MEDIA RELEASE

30 June 2015

Parents & Schools Warned About Harms of Gender Ideology

A new ground-breaking report on gender identity is warning parents and school leaders to be wary of the guidelines and policies being pushed in schools and communities, and that gender identity ideology is founded more on political ideology than it is in careful science and experience. This report explains how the issue is not as simple as many are making it out to be, and that there are many facts parents and community leaders must know about.

The report “BOYS GIRLS OTHER – Making Sense of the Confusing New World of Gender Identity”draws from decades of mainstream academic and international research, and seeks to bring clarity to this topic and practical advice for schools, parents and community leaders, for the wellbeing of children.

The report is being sent to every school in New Zealand, and to politicians.

The report was commissioned by family group Family First NZ in response to an increasing number of ‘born in the wrong body’ stories involving children in the media, and ‘gender identity’ guidelines and policies being pushed at schools by governmental groups and advocacy organisations.

“Our children are being indoctrinated with the message ‘Gender refers to how you identify, someone can identify as male, female, in between, both, or neither.’ And the PPTA has told secondary schools that ‘Gender identity refers to what a person thinks of as their own gender, whether they think of themselves as a man or as a woman, irrespective of their biological sex.’ Schools are being bullied by government and advocacy groups in to adopting policies around uniforms, toilets, changing rooms, and sports teams rather than heeding the warnings and research of leading scholars and clinicians,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

The report says: “Even while realising these issues are very personal and deeply felt and how they must develop empathy within us, it is unwise to allow emotions - regardless of how deeply felt - to drive the decision and policy-making process related to such issues. We must take a sober understanding and appreciation of what the leading scholars and clinicians have to tell us on these issues. Their voices should be heard more clearly and strongly than the various advocacy groups of any stripe” particularly as they impact our children.

The report also includes an essay from a former transsexual who warns that parents who play around with a gender change for their child are engaged in a dangerous, high-stakes game, and that a child with gender identity issues needs psychiatric or psychological help, not a change of wardrobe or hairstyle.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

DOWNLOAD THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ENDS

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