Can a TODDLER really be TRANSPHOBIC?

After the news that a child was suspended from nursery, two mums share their views

-  AMY NICKELL.

It’s no secret that kids have no filter and often say or ask things they don’t really understand. ‘Why’s that lady’s bum so big?’ ‘Where’s that man’s hair gone?’ ‘That person has a grumpy face,’ usually followed by shushing and frantic apologies from embarrassed parents. They don’t mean to cause offense with their curiosity, and we can’t blame them for it. Or can we? At what point do uncomfortable words become too much? Just recently, a story about a child at nursery being suspended for transphobic or homophobic abuse caused uproar. The report found that 94 pupils at state primary schools across the UK were suspended or permanently excluded for homophobia or transphobia in 2022/23 - the youngest only in nursery school. While exact details about the case weren’t released, it led many to question if suspending 3-to-4-year-olds was simply a step too far. Because when it comes to transphobia and homophobia, are toddlers really the threat here?

In the year ending March 2024, there were 22,839 reported hate crimes involving a person's sexual orientation, and 4,780 transphobic crimes. This, coupled with long waiting times for essential healthcare, discrimination in the workplace, street harassment and cyber bullying, really paints a shocking picture of a wider problem within society. We speak to two mums about how transphobia should be dealt with in schools...

'COMMON SENSE HAS BEEN SUSPENDED'

Amy Nickell, 35, lives in Hertfordshire with husband Jonathan, 45, and son Freddy, 10 When I heard that children as young as nursery age had been suspended for supposed transphobic comments, I was shocked but not surprised. Shocked, as how can anyone expect preschool-aged children to understand what it means to be transphobic? Most nursery-aged children are still potty training! Yet I have noticed too many schools with good intentions struggling to strike a balance with knee-jerk diversity and inclusion policies.