Toddlers And Young Children Suspended From UK Schools For “Transphobia”

According to newly released data from the Department for Education, the child was one of 94 students in state primary schools suspended or expelled for alleged "abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity" in the 2022-23 school year. This category includes children no older than 7—10 of whom were in Year 1 and three in Year 2. The toddler’s case appears to be the youngest yet.

Let that sink in: A preschooler was kicked out of class for not having the correct views on gender identity.

Unsurprisingly, details about the incident are scarce—likely because the idea of a barely verbal child mounting a campaign of ideological hate is, on its face, absurd. What could this “transphobic behavior” have been? Mispronouncing a classmate's name? Saying “That’s a boy” when shown a picture of a male? These are the kinds of innocent, developmentally normal behaviors that activists are now labeling as bigotry.

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy for the organization Sex Matters, didn’t mince words: “Teachers and school leaders involved in this insanity should be ashamed of themselves for projecting adult concepts and beliefs onto such young children.” She added, “This isn’t about making schools safe. It’s about bending children to activist demands—and robbing them of their education in the process.”

And the numbers are climbing. In the previous academic year (2021–22), 164 suspensions were issued for similar allegations. That number jumped to 178 in 2022–23. Areas like Essex, Birmingham, and Bradford are seeing the highest reports.

It’s easy to see what’s happening here: Ideological enforcement is trickling down to the youngest members of society. While most toddlers are still mastering the alphabet and potty training, a growing number of schools are expecting them to master the language of gender ideology—or else.

Lord Young of the Free Speech Union shared growing public frustration, saying, “These punishments are utterly unbelievable.”

The Department for Education insists it's committed to making schools safe and inclusive, saying their behavior policies aim to “ensure all pupils and staff feel safe and protected.” But the question remains—safe from what, exactly? A child's innate ability to recognize sex differences?

The idea that toddlers can or should be held accountable for transgressing ideological boundaries isn’t just laughable—it’s dangerous. It undermines parental rights, tramples over childhood innocence, and transforms schools into arenas for social engineering.

Could The Tide Turn in the UK?

The suspension of a toddler for so-called “transphobic” behavior would be disturbing enough on its own—but it’s even more shocking when you consider the broader context. The UK has been rocked by scandal after scandal surrounding “gender-affirming” ideology in recent years, culminating in major institutional reversals and public outcry.

One of the most damning developments came in the form of the Cass Report, an independent review led by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass into the now-shuttered Tavistock Gender Clinic, the only facility in the country that specialized in treating gender-distressed children. The findings were devastating: the clinic was found to be rushing children—many of whom were vulnerable, autistic, or suffering from trauma—onto irreversible medical pathways with little to no psychological assessment.

The report criticized Tavistock for being ideologically driven, rather than evidence-based. It found that the clinic prioritized political pressure and activist narratives over clinical caution, with children receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones despite a lack of long-term safety data. The clinic has since been permanently closed, and the NHS is now overhauling its approach to childhood gender dysphoria, pivoting toward a much more cautious model of care.

These are not fringe opinions anymore. They are the result of national introspection—and a growing awareness that rushing young people into a lifetime of medicalization is not compassion, but negligence.

And yet, while the medical establishment is slowly retreating from its most extreme positions, schools and nurseries are apparently doubling down—treating even toddlers as though they’re capable of hate crimes, while branding normal child development as ideological offense.

At some point, common sense has to make a comeback. And maybe it starts with saying what most people already know to be true: Kids shouldn't be suspended for failing to toe the line on radical gender theory. They should be playing, learning, and growing—not walking on eggshells before they even learn how to tie their shoes.

Subscribe today to get unlimited access to all of Evie’s premium content.