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dd's avatar

It seems that the majority of kids undergoing trans/identity things are white kids, especially girls.

Are there any studies on this? There is a whiff of 90s recovered memories mania here. As a note, I am gay and in my 60s and coming out and day life was never like this....where the percentages coming out just zoomed.

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grufinprog's avatar

I’m very skeptical of a lot of this, as a parent, but I can see that there is some risk from some parents, and also that some kids may be feeling distressed and find it easier to talk to a teacher. I’m not of an absolutist mindset that a teacher must immediately disclose anything a child says back to the teacher. If a kid privately tells a teacher they’re gay, I think the teacher may hold onto that information, responsibly. And I think most people respect that kind of private confidence.

But social transition is quite different. It’s then not something only between the teacher and student, but something that everyone EXCEPT the parents know. That’s not a secret, that’s a deceit, and a kind of humiliation. “The last to know” carries very negative connotations, and as you say, risks I think a greater separation from the family.

Then the final issue is whether suggestion or influence played a part. Overall this seems very risky in terms of the parent-teacher relationship, not to be able to trust that you’re hearing the truth of what’s happening in the classroom from them, or that they’re advising in quite a different direction than you might want.

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