The schools, forced to denounce parents who deny their children to change their sex

The directors of schools and institutes can report to the social services parents who deny their children a sex change. This is established by 11 of the 13 regional school protocols for attention to transsexual students that are currently in force. Feminists warn that these instructions, which are mandatory, “pose a risk to the full exercise of parental authority”. In addition, they allow minors to change their name and appearance in the classroom without first making a change to the registry and even, in many regions, without the consent of their parents.

The Alliance against the Erasure of Women presented a report yesterday in which it analyzes the educational protocols that 13 regional governments have been publishing and updating since 2014 to develop their trans-autonomous laws. Although they will have to be retouched to adapt to the state norm that Congress approved in February, and that allows free “gender self-determination” from the age of 16, they all share the spirit and the main postulates of the national law.. ELMUNDO has asked all the educational departments for the latest versions of the protocols and has reviewed them to verify the study of the feminist association.

Indeed, neither requires a change in registration, nor a medical or psychological report, to initiate what is known as the “social transition” of the minor, a process that begins by modifying names and pronouns, clothing, and the treatment given by teachers and colleagues and that, warns the Alliance, “it is the first step to lead minors to the medical transition, hormones and irreversible surgeries”. This process can be initiated by the parents, but several CCAAs allow the minors themselves to do so.. It is also activated by teachers, although they are not qualified. And if the parents don't want to?

“In the event that there is no agreement between the family of the minor and the educational center regarding the assessment of the situation, the management will inform the Inspection and assess the existence of a possible situation of risk or helplessness,” says the protocol of Catalonia. “In the event that one of the legal representatives objects, the management will notify the social services of the non-coincidence in the approach to addressing the case of the minor in a situation of transsexuality,” indicates the one prepared by Navarra.

Castilla-La Mancha affirms: “In the event that those legally responsible show signs of not respecting the sexual identity of the minor, the Family Service of the Ministry of Social Welfare will be informed”. The Canary Islands contemplates going to the Inspection “if the minor does not have family support in his decision.”

Most of the protocols say that the school must mediate with the families and try to convince them, but if that does not work, the “best interest of the child” will prevail.. This is the case in Galicia, which contemplates that the director of the school take “the precise measures” if “any of the legal representatives objected” and even goes so far as to speak of activating the care protocols for child abuse “when in the attitude of the family clearly detect indicators of mistreatment towards the gender identity of the minor”.

Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Aragon state in very similar terms that the authorities for the protection of minors will be notified “in those cases in which, due to the attitude of the family towards the gender identity of the student, signs of mistreatment», formula also collected by the Basque Country.

In the Valencian Community, “if the family does not recognize the identity expressed by the son or daughter and persistent emotional or psychological suffering is observed”, the director will act “with determination”: he will request that “the care unit” act and, “in extreme cases of non-cooperation, and once the dialogue channel has been exhausted”, the school “will proceed to notify the child protection department”.

Madrid also contemplates that, if the parents refuse, “and when said refusal could cause serious harm to the minor, the competent services for child protection must be notified”, although the regional government specifies that this protocol will be reviewed, in line with the “profound reform” of the Madrid trans law announced by Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

No other of the 13 Autonomous Communities consulted by this newspaper has reneged on its trans protocols, despite the fact that the Alianza feminists warn that “they are aimed at validating unscientific concepts” (the one from Castilla-La Mancha says that “the identity of gender is a social construction and the definition of sex-gender is conceptualized from a more psychosocial than biological aspect”) and “provide disciplinary measures for teachers and students who question these actions”.

The La Sagrera Sant Andreu institute in Barcelona has set up mixed bathrooms for the inclusion of trans students and a specific toilet “for menstruating people”.. Classical feminists see the use of this terminology (as in “pregnant people” to talk about mothers and “human milk” instead of breast milk) a “political attempt to erase women through language” .

All protocols are very similar, regardless of the political sign of their governments. Even the one from Murcia, approved by a counselor from Vox, urges that the teacher “address the student by the name that has been communicated by himself or by his legal representatives, both in extracurricular and extracurricular activities including exams.

In the 13 protocols (those already mentioned, plus a circular with instructions issued by Extremadura) it is not necessary to change identity in the Civil Registry so that the notes, class lists and library or student card “adjust to the chosen name and to the sex with which the student feels identified”, but, yes, official documents such as the title must state the original identity until the registry modification is formalized.

They all allow the student who self-diagnoses as transsexual to use the bathrooms and changing rooms according to their “felt gender” and some urge mixed toilets to promote their inclusion.. 100% allows the “free choice of clothing”, even in schools with uniform. And most agree that the sport is carried out according to that self-declared gender: that is, they will play in the girls' or boys' team depending on how they feel.