Letter: I urge Paul Givan to rethink his comments on transgender issues, lest he encourage further discord in our classrooms

Can I respond as a retired secondary school teacher to Paul Givan’s article in the News Letter (Paul Givan: ‘I've ordered immediate removal of trans guidance for schools in NI,’ Sep 8) and his further comment on Radio Ulster.

My experience of trans pupils is that they usually want to fade into the background and get on with their lives, they do not want to be the centre of attention because this attracts bullying. I believe most secondary schools (primary may be different) were able to accommodate trans pupils discreetly in a way that respected the rights of all pupils.

The media scare stories involving trans pupils competing in girls sport or using girls changing rooms did NOT apply to any NI secondary school as far as I am aware, and nor should they. Where I did disagree with Paul Givan is when he talked on BBC Nolan about respecting a teacher’s right to choose their own pronouns when referring to a pupil. Every teacher knows that we have gender neutral pronouns (they, their) which can be used where there is any doubt about gender, or just use the child’s chosen name.

I spoke on Nolan pointing out that it would be seriously unprofessional for a teacher to insist that their own perception of a child’s gender should take precedence and be advertised in a class, in contradiction to the child’s wishes. This selfish action on the part of the teacher would create tension and distraction in the class, as well as upsetting the trans pupil and would damage everyone’s education.

Treating Trans pupils with respect is not ‘fluffy utopianism’ as another caller described it. There are some battles we do not have to fight. Can I urge Paul Givan to rethink his comments on this one point, lest he encourage further discord in our classrooms.

Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6