It appears as if the Gauteng Department of Education is preparing to create gender-neutral toilets in schools

18 November 2022

The FF Plus recently got wind that the Gauteng Department of Education is preparing to create gender-neutral toilets in schools, which will undermine women's rights.

A questionnaire that was distributed among various schools in South of Gauteng and asked learners to indicate whether they identify as one of the LGTBQ groups was brought to the FF Plus's attention

The questionnaire also allows a parent or guardian to sign off on it.

What is exceptionally alarming, though, is that the questionnaire can also be signed by a learner who is twelve years of age or older, without a parent or guardian's knowledge.

The document specifically stipulates: "Signature: Child, 12 yrs. & older".

This procedure is, of course, totally illegal seeing as a child younger than eighteen may not enter into an agreement or share their personal information with someone, including the Department of Education, without the consent of a parent or guardian.

Moreover, the FF Plus sees this step as one in preparation for making various changes to schools in Gauteng.

These includes creating gender-neutral toilets, allowing boys who identity as girls to use the girls' bathrooms and participate in girls' sports, and the strict regulation of using new names based on learners' altered gender identification.

If these rules are enforced, it will fundamentally undermine women's rights because, among other things, persons who are lawfully classified as male will have unrestricted access to young women's private spaces.

On the sports field, it may also result in unfair competition and possible injuries.

The FF Plus will enquire from the Gauteng Department about the grounds on which the questionnaire was distributed and what the objectives are.

The party also wants to know why children as young as twelve can sign the questionnaire themselves.

The FF Plus understands that the Department has since retracted the questionnaire, but the questions regarding the reasons for distributing it in the first place remain relevant.

The national Department of Education also looked into and made recommendations for accommodating LGBTQ groups in schools.

Initially, it looked like the recommendations would become policy, but after pressure from the FF Plus's Dr Wynand Boshoff, the Department admitted that the recommendations are mere guidelines that are not enforceable.

The FF Plus believes in carefully weighing the interests of different types of people, and that the exception to the rule as regards gender identification cannot become the norm.

If LGBTQ groups must not be discriminated against, then the majority who identity as male or female, or boys and girls in the case of minors, must also not be discriminated against.

Thus far, the ANC has dealt recklessly with this sensitive issue on national and provincial level.

It once again proves that the ANC cannot be trusted to govern schools – as it intends to do in terms of the BELA Bill

The ANC government's actions are mala fide when it comes to the rights of women and children, so, parent communities must do everything in their power to retain authority over their schools.

The FF Plus stands with parent communities in the fight to protect their children's rights.

Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus national chairperson and MPL: Gauteng, 18 November 2022