The Department for Education has sneakily removed trans* children from its inclusion statement in the National Curriculum. Compare and contrast drafts.
It’s a complete hot mess. The government have given a really unsatisfying response.
Here are some actions you can take, with analysis from a trans activist.
I’ve also taken the liberty of setting up a petition, because while petitions are complete bollocks, they can be a useful means for increasing visibility of an issue.
Please make a lot of noise about this issue. We can’t let this instance of blatant and illegal cissexism go unchallenged. This could have a devastating impact on the lives of trans* children.
UPDATE 22/8: The DfE have said they will reinstate gender identity and the whole thing was a “drafting error“. To me, this is an unsatisfactory response. How on earth did they manage to forget about an entire group of people due to an accidental typo? How many people saw the drafts and missed this? Whatever happened, the cause must be cissexism. I have altered the petition accordingly, focusing on a demand for an explanation and I am looking forward to seeing the results of the FoI request, even as it is likely to be a fob-off.
Another angry woman 
Thanks for drawing people’s attention to this, and providing those useful links to understand the issue. I don’t know what they think they’re playing at, but I hope a deluge of letters to MPs will make some difference.
As someone who spends a lot of time around young trans* and gender-nonconforming adults, I can tell you it takes a lot of work later on to counter the character assassination many of them receive at the hands of their families, their fellow pupils at school, and even their educators – so their inclusion needs making explicit in this document.
I have nominated your blog for the Versatile Blogger Award.
More about this nomination is at
http://morethanannie.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/hurrah-a-nomination-versatile-blogger-award/