Primary school uses trans actor as positive example of masculinity

A PRIMARY school is holding up a trans man as a positive example of masculinity in teaching materials for its pupils.

Streatham Wells School in south west London says the Canadian actor Elliott Page, who medically transitioned with cross sex hormones along with gender surgery and now identifies as a man, shows that masculinity “can mean softness and strength”.

The primary school used the example of Page, along with the One Direction singer Harry Styles, to show children how men can be multidimensional.

In an article for the online newsletter Teachwire, the school’s headteacher Sarah Wordlaw wrote about her school’s efforts to tackle issues such as toxic masculinity and violence against women.

She wrote: “It is important to teach pupils about harmful stereotypes about masculinity. However, if the first time we teach and name masculinity is calling it toxic, that could do more damage than good to our boys…

“Undoing the deeply ingrained gender stereotypes in our society takes time.

It’s certainly not a quick fix. We have seen a significant improvement in children’s awareness of key issues surrounding gender equality. They know how to use their voice to advocate for others.”

Ms Wordlaw added: “Moving forward, we are going to continue to work on representation in our curriculum. This is not just representation of the amazing, strong women who have shaped global history, but also representation of positive masculinity.”

“We need to show that to be a man is not to be simply one thing. To do so we highlight well-known figures such as Harry Styles and Elliot Page. They show that masculinity can mean softness and strength, and everything in between.”

Page, who starred in Juno, Inception and X-Men, publicly came out as gay in 2014 and later as transgender in 2020, using the pronouns he/they.

Some educational professionals have suggested that using a trans man as an example might undermine the intended message that biological men can be gentle and caring. Streatham Wells Primary and the Charter Schools Educational Trust, which runs the school, were approached for comment.