Gender identity is not a choice

Sir,– Leslie Thomson got carried away cutting and pasting from my letter on LGBT indoctrination in schools (Letters, November 21).

In addition to his misunderstanding of the central arguments, he also misinterpreted fragments of text.

He wants children to learn about “the sexual and gender fluidity”.

I, however, regard these concepts as both misguided and dangerous.

They are likely to cause confusion, damage and hurt to young people.

Yet the SNP sides with Mr Thomson.

He demanded some evidence for my suggestion that Catholic schools face a tacit threat of closure if they fail to endorse LGBT indoctrination.

May I respectfully refer Mr Thomson to the meaning of tacit: unspoken.

I welcome Mr Thomson’s agreement that teaching kids they can choose their gender is insane.

However, Education Scotland’s draft guidance states that kids should be taught that “your gender is what you decide”.

He asks when I decided to be cisgender.

I didn’t.

I don’t believe in the idea of choosing gender.

Mr Thomson claims that all expressions of sexuality are equal. In what way?

Not in emotional, mental and physical health outcomes, nor in relationship stability.

I’m not denying that a very small number of people experience the psychological problem of gender identity disorder.

I just object to its celebration as a perfectly positive and healthy thing.

Young people do not benefit from having transgenderism pushed into their consciousness a dozen times a day.

It is creating gender confusion where a healthy gender identity might well have developed otherwise.

I’m interested in the wellbeing of kids, not appeasing aggressive LGBT campaigners – making me a bit of a maverick in Scottish politics.

Richard Lucas. Bath Street, Glasgow.