Let Kids Be Kids and Penny Marie
“What society does to its children, so will its children do to society”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero
Heads up – this is a long read! We recommend you grab a cuppa and settle in…
We focus on two papers that were tabled at the conference. You can find all the 2024 conference papers here.
The purpose of unions
Unions exist to advocate for improvements to employee rights, collective agreement bargaining, and advocacy. Are used to listen to union delegates and advocate on their behalf for better outcomes – usually relating to pay, contracts, rights, working conditions.
Reading the papers being presented at the conference, it seems that the tail is wagging the dog. Are a handful of activists partaking in influencing, enforcing ideological changes on the education system? Is this being driven by PPTA members at large, or being imposed on them by a few?
Our education system is in dire straits
Legacy media touches on concerns, see here and here, but they talking about some elephants in the room. Just two of which are:
- Radical gender theory is awash in our education system. We recently heard from a mum and 12-year-old daughter, on what’s happening in their school with sexuality education, and the effects on students. Parent’s don’t want it, many students don’t want it… so why aren’t these important stakeholders being heard?
- School attendance and achievement rates are in decline. Why is our Ministry of Education not focusing on reversing these trends, and ceasing gender ideology in classrooms like Bulgaria recently did? Politicians in NZ are NOT adequately addressing the sexualisation and gender ideology issue.
What is driving changes to our education system?
On our recent roadshow, Penny Marie explains how gender ideology is coming from NGOs outside of New Zealand, and influencing our Ministry of Education. Others around the world explain this too.
What’s Going On With Our Kids? - Roadshow Part 1 - The Big PictureLet Kids Be Kids, Penny Marie, and Elisabeth Cave·29 Aug Read full story.
Much of the sex, “gender’, sexuality, and sexual education in schools all over the world today is there because of a broad program called Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). CSE was originally developed in the early 2000’s at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and is pushed to all member states from there are apart of “inclusive” and “global citizenship” education. It is directly tied to using education to help achieve the United Nations Agenda 2030 “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs).
– Logan Lancing & James Lindsay, The Queering Of The American Child.
CSE amounts to a powerful moral intervention into the lives of children around the world that happens as a routine part of the school day. Lessons aim to shape children’s attitudes and values in the most intimate sphere of their lives. The goal is to bring about social change... As such, the global imposition of CSE unwittingly involves children in an explicitly political project.
– Dr Joanna Williams, Sexualising Children? – The rise of Comprehensive Sexuality Education - MCC Brussels.
It’s no accident that this is occurring. The question is, why? Do New Zealand families want it? Do we care enough to understand what’s really happening with our children?
1. PPTA lobbyists want to remove hes and shes and replace with theys in their constitution
Refer: Amending Gendered Pronouns - Constitutional Amendment.
The proposal is to remove references to he/him and she/her out of the PPTA Constitution and replace with they/them.
- Is this a policy-driven, language (society-changing) slight-of-hand, where biological reality is omitted, possibly ‘shamed’ or at least disregarded, in favour of words which have always meant plural, or more than one.
- Why are our institutions going to such lengths to erase our born sex identifiers? There is nothing sexist in speaking biological reality, and the more people stay quiet about this, the more it permeates everything.
- That this is being done in the teaching profession is cause for consternation. It’s not being done to keep a small minority from having their feelings hurt. Regardless of claims to the contrary.
- Once changes like this are accepted… it’s very hard to roll back. Is the populace ok with what’s being done at policy level – particularly in education?
Why are we seeing this phenomenon?
Why are politicians and leaders struggling to answer the most basic of questions, “What is a woman?” Lancing states that “What is a woman” is “whatever and whomever – and only whatever and whomever – Queer Activists say it is”.
Look around you. On the media, in politics, in schools, councils, large corporations … where do you see sex replaced with gender… and gender now meaning pretty much anything at all? We share some examples in part three of our recent roadshow.
What’s Going On With Our Kids? - Roadshow Part 3 - Policy Vs PeopleLet Kids Be Kids, Penny Marie, and Elisabeth Cave Read full story.
Activists lobby for legislation and policy changes, which has put society on the altar of the queer cult. And all who question it are silenced and/or labelled transphobic/homophobic.
Is this what we want society to become?
2. PPTA are proposing ‘Rainbow’ Community Liaisons
Refer: Encouraging Rainbow Community Liaisons
Whilst the title says Rainbow, throughout the entire document the proposal is actually for “Queer Community Liaisons”. Queering is flooding our schools and the PPTA are proposing to ramp it up even more.
Ask a person on the street what the definition of ‘queer’ is, and most say, ‘Isn’t it the same as ‘gay’, or ‘homosexual’? It’s a word wrapped in assumption without much consideration. It’s time to learn more about the word queer and its implications.
We’re seeing queering in action… queer activists are in decision-making positions. And they have convinced others to do their bidding (indoctrination, pressure, financial influence, recognition are just some strategies that appear to be used).
Definition of queer
The PPTA’s definition of queer is watery. In this paper they state that “the use of the word queer is a reclaimed word to refer to people within the rainbow (LGBTQ+) community”.
Listen to James Lindsay, author of The Queering of the American Child explain another meaning of queer. In short, queer is a political stance and is not based in reality… It is rooted in ‘opposition to the norm’.
“Queer theory is fundamentally anti-family.” - Stella O’Malley on RCR with Peter Williams.
Who is driving this within PPTA?
Did you know that PPTA has a tribe of ‘Rainbow Teachers’ too? It’s not new. Wherever we see rainbow clubs or charities – be they with youth or adults, they usually state that they are involved in ‘activism’. Concerning?
Why are some teachers overtly expressing their sexual preferences as part of their job, and some are ushering it so brazenly into the classroom? Why is a minority group radically influencing the majority? When was it decided that hyper-focusing on gender and sex was a positive way to ‘progress’ society and raise healthy, balanced children? Our sexual preference is not our only identity-marker, after all.
What are Community Liaison's?
The MOE commenced a trial of ‘Community Liaisons’ in term one this year. Sixty-six schools are taking part in this trial, and these roles are to support Māori and Pasifika students. Teachers in this role receive an extra $1000 per year.
Mere months later, ‘rainbow’ teachers are lobbying for Queer Community Liaisons. Perhaps this was the goal all along, and ethnicity was simply a stepping stone on the path? There are already ‘Rainbow/Queer Liaisons’ and ‘Queer Straight Alliance Liaisons’ in a number of schools around NZ. There are also ‘diversity’ groups and ‘safe spaces’ for students identifying in the ‘rainbow community’ throughout schools.
Most prominent Queer Community Liaison is Elliot Pilmore, teacher and Year 12 Dean from Paraparaumu College who:
- Was featured in a NZ Herald article about his new role as Queer Liaison
- Is on the cover of the PPTA discussion paper, and
- Is the college’s PPTA union representative (as stated here).
What is ‘queer theory?’
Queer theory is a radical ideology that uses activism (queering) to convince people that nothing is normal or natural. It specialises in convincing people that sex, gender and sexuality are social (political) constructs – fabrications invented and sold as “the truth” by dominant classes – but this factors are not limiting factors. Queer Theory’s activity is to deconstruct the very concept of normalcy.
– Lancing and Lindsay – The Queering Of The American Child.
If it feels like a cult, and sounds like a cult…
American education is in the grip of a religious cult… This cult preaches a new religion of sex, “gender’ and sexuality and they use school policy and teaching practices to brainwash children into their poisonous doctrine. The cult has long known that classrooms are fertile recruiting grounds with soft, vulnerable targets. Today children across America find themselves under the spell of Queer Theory.
– Lancing and Lindsay – The Queering Of The American Child.
But it’s not just America. It is prominent in Canada, America, Australia, England and New Zealand (perhaps it is no coincidence that these are the Five Eyes (FVEY) nations). It is also prevalent throughout many other Western nations. Could it be a planned, strategic attempt to collapse our societies from it’s very nucleus – the family unit, and our kids are the bullseye target?
Families where children can be children (let kids be kids), are at the heart of a functioning, loving society. It is the role of adults in society to keep our children safe, nurture them and raise them in a way that nurtures good adults.
Should we focus children’s attention on positive attributes, or perceived flaws?
Instead of focussing on basic humanity and character, legislation, policies, and significant funding are focussed on the ‘queering’ of our children, and weakening of parental role in their children’s lives.
What’s Going On With Our Kids? - Roadshow Part 2 - Identity DisruptionLet Kids Be Kids, Penny Marie, and Elisabeth Cave Read full story.
New Zealand now has the unenviable reputation of being (as far as numbers gathered suggests), the country with the highest number of children on puberty blockers per capita in the world. And although many voices raise alarm bells (and have been doing so for a number of years), they are not only ignored, they are targeted.
What’s in this proposal, exactly?
The paper proposes that ‘Queer Community Liaison’ roles be established in high schools throughout New Zealand, that these roles be supported in collective negotiations, and that those taking these roles be remunerated with a $1,000 a year bonus. All in the name of providing ‘safe and inclusive’ environments for “students and staff of minority genders and sexualities”.
The paper states:
High School can be a challenging time for all students, but it can be especially difficult for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or other queer variants (LGBTQ+ or queer). During these years, students are developing their sense of identity and are beginning to understand their place in the world. They are also navigating complex social dynamics and dealing with issues related to sexuality and gender.
They just tied the whole of a child’s identity to their sexuality (again), and notice how they specifically mentioned ‘queer’ at the end of LGBTQ+, of which the Q already refers to queer? They are ramping up queerness to an alarming degree and we encourage parents (and those within education) to take notice. At Let Kids Be Kids we regard this hyper focus on sexuality as dangerous and leads to the inducement of unstable gender identity in children and youth.
The PPTA’s statement sounds very similar to the statements made by UNESCO, in a video on Ministry of Education’s TKI website…. It’s a single narrative, repeated over and over, by every agency (A ‘single source of truth’, again).
Renumeration for Queer Liaisons
The PPTA is proposing funded roles for Queer Liaisons in high schools. At a time when our education system is in a multifaceted crisis. Teacher shortages, academic achievement and attendance rates in decline, and student behaviour is worsening overall. Things are dire and THIS is one of their priorities?
Two reasons funding Queer Liaisons is inappropriate:
- The numbers in this ‘minority group’ simply don’t stack up as requiring these roles. In the PPTA paper they state: Approximately 1% of High School aged students self identified as transgender or non-binary, with a further 0.6% of High Schoolers reporting that they are unsure or are questioning of their gender identity.
- There is no reliable evidence that this minority group experiences widespread bullying or threats – certainly no more than in other population groups. What people experiencing gender distress need is quality, unbiased therapy to assist them to accept their natural selves, and support for the trauma that has led to their distress. See below about the one-sided Posey Parker media reports.
Nothing new under the sun
There is a strategy being implemented here. It’s a known political strategy to weaken society. It’s been implemented in history before, including in Communist Hungary in 1919, and Maoist China in the 1960s.
Aether Pirates of the Matterium! Lin Biao’s Curse of Trans!
The evidence to support claims of victimhood simply isn’t there
The paper draws on poor quality data to justify the need for Queer Liaisons in schools. It states: “In 2023, hate crimes against transgender and gender diverse individuals doubled compared to the previous year.” This is a reference to a single Radio NZ news article. This article is about the Posey Parker event.
This event stands out in its singularity as a potentially premeditated publicised event where trans-activists descended en-masse on an event about women voicing concerns about women’s spaces. The media gobbled it up, spat out the narrative that trans people are victims of violence, when in fact the opposite was true, and now this event is repeatedly used in media and education to infer that in New Zealand we have an oppressed and victimised minority trans/rainbow/LGBTQIA+/queer group.
The paper claims: “In the current political climate, there has been an emboldening of people to voice their negative opinions towards queer people, both online and in person.”
They put themselves in somewhat of a juxtaposition. While touting their ‘critical’ theory, they leave no room for those questioning their methods and theory to also be ‘critical’. I.e., to question or criticise their theory and conclusions (which are not backed by reliable data), is what they are likely calling ‘negative opinions towards queer people’.
People who question this ideological strategy are not of ‘negative opinions’ toward a subset of people… we rightly question the accuracy of their claims. Our focus is on process and policy, not the individual.
Flawed claims that lead to increased harm of children and youth
It is entirely possible that this lobby group have misrepresented information in their claim: “…many schools rely on the school guidance team to deal with queer issues, largely due to the overlap between being queer, and suffering from potentially traumatic events (PTE’s)”. They are insinuating that a child’s trauma and ‘queerness’ are linked and their conclusion is that it’s because of how society is treating them, and so society must be forced to change to create a ‘soft landing’ for these traumatised people.
In actual fact, true care would be to further investigate the cause of the trauma and work with the child one-on-one to heal the trauma. Well-researched and outspoken critics of queer theory agree that there is an overlap, however providing a solution of ‘affirming’ the child into their queerness has been proven to fail, with life threatening and psychologically damaging effect. So why hasn’t it been exposed and halted?
Queer liaison people can help to reduce the load that falls on guidance teams, by acting as a queer “filter”, liaison people can point queer rangatahi in the direction of safe and affirming mental health professional, either in school or from an outside provider.
One doesn’t even need to look further that this proposal itself to see just who the queer liaisons will be referring these children to. The InsideOut school services manager is quoted in the document. The Ministry of Education endorses and funded InsideOut’s suite of resources. And refer to them multiple times on their website. Many have raised concerns about InsideOut such as here, here and here.
The Ministry has fallen The homophobia of InsideOUT Homophobia, coming to a school near you…
Queer Liaisons will be teaching less and queering more
Release time is vital to ensure time is available for planning and organising support, as well as for meeting with community support groups targeted at helping queer rangatahi.
With teacher shortages and lowering academic achievement rates, would pushing for Queer Liaisons to work alongside one per cent of the student population, who will require release time from class to up-skill and connect with support groups (InsideOut, RainbowYouth, Qtopia etc) would be considered appropriate, if rational people were at the helm?
Teachers, are you concerned?
- Teachers Unions in NZ are known for their left-leaning policies and views. A new non-politically aligned registered teachers union, the Teachers Professional Association of NZ (TPANZ) offers all in education, including non-teaching staff and early childhood educators a fresh alternative. Read TPANZ’s view on the PPTA’s recent conference papers.
- Contact TPANZ for information, if you’re experience with PPTA or NZEI is unsatisfactory. (If you join TPANZ, mention Let Kids Be Kids for a $25 discount).
Questions for parents…
- Have you spoken to your school principals, deans, teachers of any concerns you have, and asked questions to determine what is happening in your school? If yes, are you confident with their answers?
- If you no longer trust what the education system is providing for your children, what options are there for your family?
- Why should the ideological influence of the few, continue to determine the outcome for the many?
Final thought….
Play this situation out till the end. Look down the road five, 10 years from now. Where will be at as a society, if we allow in such sweeping society changing policies and constitutional changes into our lives. Into education. Here’s a sneak peek. Is this what we may be heading for.
This article was originally published by Let Kids Be Kids.
