This a series featuring quotes from some of the 600+ teachers, counsellors & social workers who signed the Statement of Support for Transgender Students. Quotes will be added as they come in.
If any media outlet would like to republish these quotes or if journalists have further questions for the signatories, please contact friendlypeople.sg@gmail.com.
“I signed this letter because both globally and in Singapore, many educational institutions, including the one I teach in, aspire to be inclusive and diverse communities. But to prevent these words from being empty buzzwords, we need to truly affirm students’ identities which includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. This requires us to extend much more institutional support for transgender students in schools. Making schools a welcome place for all is in the wider interests of society and also a duty that we owe to our students.”
-- JC, Instructor, 34 y/o
“As educators, we have always welcomed diversity in our classroom, be it race, gender, abilities, family structure, or socioeconomic situations. We have always taught our children to embrace differences, and I don't see a reason to stop now.
Reading about this situation has made my heart ache, because what if she had been my student? What if my student had been the one to face discrimination, to be told that her feelings and identity did not matter? I would have fought the world for her like I do for all my children, and I will fight for Ashlee too.”
-- Nana, former early childhood educator, 25 y/o
"As a teacher, I believe my role is to support my students’ education journeys and care for their physical, mental and emotional health too. This case involving Ashlee, the transgender student, seemed to go against all of these aspects.
I strongly believe that it cannot be the place of non-medical professionals (the Ministry of Education or school) to intervene in a transgender person’s legal medical diagnosis and hormone therapy, which can be lifesaving.
Even if it is true that the Ministry does not have an explicit policy that actively intervenes in transgender students’ medical procedures, there needs to be a clear anti-discrimination policy communicated to all schools, and concrete steps taken to ensure this, so that students are not subject to school leaders’ personal prejudices or beliefs."
-- L Lee, teacher
"LGBTQ issues have always been overlooked as a mere footnote in our english and humanities syllabus. Teachers don’t feel comfortable talking about it because of its illegal or immoral taboos and implications, or contentiously political discussions which MOE prohibits. Even the sex ed syllabus leaves out homosexuality or gender irregularities completely. Should students have personal questions or doubts, they are referred to school counsellors who often sidestep this as a psychological problem. My ex-Vice-Principal was so phobic, he pulped books that suggested LGBT themes without bothering to even google a blurb.
Personally, in my 25 years in the service, queer kids come to share only because I am open-minded and listen to them beyond class hours. My two adult daughters have told me how their schools had also focused sex ed for exclusively cisgendered heterosexual agendas. Their two trans and a few queer friends did not come out till after graduation. Things in the poly was less difficult because of culture and a lax dress code.
Ultimately what is lacking in the school ethos is understanding diversity and the empathy to include all individuals, including those marginalized by not just race, ethnicity or social class, but also sexuality.”
-- V Loh, Ex-GP and Literature teacher, 51 y/o