The Macdonald-Laurier Institute says the the federal trans-affirming approach is "dangerous" and that a taxpayer-funded educational toolkit made in this vein should be scrapped.The federal government funded “Trans-Affirming Education in Schools: An Educator Toolkit,” to instruct Canadian teachers on issues concerning “gender diverse” students. In a new column for MLI, James Pew says the toolkit's approach defies an increasing pile of evidence.On August 28, 2022, the federal government launched the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan aimed at “advancing rights and equality.” In 2023, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded a grant to the Trans-Affirm research team under Dr. Wayne Martino, a professor of “Equity and Social Justice Education” at Western University.Based on an Ontario survey, Martino's team authored a report entitled, “Supporting transgender and gender diverse students in Ontario schools" and launched the toolkit.Pew says three Ontario teacher unions were "instrumental in the rollout of the survey" that had "an over-reliance on questionable opinion or survey data." This approach is common for "activist-generated research," Pew says, especially those by the "woke Critical Social Justice (CSJ) movement.""It has been welldocumented that these unions have an intense bias towards CSJ operating assumptions, regardless of how unscientific or ahistorical those assumptions may be (Levy 2023)," Pew writes.Pew says the 1960s Marxist university students became school professors later and put us on the current path of Neo-Marxism and Cultural Marxism."The new rationale is that since capitalism causes the 'terrible' crime of reproducing Western culture, it is the nuclear family, the gender binary, heterosexuality, whiteness, liberalism, religion, nationalism, and most of the stuff conservatives, traditionalists, and moderate liberals hold dear that are the targets of the woke CSJ activists. These are the things that, through the dynamism of capitalism, reproduce the culture, the norms, and the moral boundaries (taboos) of Western society," Pew explains."The Trans-Affirming Toolkit is as much engaged in the 'struggle' to overthrow capitalism, as it is engaged in the 'dismantling' of morality, normativity, and truth. To the woke ones, these struggles are one and the same."The toolkit claims, "Many people simply do not identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth and self-identity in a myriad of ways which is reflected in many of the terms that they use."Elsewhere, the toolkit alleges, "colonialism and the Church played a significant role in denying and eradicating gender diversity that existed in first Nations (sic] communities through enforced and violent assimilation." A "Gender Wheel" is included which its authors say draws on “Mayan and Aztec calendrical wheels to help us decolonize our thinking.”.The first module of the toolkit explains “language that names the specific kinds of oppression related to gender identity.” Module two focuses on “gender justice” and “gender expansiveness.”The third module says a “trans-affirming school community" should go “beyond ‘inclusion’ to address the roots of trans marginalization and violence against trans and gender diverse students.” A fourth module covers “trans policy," while the fifth has two action plans.Pew says the approach of the toolkit has suffered a political and scholarly backlash in recent years. In Britain, this started with a review by Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, of the Gender Identity Development Service (Tavistock) in Britain.In a preliminary report in 2022, Cass found that puberty blockers and other aspects of the gender identity approach were "not a safe or viable long-term option." In 2024, the NHS decided to ban puberty blockers altogether.Cass' final report in 2024 made what Pew calls a "scathing indictment" of WPATH's standards of care. "Cass sees no scientific validity in prescribing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital surgeries to minors, and is also critical of the practice of social transition," Pew explains.Norway, France, Holland, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, have made similar reversals, Pew points out. In Canada, New Brunswick, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have made limits on trans-affirming approaches."These dangerous and experimental gender-affirming practices, based not on science, but on Critical Social Justice ideology, have caused far too much harm to minors. It is time for Canada to follow the advice of the Cass Review, rethink its approach, and redesign its policies . . . Starting with cancelling the TransAffirming Toolkit," Pew concludes.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute says the the federal trans-affirming approach is "dangerous" and that a taxpayer-funded educational toolkit made in this vein should be scrapped.The federal government funded “Trans-Affirming Education in Schools: An Educator Toolkit,” to instruct Canadian teachers on issues concerning “gender diverse” students. In a new column for MLI, James Pew says the toolkit's approach defies an increasing pile of evidence.On August 28, 2022, the federal government launched the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan aimed at “advancing rights and equality.” In 2023, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded a grant to the Trans-Affirm research team under Dr. Wayne Martino, a professor of “Equity and Social Justice Education” at Western University.Based on an Ontario survey, Martino's team authored a report entitled, “Supporting transgender and gender diverse students in Ontario schools" and launched the toolkit.Pew says three Ontario teacher unions were "instrumental in the rollout of the survey" that had "an over-reliance on questionable opinion or survey data." This approach is common for "activist-generated research," Pew says, especially those by the "woke Critical Social Justice (CSJ) movement.""It has been welldocumented that these unions have an intense bias towards CSJ operating assumptions, regardless of how unscientific or ahistorical those assumptions may be (Levy 2023)," Pew writes.Pew says the 1960s Marxist university students became school professors later and put us on the current path of Neo-Marxism and Cultural Marxism."The new rationale is that since capitalism causes the 'terrible' crime of reproducing Western culture, it is the nuclear family, the gender binary, heterosexuality, whiteness, liberalism, religion, nationalism, and most of the stuff conservatives, traditionalists, and moderate liberals hold dear that are the targets of the woke CSJ activists. These are the things that, through the dynamism of capitalism, reproduce the culture, the norms, and the moral boundaries (taboos) of Western society," Pew explains."The Trans-Affirming Toolkit is as much engaged in the 'struggle' to overthrow capitalism, as it is engaged in the 'dismantling' of morality, normativity, and truth. To the woke ones, these struggles are one and the same."The toolkit claims, "Many people simply do not identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth and self-identity in a myriad of ways which is reflected in many of the terms that they use."Elsewhere, the toolkit alleges, "colonialism and the Church played a significant role in denying and eradicating gender diversity that existed in first Nations (sic] communities through enforced and violent assimilation." A "Gender Wheel" is included which its authors say draws on “Mayan and Aztec calendrical wheels to help us decolonize our thinking.”.The first module of the toolkit explains “language that names the specific kinds of oppression related to gender identity.” Module two focuses on “gender justice” and “gender expansiveness.”The third module says a “trans-affirming school community" should go “beyond ‘inclusion’ to address the roots of trans marginalization and violence against trans and gender diverse students.” A fourth module covers “trans policy," while the fifth has two action plans.Pew says the approach of the toolkit has suffered a political and scholarly backlash in recent years. In Britain, this started with a review by Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, of the Gender Identity Development Service (Tavistock) in Britain.In a preliminary report in 2022, Cass found that puberty blockers and other aspects of the gender identity approach were "not a safe or viable long-term option." In 2024, the NHS decided to ban puberty blockers altogether.Cass' final report in 2024 made what Pew calls a "scathing indictment" of WPATH's standards of care. "Cass sees no scientific validity in prescribing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital surgeries to minors, and is also critical of the practice of social transition," Pew explains.Norway, France, Holland, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, have made similar reversals, Pew points out. In Canada, New Brunswick, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have made limits on trans-affirming approaches."These dangerous and experimental gender-affirming practices, based not on science, but on Critical Social Justice ideology, have caused far too much harm to minors. It is time for Canada to follow the advice of the Cass Review, rethink its approach, and redesign its policies . . . Starting with cancelling the TransAffirming Toolkit," Pew concludes.
