In a tense back and forth, during the end of a Year 8 class on “life education” at Rye College, in East Sussex, on Friday, a woke teacher told a 13-year-old girl and her friend, they're “despicable” for refusing to accept that their classmate could identifies as a cat. The school caters to 2 to 16-year-olds.
The row was allegedly sparked by one of the pupils asking a fellow pupil: “How can you identify as a cat when you’re a girl?” On a leaked recording circulating on social media, the teacher starts by saying “how dare you -- you’ve just really upset someone” by “questioning their identity.”
One of the pupils responded: “If they want to identify as a cat or something then they are genuinely unwell -- crazy.”
The teacher then asks the girls “where did you get this idea from that there are only two genders,” adding: “It is not an opinion.” She said that “gender is not linked to the parts that you were born with, gender is about how you identify, which is what I said right from the very beginning of the lesson.”
The teacher added, “there is actually three biological sexes because you can be born with male and female body parts or hormones” and “there are lots of genders -- there is transgender, there is agender who are people who don’t believe that they have a gender at all”.
The girls didn't budge, saying thay “don’t agree with that” and that you “can’t have” agender because “if you have a vagina you’re a girl and if you have a penis you’re a boy -- that’s it.”
The now triggered teacher interjected: “What do you mean you can’t have it? It’s not a law ... Cisgender is not necessarily the way to be -- you are talking about the fact that cisgender is the norm, that you identify with the sexual organ you were born with, that’s basically what you’re saying, which is really despicable.”
The teacher went on to accuse the kids of being homophobic and confused, which the girls denied. When the pupils said their mothers would be on their side, the teacher responded: “Well that’s very sad as well then.”
The teacher said that “if you don’t like it you need to go to a different school,” adding: “I’m reporting you to [senior staff], you need to have a proper educational conversation about equality, diversity and inclusion because I’m not having that expressed in my lesson.”
The row has infuriated parents who took to social media to condemn the teacher and the school. A parent of a Year 8 pupil at the school who has received the same lesson reportedly said “what bothers me is the shutting down of debate in such a threatening and aggressive manner, which I don’t believe is appropriate in an educational setting. Regardless of the subject, education should serve to build awareness of differing points of view to widen the understanding of a subject. It shouldn’t be a case of indoctrination.”
The parent of the pupil who recorded the exchange also expressed her dismay on social media, and thanked “those who have been kind and supportive” to her daughter.
The Church of England trust that manages the school along with others in East Sussex, Kent and south-east London reportedly instructed teachers earlier this year to “re-educate” those using “negative language” such as “that is mental” and “stop acting like a girl.”
“We are committed to offering our pupils an inclusive education," a Rye College spokesman said. "Teachers endeavor to ensure that pupils’ views are listened to, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion. Teachers also aim to answer questions sensitively and honestly. We strive to uphold the highest standards across the school. We will be reviewing our processes and working with the relevant individuals to ensure such events do not take place in the future.”
LISTEN to a clip of Rye College Teacher and the pupils talking about sexual identity and gender.