March 26, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — A Twitter storm blew up this weekend over a book by a Toronto transgender activist that’s in all of Nova Scotia’s Grade 8 language arts classrooms.
“ShootingStar” tweeted out Friday that Transphobia: Deal with it and become a gender transcender by J. Wallace Skelton was distributed to Grade 7 classrooms in Nova Scotia.
ShootingStar issued a correction Monday that the book was “part of a Gr8 classroom library, so that means age 12–13. I’d said initially it would be for 11–12 yr olds.”
However, that doesn’t alter the fact that “in schools where these grades share classroom space, or where the teacher teaches both grades, younger students would still have access to it,” ShootingStar tweeted.
Moreover, outrage on Twitter at ShootingStar’s initial revelation was not just because the age of students, but because of the book’s evident bias.
“this is grotesque,” tweeted well known Canadian journalist Jonathan Kay.
“grade 7 students in nova Scotia taught that it’s transphobic to express concern when they feel frightened by men in a women’s bathroom. also listed as evidence of transphobia: being *accused* of transphobia.”
this is grotesque. grade 7 students in nova Scotia taught that it's transphobic to express concern when they feel frightened by men in a women's bathroom. also listed as evidence of transphobia: being *accused* of transphobia. https://t.co/wqTG5Sm4dl
— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) March 24, 2019
Kay was referring to the book’s quiz on one’s level of “transphobia,” which increased the more “true” answers one gave to such questions as: “I don’t think think that trans woman and trans girls should be able to use the washroom with other women and girls” or “I think that if you are born with a certain body, that it’s wrong to change it.”
“also, check out number 29 and 30: opposing the current way of teaching sex and gender means you’re a bigot. this is seriously creepy mccarthyite stuff,” Kay tweeted.
No. 29 and 30 are, respectively: “I don’t think we should be learning about sex and gender in school,” and “I think there are more trans people because kids are learning about sex and gender too young.”
“My fave is 6 tho which makes a 12 year old into a transphobe because s/he might feel fear confronting a pack of bullies,” tweeted one observer.
ShootingStar also highlighted the book’s bias.
Opening page introduces the concept of transphobia and the following scenario is used as an example of transphobia.
In large, bold, coloured print, a student tells the coach a boy shouldn’t be on the girls’ track team because he is “bigger, stronger, and faster”. pic.twitter.com/Vh3t5HPb14
— ShootingStar (@turnthetide2018) March 22, 2019
J. Wallace Skelton, the author of Transphobia: Deal with it, is an equity adviser with the Gender Based Violence Prevention Office of the Toronto District School Board.
Skelton is married to transgender activist Sason Bear Bergman, a woman who identifies as a trans “man.”
In 2015, Bergman infamously wrote in the Huffington Post that her goal was to “indoctrinate your children into my LGBTQ agenda (And I’m not a bit sorry).”
A Nova Scotia’s ministry of education spokesperson confirmed that “one copy of the book Transphobia: deal with it and become a gender transcender is available in all Grade 8 English Language Arts classrooms across Nova Scotia.”
The book “is not a textbook, and is not a required part of the school curriculum. This book is available among many other resources for students to read, if they choose, as part of their independent reading,” Chrissie Matheson told LifeSiteNew in an email.
The book was “reviewed using the Bias Evaluation tool” in which a “group of teachers make up the team who do the bias evaluation,” and in this case, the team included “a young person who identified as transgendered,” Matheson said.
Nevertheless, those who commented on Kay’s Twitter feed disputed that gender theory should be taught in schools at all — making them, by Skelton’s standards, transphobic.
“It should not be in the schools purview, period,” tweeted another.
“This has to be harmful to kids. To not be allowed to feel their feelings, or express them. This is just appalling psychology,” he added.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has similar resources in their “Building a Just Society Toolkit” tweeted teacher Dave Pasco.
The EFTO recommendation such books as My Princess Boy for Grade 1, Not All Princesses Dress in Pink and The Boy in the Dress for Grade 3, and The Harvey Milk Story for Grade 7.
“And of course you know about various school boards using ‘I Am Jazz’ teaching materials. To K aged kids,” tweeted Pasco.
“Schools ‘audit’ out (censor) any books that present contrary positions while promoting gender identity/expression as normal to 4 & 5 year olds. All teachers unions back this 100%,” agreed tweeter TruePatriotLove.
Schools “audit” out (censor) any books that present contrary positions while promoting gender identity/expression as normal to 4 & 5 year olds. All teachers unions back this 100% pic.twitter.com/XkUWIXqXxJ
— True Patriot Love (@PatriotLov) March 24, 2019
Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition decried the book as gender ideology propaganda.
“The idea that being a boy or a girl is unrelated to one’s biology is pure madness. It’s anti-scientific and it should be illegal to pump this nonsense into the minds of the young,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“This is so dangerous to children that parents in Nova Scotia really should band together and file a class action lawsuit again the Nova Scotia Education Minister and this school board, for wanton and reckless child abuse.”
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s education department notified parents in early March that kindergarten to Grade 12 students will have the option designate their “gender” as “x” rather than “male” or “female” on school documents, the CBC reported.
Students from Grades 7 to 12 can themselves request an “x” designation for “non-binary, transgender, gender fluid, gender diverse or another gender identity,” but kindergarten to Grade 6 students require parental consent to do so, it reported.
If parent and student disagree on the student’s “gender,” then “schools will make the decision that causes the least amount of harm to the child/youth,” the education department notice said.