Headteachers want help on dealing with gender dysphoria but fear government guidance will be too rigid
Beth* is a teacher. She works in a typical state secondary school in the north of England where there are now 25 to 30 pupils questioning their gender. She also has a transgender daughter who came out aged 11, was referred to specialist NHS services at 12, began hormone blockers at 15 and started oestrogen a year later. She is on a three-year waiting list for adult services and hoping to undergo surgery.
At school Beth helps run an LGBTQ+ club in the lunch break to support pupils experiencing gender dysphoria – a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. “We have a number that are fully out with their parents and out with their friends. We also have a number of students that come to [the] club for support because they’re out at school, but they’re not out at home.”
