Peter Madden Channel

Forwarded from Ireland awake

OPINION PIECE: The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) and the British based ‘charity’ Educate and Celebrate appear to have an unhealthy and corrosive relationship. On 9th March The Times described Educate and Celebrate as a ‘sex education campaign group’. Their CEO and founder Dr Elly Barnes MBE was invited to address the INTO at an ‘equality conference’ on the 8th February 2020. The conference was advocated for by the LGBQT Teachers Group, a campaigning pressure group within the INTO but it was hosted by the INTO and not the pressure group. Dr Barnes is not a medical doctor, her doctorate is an honorary doctorate awarded by the University of Aberdeen for her commitment to inclusiveness. Also awarded on the same day was Judy Murray, a tennis coach with a commitment to tennis and a radio show presenter Nicky Campbell for his commitment to radio. Nice one everybody. At the ‘equality conference’ Dr Barnes had some interesting advice to give to the INTO, ‘if you are going to embark on LGBQT education of children don’t send a letter home, that’s the worse thing you can do’. Very obviously the advice given by Educate and Celebrate is do not involve parents. Do they not consider that parents are the primary educators, does the INTO disagree with the fact that parents are the primary educators. Why didn’t the INTO issue a disclaimer stating that Dr Barnes advice was given in her private and personal capacity and that it doesn’t reflect INTO thinking or could it be that the LGBQT Teachers Group effectively controls the INTO in all aspects of inclusiveness. Educate and Celebrate have a mission statement that states ‘we equip you and your communities with the knowledge, skills and confidence to embed gender and sexual orientation into the fabric of your organisation’. Is that how the INTO hope to transform schools. Since then the INTO have been busy building on the advice given and support offered by Educate and Celebrate. This year the INTO have produced a course for their Summer School Programme called ‘Creating a LGBQ and Inclusive school’, a course that advises teachers to change their language to ‘trans/gender non conforming inclusive’. This course which has all the hallmarks of a ‘copy and paste’ job from Educate and Celebrate advises teachers to ‘challenge attitudes in children’ and to be ready to ‘facilitate social transitioning’ in children. This is where a school child may wish to be considered as another gender and wishes to dress accordingly and be addressed by different pronouns. This is usually the first step in a process that ultimately leads to life changing surgery and permanent reliance on drug therapy starting with puberty blockers. In the UK, Dr Hilary Cass who investigated the Tavistock Clinic in London cautioned against ‘social transitioning’ stating that it was not a neutral act and that it could have significant effects on the child in terms of psychological function. The INTO have serious questions to answer, do they endorse the course ‘Creating a LGBQ Inclusive school’ and if so have they consulted meaningfully with parents on a school by school basis and independently risk assessed the advice. Do they agree with Educate and Celebrates stance that parents should not be informed or consulted. Will the INTO offer advocacy and representation to teachers who refuse to cooperate with pronoun changes on grounds of conscience. Finally is the INTO just another disappointing woke fake Trade Union captured by a LGBQT advocacy group and totally failing to reflect accurately the views of the membership or effectively act as a genuine Trade Union advocating for the pay and conditions of its members.

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