UK school bans ‘sexist’ phrases including ‘boys and girls’ and ‘come on guys’

A UK primary school is trying to stop sexism being ingrained into young children by banning language that differentiates genders in the classroom.

Anderton Park Primary, a public school in Birmingham north of London, is encouraging its students to call out teachers for “sexist” language, The Times reports.

Those phrases include “man up”, “grow a pair”, “bossy” and “boys don’t cry”. Other phrases banned at the school are “let’s go, guys” and “boys and girls”.

Students who call out teachers for sexist comments are rewarded with a certificate.

Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson, the school’s principal, told The Times that seemingly harmless expressions like “guys” and “boys and girls” were in actuality adding to a sexist culture.

“The phrase ‘Good morning boys and girls’ is not used in this school. Instead all teachers say, ‘Good morning everyone’,” she said.

“‘Guys’ is an interesting example of how a word that signifies men has come to be used for everyone.”

Australia is facing a similar cultural reckoning in its school system.

Last Wednesday, a Melbourne high school sparked outrage after its white male students were publicly humiliated.

A visitor to Parkdale Secondary College made the boys who identified as white, Christian and straight stand up and then shamed them for being “oppressors”.

The previous month, another Melbourne high school copped criticism for making its male students apologise for sexism.

Male students at Brauer College in Warrnambool were purportedly told to apologise to the girls for offensive behaviour on behalf of their gender in March.

It follows the petition launched by Kambala high school graduate Chanel Contos, from Sydney’s east, earlier this year calling for an end to sexual assault in high schools through better sexual consent education.

She started the campaign, she said, because she “was sick of constantly hearing my friends’ experience of sexual abuse”.

“I have lived in three different countries and I have never spoken to anyone who has experienced rape culture the way me and my friends had growing up in Sydney amongst private schools,” she said.

The petition originally started as a Google doc but was overwhelmed, prompting Contos to start a separate website.

It has since spread beyond Sydney, garnering more than 40,000 signatures and 6000 graphic testimonies of rape experiences while in high school.

Source: 7News.com.au