The parents of a 13-year-old girl who was labeled “despicable” by her teacher after she rejected a classmate’s claim that she identified herself as a cat have expressed their anger tonight.
The angry couple say their daughter was ‘bullied’ by her life education teacher for speaking out and have rejected a decision to report her as ‘ridiculous’.
Two eighth grade teenagers at Rye College in East Sussex were ordered to stay behind in class after a collision with their classmate who identifies as a cat.
One of the girls secretly recorded their conversation with the teacher, who chides them both for their belief that gender is binary, calling it “really despicable” and “very sad.”
The girls are also told ‘if you don’t like it, you should go to another school’.
Pupil told her to stay after class at Rye College in East Sussex (file image)
Tonight, the mother of one of the girls, who has asked to remain anonymous, told MailOnline: ‘I am so proud of my daughter, she will always stand up for what she thinks is right and this is all she did.
“She expressed an opinion that many of her classmates and their parents would share, but she was yelled down and bullied by someone in authority.”
She continued, “That teacher telling her to leave and go to another school if she didn’t like what she was told made my blood boil. What kind of welcome is that for a 13 year old girl.
“My daughter texted me from her life education class last Friday saying she was learning gender identity and asking to fill out a worksheet. We’ve talked about the issue before and she’s like me, you can be whatever you want, but facts are facts.
“I replied that she could leave class if she didn’t feel that what she was being taught was right.
However, she didn’t and stayed in the class, but she and her boyfriend got their point across and clashed with another girl in class who identifies as a cat.
My daughter told the teacher that what they were teaching was ridiculous and the girl who identified as a cat tried to argue that it wasn’t and that anyone could identify as anything.
As she said my daughter replied “so if I identify as a kangaroo, can I say I’m a kangaroo?!” Some of the others in the class started laughing and the girl who thinks she’s a cat started crying.
“My daughter and her friend were told to stay after class and given a warning to stop and stay on the line. Then she secretly began to record the teacher.
“I have to say when my daughter came home from school and told me what happened. I didn’t believe her, I thought she was a typical teenage girl who exaggerated.
Rye College is a member of the Aquinas Trust, which prides itself on the fact that one of its core values is ‘promoting equality, celebrating diversity and tackling disadvantage’.
Rye College has been bombarded with angry messages on social media, including the one above
“But then she played me the recording and I was shocked and then shocked and then furious. I still get angry when I listen to it.
“There are girls in her class and school who are trans and she has no problem with any of them. She calls them by their favorite pronouns and accepts them as they are – but there are only two genders. It’s just science, you are born male or female.
“The fact that the school is protecting this young girl who identifies as a cat and reprimanding anyone who challenges that idea seems completely absurd to me.
‘Why are 13-year-old children actually being taught about gender identity? They’re just kids. It’s not right.
“So many people agree with us on this, but many are reluctant to put their heads above the parapet, so to speak, because then they’ll be labeled a bigot, a TERF, or a Tory. But this kind of thing messes with children’s heads.’
Speaking on the terrace at the family’s end in nearby Hastings, East Sussex, the girl’s father added: “We have not heard from the school at all, no one has called us today or over the weekend, but it is all over the news.
“I think they’re just trying to sweep it under the rug to be honest and stick their heads in the sand because they’ve had such a negative response from people all over the country.
“I thought the way my daughter handled it was very respectful, but the teacher got very, very furious and just stopped the conversation.
“So many other parents have reached out to say they agree with what our daughter said and congratulated her for being persistent.”
MailOnline spoke to one of the girls involved on the phone after obtaining permission from their parents.
She said, “I don’t know why this girl identifies as a cat. She just does. There’s nothing about her that would lead you to believe she thinks she is one.
“I was raised to stand up for myself and if I think something isn’t right I don’t just sit there, I say so.
“The girl who identifies as a cat hasn’t spoken to me or my friend today, but from what I’ve heard she believes she’s right. But I believe I am also in my right.
“My teacher hasn’t spoken to me or my friend about it either, although I walked past her today and overheard her discussing it with another teacher and she said the media headlines were ‘all wrong.'”
A spokesperson for the school and the trust said: ‘We are committed to providing our students with an inclusive education.
‘Teachers try to ensure that students’ opinions are heard, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion. Teachers also strive to answer questions sensitively and honestly.
“We strive to maintain the highest standards throughout the school. We will review our processes and work with the relevant individuals to ensure that such events do not occur in the future.”