Teacher reveals how schools are struggling with trans rights

For many people, the story that emerged last week of an 18-year-old girl who expressed doubts about ‘‘transgender ideology” and was bullied out of school by her peers was no doubt a shocking one. The girl, who wants to remain anonymous, says that she was “treated like a heretic” after she questioned a female member of the House of Lords who had come to the school to speak about transphobia in parliament. The visitor used language that the girl believed implied critical theory took precedence over biological reality in defining women. The incident prompted her fellow pupils to turn on her — she claims that a crowd of up to 60 girls screamed, swore and spat at her. She has since left the school.

JK Rowling and the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, have come out in support of the girl, whose case was made public by a whistleblowing teacher. Rowling criticised schools for pandering to quasi-religious fanaticism; Zahawi said her treatment was “hugely concerning”; and invited teachers with similar concerns to come forward.

While it is undoubtedly an extreme example, the story is also evidence of something that teachers like me know to be true: that gender politics is causing chaos in schools around the country, leaving staff and pupils afraid to express their views.