Pupil 'thrown out of class by teacher' after filming argument insisting only two genders exist

'I was saying there are more than one gender in this country ... that is an opinion which is acceptable in this school'

Corazon Miller
Thursday 20 June 2019 15:05 BST
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Pupil films teacher during row over gender policy

A Scottish school student secretly filmed his teacher on a smartphone as the two rowed over the existence of two genders and the definition of inclusivity.

The pupil went on to claim he was kicked out for voicing his “opinion” there were only two genders, while the teacher argued his views were at odds with national education policy promoting inclusivity.

The video of the exchange went global after it was posted online, sparking robust debate about freedom of speech, inclusivity and gender politics.

In the three-minute video the teacher can be seen coming into view as he tells the student he’s entitled to his opinion.

The pupil says the fact he was kicked out of class was “not very inclusive”.

The teacher responds that the student’s words hadn’t been inclusive.

“I was saying there are more than one gender in this country ... that is an opinion which is acceptable in this school.

“I’m afraid yours, which you are saying there’s no such thing other than male or female is not inclusive”.

The student replies: “There are two genders.”

(YouTube

To which the male teacher responds: “I get that, but you are choosing to make an issue of this ... that was your opportunity to keep quiet.”

The student replies that he thinks it is “silly to have anything other than two genders.”

The teacher tells him to keep his opinion out of the school and in his house, as the student continues to challenge him.

The video ends a few moments later as the teacher walks out of the room.

Picture: (YouTube / Paris Cloud)

Aberdeenshire Council indicated the video did not tell the whole story.

“It is important to understand the context of any video clip taken without a person’s consent.”

A spokesman told the Independent that it promoted inclusivity at its schools.

“In our schools, fostering good relations among different groups can be a real challenge but our aim is to support a fairer, inclusive environment for all,” he said.

It is understood the student has been disciplined for posting the video footage online - not for his actions within the video.

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