Don’t talk about gender identity, UK government tells schools – POLITICO

The new guidelines could also ban English schools from introducing sex education material to children before the fifth school year, when pupils turn nine.

Britain’s Conservative government is increasingly interested in the gender debate and has already ordered English schools to inform parents if their children wish to change sex.

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch also announced legislation that would require newly built restaurants, offices and some other public spaces to have separate toilets for men and women, in a bid to crack down on “gender neutral” toilets. of gender”. Conservative MP Miriam Cates has led the charge to rethink sex education in schools.

Asked about the new measures for schools on Thursday, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told the BBC that “biological sex is the basis of relationships, sex and health education – not these contested views “.

Keegan said there had been “some evidence from some people” that students were being taught that there could be “72 genders”.

Pressed further on this claim, Keegan said: “Obviously there have been lots of articles in the newspapers, some parents have said they can’t access documents and we’ve seen documents from campaign groups or pressure groups – some people say they have seen them in schools, some saying we don’t have them in our school.