UK teachers vow to support trans students in defiance of new guidance

Teachers are fighting back in the wake of new draft guidance recently released by England’s Department for Education (DfE) that says they can freely misgender trans students and are required to out them to their parents.

Upon the release of the guidance – which must still undergo a 12-week public consultation before it is finalized – actress and trans ally Georgia Tennant posted screenshots from the flood of messages teachers have sent her promising they will continue affirming their trans students.

Related: Bullied trans teen blasts UK’s “inexcusable” new guidance on how schools should treat trans kids

Newton Carey was bullied so badly that he dropped out of school. He says new guidance requiring teachers to out trans students would be disastrous.

“I will always address a pupil under their chosen pronoun and put their well-being first!” one teacher wrote.

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Another declared they will “respect the students and centre the child,” adding, “I will fight for the equity of our non binary and trans students as I do with any who are part of the LGBTQ+ family.”

One teacher did not hold back her opinion about the government: “We’ll use whatever pronouns the kid wants us to. The Tories can shove it.”

Another opened up about the emotions the guidelines are bringing up: “It’s so vile I’m crying… any teacher who’d go along with this and disrespect a student so crassly, isn’t fit to be a teacher, either. It makes me so mad, that it enables exactly those colleagues again, that have never had the slightest bit of empathy or respect towards their students to begin with… I’ll always stand up for trans rights and make sure my students know they have a safe space where they’re always welcome.”

My Instagram is flooded with messages from teachers