New transgender guidelines put UK schools ahead of US as federal judge blocks Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care
By
Adam Sabes| Fox News
A federal judge temporarily blocked Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths on Wednesday, June 28, taking the action shortly before the measure was set to take effect.
The ruling comes amid the release of new transgender guidelines by England’s Department for Education, which state that teachers in England should not have to accept requests from students who want to “socially transition” at school.
The draft guidance states that if a student transitions, teachers and staff won’t face sanctions if they don’t adopt new pronouns. In addition, teachers in England should tell parents if their child wants to change their gender identity at school, arguing that “significant decisions” affecting a child’s future shouldn’t be taken without parental involvement.
The “Gender Questioning Children” guidance states this should happen in the “vast majority of cases,” but in “exceptionally rare circumstances,” teachers can decide to withhold information if revealing it could put a child at “significant risk” of harm.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said in a press release announcing the guidance that it puts the best interests of all children first, “removing any confusion about the protections that must be in place for biological sex and single-sex spaces and making clear that safety and safeguarding for all children must always be schools’ primary concern.”
The same sentiment was echoed in the guidance stating schools should also take a “cautious approach” to such decisions as it is “clear that social transition is not a neutral act.”
In contrast, school districts across the U.S. have been accused of secretly transitioning children at school. For example, over three million K-12 students in 25 districts across the country’s public school system are permitted to change their names without parental consent, according to a report conducted by the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) and shared with Fox News Digital.