Teachers told to keep student’s gender secrets from parents

NSW public school teachers were being given official lessons in how to teach gender fluidity to pupils — and told parents should not be ­informed if a student “comes out”.

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NSW public school teachers were being given official lessons in how to teach gender fluidity to pupils — and told parents should not be ­informed if a student “comes out” because it would not be “safe” and students require “a bit of privacy”.

Video obtained by MP Mark Latham of an official webinar teacher course run by the NSW Teachers Federation uses an image of an ­androgynous child to claim “gender is a social construct” and promote lessons in gender fluidity, despite a ministerial ban.

It even suggests teachers put up a “Transgender Flag” in classrooms, bring LGBTQI issues into maths lessons and take children on excursions to the Sydney Aquarium to see two “gay penguin dads” raise a chick.

It explicitly states teachers should bring “LGBTQI issues into the curriculum”.

Teachers are told to look up resources hosted by the union, including links to articles from Minus18 on how children can “tuck your penis”, “buy breast binders online” and “penis pack”, which is described as “pretty much a penis shaped object to pack downstairs for bottom dysphoria”.

Mr Latham slammed the lessons, delivered in August, as an “appalling” denial of parental rights and said gender fluidity should not be brought into the curriculum.

“It’s a deliberate strategy to keep the parents in the dark, that somehow the teachers are more important than the parents in guiding the wellbeing of the children,” he said.

He plans to air the video at an upcoming parliamentary education inquiry.

Last night Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she already asked the curriculum body NESA, which accredits the courses, to do a full review in July.

“Safe Schools has never been part of the NSW school curriculum and we do not promote it,” she said.

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A NESA spokeswoman said the union had removed the course in September and it had not originally been ­included in the sample of courses NESA reviewed for endorsement.

In the video, NSW Teachers Federation trainer Mel Smith gives the teacher audience a quiz on how to respond if a student “comes out” to them.

“We don’t refer the students to the student counsellor just because they’ve come out,” she said.

“Of course it’s not OK to call people’s parents because it may not be safe for that child if their parents know, it could put them in an ­unsafe situation, it could mean they get kicked out of home. And certainly also the child is able to have a bit of privacy.”

Earlier, she uses a drawing of an androgynous child in undies, and adds a cap, ponytails and tutu dress to show that “gender is a social construct”.

“Gender itself is how I ­internally feel inside,” Ms Smith says.

She also advocates using a gender non-specific language in the classroom.

“If you have a maths problem, asking a question around statistics and different types of families, not just George and his mum and dad go to wherever, it could be Georgia and her two mums, so mixing it up,” she said.