One little boy started secondary school this year with more than just stories of holidays abroad and trips to theme parks. This 12-year-old boy returned to school as a girl, after spending the summer dressing as a girl and preparing for a sex change operation.
The Daily Mail reported that the boy has changed his name and has returned to school dressed in the girl's school uniform. There are reports that his previous primary school head teacher insisted that the child be treated like a boy, despite his feminine behaviour.
Unfortunately his secondary school failed to treat the situation in a well thought out way either:The school had hoped that the change would go unnoticed as the child was joining secondary school as a girl. Unfortunately the other children noticed and taunted him, asking on several occasions "are you gay?"
Following the 'outing' of the child, an assembly was called where the school children were informed of the child's new choice of gender. The assembly went ahead without any of the parents being told, which led to many parents feeling outraged that they didn't have a chance to discuss this with their child and advise their children on how to deal with it more sensitively, rather than end up in a situation where ignorance breeds bullying.
The child has not been back to school since the assembly, which he did not attend, and his family are now the focus of threats and have been placed until police protection. He is now preparing for hormone treatment and eventually surgery. Currently under UK law, he cannot start to do any of this until he has passed through puberty. He could become the youngest child to go through a sex change, a record currently held by transsexual Kim Petras who had a sex change at 16.
What do you think of how the school dealt with the issue? Do you think informing the parents first would have reduced the bullying?