Read on Twitter
So a little bit like my aphasia thread, I've held off on these thoughts for a long while. That being said, many of us will teach trans kids this year. Here a few thoughts on a topic that is close to my heart. How to a trans inclusive teacher. /1
Your pastoral team should have procedures in place to support trans kids. Find out what they are. Find out about toilets, changing rooms, safe spaces, etc. Like everything welfare related, we should know this /2
If you teach a trans kid, do some reading. @stonewalluk is an awesome place to start. Getting everything you know about trans from the press is not ideal. /3
Respect the pronouns. If a pupil or family have asked your school to use alternate names and pronouns - just do it. It's not your place to regulate a person's pronouns anymore than it is to regulate their diet or religion /4
On a related note, when people put pronouns in their bio, they do so to support. If you don't want to - fine, but please don't mock people who do. /5
Again if you have a trans kid in your class, try to avoid using gendered terms "ladies" etc. I now try to refer to all my classes as their year group "year 10" so I don't make this mistake. /6
If you get it wrong, apologise, self correct, move on. Hold your class to the same standard. Don't ignore it when kids get it wrong, correct them and move on. /7
Being trans isn't about taking on a particular look. A trans boy might have short hair or long hair, gender identity and looks are not synonymous. /8
Last one, despite what people might think, telling your parents, family, friends that you aren't who you used to be is a big deal. Generally it is not a phase. The UK has v strict rules, the idea that a kid can have 'life altering surgery' then regret it is untrue /9
Properly last one, please don't @ me if want to tell me the reasons you can't be an ally teacher. Just go about your business. /end
