An education company that provides LGBTQ+ and justice resources to students, parents, and teachers in schools is being criticized for allegedly providing “trans knowledge” to four-year-olds. But that is simply not the case, as PinkNews discovered.
After the Daily Mail published a story about parents at Meopham Community Academy in Kent becoming upset about the classes the company was supposed to hold at the school, Pop ‘n’Olly is the subject of an uproar on the internet.
One parent told the Daily Mail that “parents are worried the material does not feel age-appropriate” during a meeting between Pop’n’Olly staff, teachers, and parents about what content would be covered. The meeting reportedly became “heated” and “aggressive.”
According to a headline published by the tabloid, “trans education” might be made available to “children as young as four.”
However, children in this age group are taught about diverse family types rather than trans-related subjects, as PinkNews has discovered. Children in the program are specifically taught that there are many different households that children can be a part of, including those who live with two mothers, grandparents, or foster parents, and that “all families are equal” and “love, care for, support each other” are the main responsibilities of every household.
Kids are not taught concepts like trans and non-binary until they are in years 5 and 6, according to Pop ‘n’Olly’s workshop program details pack, which is readily available on the company website. These events for older kids are meant to demonstrate that LGBTQ+ persons are “a true and positive part of our society.”
Babies are also taught about overcoming unfavorable gender stereotypes between the ages of 1 and 4. This entails learning that “anyone can follow any job, wear any clothes, or play with any toys,” for Key Stage 1 students, and “identify conscious and unconscious gender stereotyping” for Stage 2 students.
Jack Lynch, workshops & training guide at Pop ‘n’Olly, said the content in the classes was produced by a team with more than 50 years of experience working with primary school-aged children. He spoke with PinkNews about the reaction and misinformation being spread regarding the agency’s work.
Additionally, it was created in conjunction with other educational guidelines, such as those outlined in the UK government’s RSE guidelines, Nice advice, and public sector equality duty.
“They told PinkNews,” “This is not just me coming in with my opinion and delivering this.”
“Empowering parents, teachers, and kids”
Although Lynch did emphasize that the majority of parents at the meeting were “extremely positive,” it is still “incredibly difficult” for them to handle aggression.
Particularly, when it comes to whether trans and non-binary people exist, as well as whether LGBTQ+ people in general, they said.
Since many of them were educated under Section 28, which, according to Lynch, has produced “a generation that does not have the language to discuss LGBTQ+ names beyond the sexualized language,” they added that some kids’ reactions to their work may be taken “out of context.”
Pop’n’Olly runs the platform for parents with the tagline “we really want to help parents understand how you can talk about LGBTQ+ names from a really young age and… that does not have to be from a sexualized view.”
They continued, “It’s teaching it from a relationship view, in terms of building healthy relationships with others as well as with ourselves.” That is absolutely essential to what we do.
The work we’re doing with Pop’n’Olly is all about giving kids, teachers, parents, caregivers, and other people the tools they need to feel confident and positive about their LGBTQ+ identities.
It’s about having a great time and being incredibly positive about LGBTQ+ people.
The Golden Trust Alliance, which oversees Meopham Community Academy, senior school improvement lead Michele Sowden-Mehta stated in a statement to the Daily Mail that the forum’s goal was to hear parents’ opinions on the content being taught and when they felt it was appropriate to introduce these elements to their kids.
“We recognize that every family wants the best for their child, and that disagreements can lead to heated debate.
“The vast majority of the feedback we’ve received so far has been positive,” and “We’ll continue the conversations with parents, caregivers, and the larger school community through a proper consultation in the coming year.”
This is not just about kids who identify as LGBTQ+, Sowden-Mehta continued. This has to do with all kids.
We are aware, for instance,
that bullied children are much more likely than those who fit typical gender stereotypes, such as boys who don’t play football, or children who live with two mothers, one family, or a grandparent rather than just one mother and one father, and may feel different from other kids.
We want them to know that even though one’s circumstances may vary, everyone in their immediate vicinity loves them.
But, we are aware that students who do identify as LGBTQ+ are twice as likely to experience bullying. LGBTQ+ young people are twice as likely to consider suicide, and Black LGBT+ youth are three times as likely. This has a devastating impact on someone’s mental health.
