AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD non-binary Grade 3 learner had to wait nearly three weeks after schools reopened to finally join her classmates.
The young learner, previously with a privately-run school, was transferred to a public primary school in Denver, Johannesburg due to family circumstances.
When she was to move to a public school, her grandmother, 60, approached the school for her granddaughter to be admitted. She immediately explained the child’s circumstances and was given the assurance that everything would be resolved as soon as the schools re-opened.
But in January, school told her it needed to engage the Gauteng Department of Education before a solution could be found, as the school premises had gender-specific public facilities.
“For three weeks, we had a problem when we were told that my granddaughter, who displayed signs of being lesbian at the age of five, could not be accepted without the approval of the district.
“We were told that her sexuality made it difficult for everyone because she could not use the male toilets and the female toilets as this would be awkward for other children and her own safety and comfort as well... So, we waited until this week."
According to the Guidelines for the Socio-Educational Inclusion of diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) in schools, “early learning environments are important places to help children feel safe and accepted, whilst being encouraged to reach their full potential as every child has a gender identity, along with their personal understanding of how they perceive themselves”.