
You may have heard or read commentators say that Trans and Gender Diversity is a recent trend. The truth is there is ample evidence to the contrary. Trans and gender diverse people have always existed across history and cultures, with many different names given to these identities.
There is quite a bit of evidence identifying Trans and Gender Diverse people in a vast array of cultures throughout human history: Fa’afafine (Samoa), Kathoey (Thailand), Femminiello (Italy), Skoptsy (Russia) to name just a few. The discussion around Gender Diversity and whether it is a creation of modern society or not tends to also be linked to education of our children. It is important to note that when looking at this topic we should always approach it from what is best for our children. With this being said, there is no evidence to suggest that teaching children about gender diversity is harmful to them or their development. In fact, research actually demonstrates that environments that are inclusive of gender diversity discussions and education reduce discrimination, negative impacts on mental health and also lead to improved social and health outcomes for people leading into their adult years.
Here in Victoria and Australia our education and curriculum frameworks work to ensure teaching content is current and grounded in scientific fact. Important to know that both psychological, psychiatric and medical associations here in Australia and around the world recognise trans and gender diverse identities. There is also further evidence to support that being trans or gender diverse is a normal human variation with biological and medical evidence supporting these variations.
To learn more about this you can read the full discussion on this myth in the Trans Talking Points Report, pages 6-7.
With Pride,
Holmesglen Pride Network
0 Comments.