Gender neutral student demands

bbiggs
bbiggs Posts: 6,964
in A Moving Train
My friend sent me the following text today:

“My daughter has her first day of teaching High School tomorrow.  She teaches AP History at a local high school. She is in meetings today with other teachers and she was informed she has a Senior student who is not a boy or a girl and only answers to different nouns that “it” chooses on a daily basis.  “It” refuses to respond when called by its name.”

Gender neutrality topic aside, I find this troubling that a HS Administration must succumb to the pressure of a student who demands to be called something different on a daily basis. 
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Comments

  • Spiritual_Chaos
    Spiritual_Chaos Posts: 31,476
    Stress testing the system
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,457
    home school "it". such a student would be disruptive to the rest of the class and maybe the school as well. what happens when the teacher doesnt guess right? either choose something consistent or stay at home.

    its funny, they can feel like whatever they want, male female neutral, and I can "feel" like addressing them as I see presented
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
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  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,123
    This scares me as a teacher,  it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Ugh
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,457
    I wonder what the disciplinary history is for this student.
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    LMFAO...he/she/it/they should get no preferential treatment and if whatever refuses to cooperate boot their ass out and tell the parents to find a school that will put up with this attention-getting fools nonsense.  I blame the parents, they obviously let this fool get away all this nonsense.
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • Spiritual_Chaos
    Spiritual_Chaos Posts: 31,476
    edited August 2019
    mcgruff10 said:
    This scares me as a teacher,  it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Ugh
    America with its lawsuit culture. Never not funny.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,964
    mickeyrat said:
    home school "it". such a student would be disruptive to the rest of the class and maybe the school as well. what happens when the teacher doesnt guess right? either choose something consistent or stay at home.

    its funny, they can feel like whatever they want, male female neutral, and I can "feel" like addressing them as I see presented
    Perfectly said.  This is a case of the inmates running the asylum.  
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,964
    mcgruff10 said:
    This scares me as a teacher,  it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Ugh
    That’s probably the HS Administration’s take as well.  It’s sad it has come to that. Welcome to 2019 America. 
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    I have to assume this person is an intersex person (previously referred to as a "hermaphrodite").  As with being gay, that's not a choice.  But what do you call a person who is both?  "It" seems degrading.  So what then?

    What I don't get is the kid refusing to answer to a name.  Why not?  Is Mary too female, Bart too male?  Give yourself a nickname and be Marty.  Or what ever.   Why would the kid make things matter by not using some kind of name? And why a different noun everyday? 

    If I were that teacher, I would would tell the kid, "Pick one word, that's all you get.  I'm not going to call you or anybody else by a different name or word everyday.  Either be reasonable or get out of my class."

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    I don't doubt the veracity of the poster, but I highly doubt the veracity of the story as relayed.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • jeffbr
    jeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    "It" must be registered with the district under a name. Presumably "it's" legal name. "It" should be called by "it's" legal name. If "it" doesn't like that, then "it" needs to have that changed. But it is not up to the school or the teacher to keep track of what "it" prefers to be called on any given day.

    Who is in charge there? The obnoxious kid, or the school? "It" will be called by "it's" name. Simple.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    "It" sounds like a Facebook meme that your crazy aunt Linda shares while she laments about God being kicked out of schools.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    Flower is my spirit animal.


    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,599
    rgambs said:
    "It" sounds like a Facebook meme that your crazy aunt Linda shares while she laments about God being kicked out of schools.
    Agreed. 
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,964
    I know this sounds like an unbelievable story, but my buddy is not one to embellish at all.  Sadly enough, as outlandish as the story seems, it doesn’t shock me in today’s day and age. The school needs to have a backbone. 
  • Bentleyspop
    Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,422
    bbiggs said:
    I know this sounds like an unbelievable story, but my buddy is not one to embellish at all.  Sadly enough, as outlandish as the story seems, it doesn’t shock me in today’s day and age. The school needs to have a backbone. 
    Where is this taking place?
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,964
    Bentleyspop said:
    bbiggs said:
    I know this sounds like an unbelievable story, but my buddy is not one to embellish at all.  Sadly enough, as outlandish as the story seems, it doesn’t shock me in today’s day and age. The school needs to have a backbone. 
    Where is this taking place?
    Suburban Chicago, about 20 miles west of downtown. It was the neighboring high school to the one I went to growing up. 
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    brianlux said:
    I have to assume this person is an intersex person (previously referred to as a "hermaphrodite").  As with being gay, that's not a choice.  But what do you call a person who is both?  "It" seems degrading.  So what then?

    What I don't get is the kid refusing to answer to a name.  Why not?  Is Mary too female, Bart too male?  Give yourself a nickname and be Marty.  Or what ever.   Why would the kid make things matter by not using some kind of name? And why a different noun everyday? 

    If I were that teacher, I would would tell the kid, "Pick one word, that's all you get.  I'm not going to call you or anybody else by a different name or word everyday.  Either be reasonable or get out of my class."

    The typical non-specific pronoun these days is "they", Brian. It takes a bit of getting used to for those of us who prefer to keep our singular and plural pronouns separate, but less bothersome than most of the alternatives, and at least is not degrading, as you point out. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    rgambs said:
    "It" sounds like a Facebook meme that your crazy aunt Linda shares while she laments about God being kicked out of schools.

    Sounds like there are quite a few pearl-clutching old grannies in here, and maybe one or two who'd like to go back to the good ol' days when gay, trans and otherwise gender-fluid kids were bullied mercilessly and killed themselves in high numbers, but by god they got called by their legal names.

    I think it's perfectly reasonable to have an empathetic and experienced person sit down with this kid and say "You have to chose a name that we can call you each day." I think it's unreasonable to demand that the kid be called their legal given name.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,457
    edited August 2019
    oftenreading said:
    rgambs said:
    "It" sounds like a Facebook meme that your crazy aunt Linda shares while she laments about God being kicked out of schools.

    Sounds like there are quite a few pearl-clutching old grannies in here, and maybe one or two who'd like to go back to the good ol' days when gay, trans and otherwise gender-fluid kids were bullied mercilessly and killed themselves in high numbers, but by god they got called by their legal names.

    I think it's perfectly reasonable to have an empathetic and experienced person sit down with this kid and say "You have to chose a name that we can call you each day." I think it's unreasonable to demand that the kid be called their legal given name.
    they had to register with something, as far as I remember it was your birth cetificate. from that registration comes the initial attendence lists. from there the teacher would be asking the question as to what the student prefers to be called, i.e. nickname, etc. Thats usually only asked once.

    I am interested to know how the parents are accommodating their child. it begins there.

    All else fails the teacher can simply say "hey you....."

    otherwise, the student can be homeschooled......


    its ironic you bring up the "good old days" about  bullying and the like and in the same breath call some here "pearl clutching old grannies"
    Post edited by mickeyrat on
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14

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