New rules on gender identity within Portuguese schools are kicking up a stink.
Revealed last Thursday, the government’s new directive has enraged the centre right, prompted a petition that has already amassed over 30,000 signatures (click here), and seen ‘outraged parents’ air their concerns over social media.
While newspaper opinion pages have been discussing the ‘advantages and disadvantages’ of the directive – best known for the fact that it will allow transgender children to choose which bathroom they use – the clock ticks.
Explain reports, the directive will be coming into effect next month, when the country’s schools start the new academic year.
Its basis is a law passed by parliament last year seeking to guard against discrimination of transgender people.
But as reports stress the directive will only apply to ‘children’ over the age of 16 who are in the process of ‘gender transition’ with their parents support.
Totally obscured within the controversy is the number of ‘children’ involved.
As Associated Press reporter Barry Hatton remarked last week, there are no official statistics on how many transgender children there are “in the country of 10 million people”.
Expresso – citing Mariana Vieira da Silva, minister for the presidency and administrative modernisation – adds that schools are to be left to decide how they interpret the new rules – on the understanding that they must “guarantee pupils’ wishes are respected”.
Beyond the ability to choose which bathroom to use, transgender pupils are to be free to identify with their ‘new name’ (ie Júlio may wish to be known henceforth as Júlia) and the corresponding dress code for that name (meaning Júlio-now-Júlia might turn up for class in a skirt).
Centre-right MPs interpret the rules as “an ideological imposition by the radical left” and fear they could actually worsen school bullying.
The petition text has also inflamed the situation by getting its ‘facts’ wrong.
Paragraph four claims children “of any age” will be free to decide which bathroom to use. This is not the case, secretary of state for education João Costa told TSF radio: they have to be over the age of 16 and in the process of gender reassignment (with their parents’ consent).
The directive is “not a bathroom directive” he said. “It is a child protective directive”.
As the controversy continues, the association of private teaching establishments (AEEP) has told Público the new directive does not apply to private schools “because of the autonomy they enjoy”.
