This would’ve been a nightmare for me as an actually gay kid. I wasn’t even deeply closeted or anything, it’s just that standing up in front of your whole school to make an announcement about your personal life is so uncomfortable.

This is screaming “hey! Kids with extreme attention seeking behaviors, wanna pretend to be gay right now?”

It's like they're modeling this on the kind of religious revivals where the pressure is put on the congregants to testify. When does the snake handling and speaking in tongues come in? ...Although neo pronouns might qualify for speaking in tongues.

So, I knew that my daughter, when she was claiming to be trans, was struggling (and had always struggled) with making friends. When she was a TIF and making all these huge pronouncements, she got LOADS of attention. The problem was, she was still mostly friendless and still super-lonely and I think it also mad her angry. She was still eating lunch in the band room with the band director because she continued to try to make the focus of all friendships herself. Kids paid lip service to complete acceptance, but no one wanted to be close to her and risk her wrath.

And, just as I told several therapists, since she was grounding her entire life on this enormous lie that she was actually a boy, everything else was ALSO a lie and she eventually had zero way out, in her entire life. The saddest thing, which I didn't find out until much later, when she was out of school, was something she told me and I actually felt a lot of sympathy for her and then I found out the truth and it still makes me feel badly for another kid.

My daughter was a TIF and started dating this girl and was welcomed into the girl's friend group. Then I was told that the girl broke up with my daughter and her entire friend group ostracized my kid and, well, minus the romantic relationship, this happened to me when I was in middle school -- that my entire friend group just dropped me, for no apparent reason. It was awful. I was VERY sympathetic and did my best to soothe and commiserate with my kid (which was something I couldn't find a lot of because of her awful behaviors toward me during this time).

What I later found out was that the girl did break up with my daughter -- and, it was because this girl wasn't a lesbian and she said she just couldn't really get past that my daughter was not really a boy like most boys and she wasn't attracted to her in a romantic way. And my daughter got mad and threatened to beat the girl up and OF COURSE her friends then circled the wagons and refused to continue any connection to someone who threatened their friend, not to mention longer-term friendships.

What I'm saying is of course messed-up KIDS think that what they want and need is any and all attention and they have zero idea of what and how that might play out. But the adults in charge should DEFINITELY be aware of this kind of thing and not be promoting it. Just on its face, encouraging kids to make declarations in front of the entire SCHOOL should be understood as the terrible idea it is. Kids should only be on a stage in front of the entire school for things we know reflect positively on them -- performances of music or theater or dance, recognition of academic achievement, or to teach history via great figures from the past for a class presentation.

OK, that last one's just the plot from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, but I wanted to end on a lighter note, because shit this is just some stuff I cannot believe is happening.

If only homeschooling were actually feasible and didn’t primarily rely on unpaid female labour. I feel bad for parents (and mothers specifically). This is yet another reason why I won’t be having kids.

This has the same energy like the girl coming forward on sunday in church to talk about how many other kids she brought "to Jesus". Geez.

what the hell is "omnisexual"? is that the same as pan-?

All the awkwardness of Christian altar calls, with more potential for physical damage.

There’s “omnisexual” now…I can’t keep up with all the new genders and sexualities they keep inventing.

This reminds me of the guidance counselor from Heathers who encourages students to share their trauma with the rest of the school in the name of "healing".

(Mini spoilers: she doesn't protect the one student who actually opens up about something legit and serious)

Oddly like the alter calls of my evangelical youth.

Image Transcription: Twitter

LibertyLins, @ LibertyLins22

Today 24/6/22 At my daughters school today in the Pride assembly, students were encouraged to 'Come Out' in front of the whole school. 2 Students did, one as Transgender the other as Omnisexual. They are 11 & 12 years old. What's going on in our schools? @ nadhimzahawi

The religiosity of it all... i mean... how can people not see it?? yikes