secondary education and children stepping up from other primary schools would not recognise him.
But his former classmates at primary level DID spot the difference – and quickly spread the word.
The boy, who for years has told pals he yearns to be a girl, had to endure spiteful jibes and was asked by some kids: “Are you gay?”
Teachers stepped in with the emergency assembly, at which pupils were threatened with tough disciplinary action if they failed to treat him as a girl or use his new name. Some bewildered youngsters burst into tears.
The mum, whose daughter was a classmate of the lad at primary school, said: “She told me the pupil is already a target for bullying.
“And what has really upset the parents is that the school didn’t see fit to send us a letter first so we could explain it to our children in our own way.
“Parents surely have a right to know when their children are being confronted with such sensitive issues as gender realignment at such a young age.
“They were simply told, ‘You may notice one pupil is not present in this assembly – that is because the pupil is now a girl.’
“Kids are by nature immature and insensitive. It is not fair either for the child who is undergoing this change. The girl, as she now is, will go through hell because of how this has been handled.”
The lad was absent from school yesterday because of the taunts.
His family, who live on a council estate, have received threats and are under police protection.
It is understood the head at his primary school insisted he was treated as a boy – and used male toilets – despite his frequent “girlie” behaviour.
He wore a bikini instead of trunks at swimming lessons, dried himself on Barbie towels, rode a pink scooter to school and wore pink ribbons in his hair.
But a source at the secondary school, who referred to the pupil in both genders, said: “His parents have accepted he has now chosen to be a girl, and that’s how he will be. She has not come into school since the assembly. There were things that went on in the community which have been extremely upsetting for the family.
“It was a knock-on effect from what was said in school. So they can’t let her come in for her own safety. We have no idea exactly when she will be coming back, but she WILL be back.”
Transgender counsellor David Hawley last night paid tribute to the pupil’s “strength of character”.
He said: “It is very unusual for a child of that age to be that clear about what they want to do. She has had a lot of support from her parents. So I imagine she was comfortable with herself before going to school and now she is discovering it can be a nasty world, which is hard at that age.”
Psychotherapist James Caspian said the child would not be allowed hormone treatment in the UK until passing puberty. Meanwhile he and the other kids would have to cope with the shockwaves caused by the switch.
Mr Caspian said: “These children are old enough to have picked up a lot of taboos from society.”
German Kim Petras – born Tim – became the world’s youngest transsexual at 16 earlier this year. [/quote]
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It does appear that the transition could have been handled better but is it up to a Secondary school to notify the pupils of the personal choices and changes of other pupils? On the other hand ,to order the kids to treat her as a female does seem a tad heavy handed . I think that freedom for one implies freedom for all and to try and ban kids from teasing others is a bit like herding cats. Unfortunate as it is , teasing is the reality and a part of growing up and is a tough thing that one has to get through when one is on the ” shitty” end of it .
It also appears to me that any kid who can front up at school as a transkid , at that age is one tough kid so the others ( who burst into tears) may be at a distinct disadvantage with this girl about!! -
I have never really forgot about this event in earlier years at high school back in 1973.
This happened at a suburbian high school south of Brisbane.
This event was the highlight of the day with gorking and smiles all around at the new attraction. Admittedly I felt envious.
This grade 10 boy went to school in his sisters full school uniform for the day. I remember a teacher anouncing on the parade ground that there is a new girl at school that day and that was all that was said.
I remember asking one of the kids if he had a bra on. The answer was Yes.
I did not know him
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It is sad to see how botched the handling of this situation was. An announcement at an assembly is one of the most dreaded things for a school child. It is especially traumatic if they know it will lead to harassment or embarassment. To have the school point this out so publicly is careless.
A better approach would be for the principal to approach each class at a time in the pupil’s grade and explain the situation to the students. They could outline how students of this nature can be treated by their peers in a respectful way. Whether or not the students choose to be friends with this person is left up to them. They do not necessarily have to agree with another student wants to do with their life, but a degree of tolerance could have been encouraged. Also by allowing the students to respond with questions in a smaller environment, the after effects can be minimised.
I remember in high school we had classes on ‘Personal Development’. These classes were more or less a pep talk about life issues with our form advisor. Since that was the case here in Australia in the mid nineties, over fifteen years later it is hard to believe that this sort of situation could happen.
Clearly this was the result of a lack of planning and poor judgement of timing from both the school and the parents of the child. Surely there were other options besides trying to inject the new identity of this child into the school system and then forcing all of the student body to accept it?
What if the parents and school had arranged for a home tutor for the first half of the academic year? There are support services available like this from the Government for children who are unable to attend school for medical or behavioural problems (since it is available in Australia, no doubt England would have something similar). This would have allowed the pupil to continue studying and lessened the social impact of their change in presentation.
That being said, I’m sure many of us girls here have experienced bullying at school due to our natural feminimity. It may not let up on this poor kid, but atleast they’ll know who their friends are and wont live with the fear of being exposed. Shame that this had to happen in the first place…
