"Wrongly gendered": Teacher gets banned from working

In England, a teacher was banned from practicing because he misaddressed a transgender schoolchild. After the verdict, he expresses himself radically. The British government wants to issue guidelines.

Oxford – The incident occurred in 2017 at a middle school in Oxford. Joshua S. had praised a group in math class. "Well done, girls," he is reported to have said. The problem: One of the people was a trans boy, he did not identify as a girl. The teacher was expelled from school after he spoke out about the incident on TV. He took legal action against the dismissal.

Now, five years later, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has imposed a professional ban on the 33-year-old. Is the question in the question often justified or exaggerated in the gender debate? The statements are in opposition to each other. This seems to be not only about the students, but also about beliefs.

Wrong address in class: Teacher receives indefinite professional ban

As reported by the British magazine Dailymail, among others, the TRA prohibited Joshua S. from teaching in schools and children's homes in England for an indefinite period of time. He had failed to "treat his students with dignity" and disregarded "the need to protect the welfare of his students," according to the statement. The standards of conduct do not correspond to those of a teacher.

While S. initially stated that he had apologized immediately, the Agency did not assume that it was an isolated case. In the interview after the incident on the program "This Morning", the teacher and son of a Protestant priest is said to have called the student the wrong gender again. "In my view, it is necessary to enact a ban to maintain public confidence in the profession," Alan Meyrick, the TRA's decision-maker, said of the ruling.

At a middle school in Oxford, a teacher used the wrong pronouns for a trans boy. He was expelled from school (symbolic picture). © Thomas Imo/Imago

Wrong gendering is not the only reason for a ban on the profession: Teacher thinks being gay is wrong

Additional incidents in schools with Joshua S. contributed to the verdict. For example, he spoke out against same-sex marriage to students and described being gay as wrong. He disregarded potential effects on students, especially queer students, according to the agency. In a boys' school, he watched videos with titles such as "Making Men Masculine Again," which could reflect toxic stereotypes of masculinity. S. can apply for a lifting of the ban on the profession from 2025.

Wrong speech in class: Teacher speaks of "gender confusion" after the verdict is announced

The 33-year-old S. has already announced that he will appeal the verdict. In an interview with the Telegraph, he said he did not want to apologize. "I believe that it is psychologically harmful for children to reinforce their gender confusion in the classroom," he was quoted as saying. He was sorry, but that was the Christian point of view. He didn't want to go along with it. "To be honest, I'd rather die. Of course, that's pretty extreme, but that's how I feel," S. said in an interview. The Ministry of Education declined to comment on the Joshua S. case and the verdict to Dailymail.

In the UK, guidelines for teachers are currently being discussed to make it easier for schoolchildren to deal with their gender identity, The Guardian reported. In Germany, however, the Self-Determination Act is being discussed. (chd)