LABOUR'S promise to 'ban gender ideology’ from being taught in schools has sparked debate around the policy and the language surrounding it in Carlisle.

In the days prior to the election, then leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer told The Telegraph during a school visit in Kettering that he was ‘not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools' when asked about whether Labour would continue a Tory-proposed ban on teaching schoolchildren about transgender identity.

Sir Keir’s words come after the Conservative Party proposed a similar idea which would make it so that teachers have to explain to children that the idea that someone can be transgender is contested.

Julie Minns, who was at the time standing for Labour in the Carlisle constituency, was asked for her thoughts on the teaching of transgender identity in schools, and said: “Nobody wants to see ideology of any kind taught in our schools.

“We want to see a common sense approach that provides age-appropriate information to children and teaches them how to develop their learning and critical skills to develop their own thinking.”

Ms Minns added in a supplied comment: “What we don’t want to see is a drift into using the trans debate as a political football with inappropriate language that scapegoats the trans community.

“We have seen in the past how the Tories used this kind of rhetoric to justify Section 28 which prevented any discussion of homosexuality.

“Labour scrapped that law and we will ensure that sensible guidelines exist that acknowledge that those who are at the centre of this debate are children and families who deserve our support.”

Labour’s stance has polarised some in the LGBT community, who don’t believe the party stands for them anymore, such as Asa Pegler, a trans filmmaker and trans rights activist in Carlisle.

He said both Labour and the Tories are ‘blowing [the issue] completely out of proportion’, as gender identity in educational settings is not a major element of learning.

“We were taught once (in secondary school) as part of PSHCE," he said. “We learned about different cultures, had sex ed, and there was one lesson about trans identity and pronouns.

“There was no inappropriate language, nothing abut surgery or hormone treatment, it was simply explaining that some people feel a certain way.”

He added that teaching children about 'gender identity' is important. “It should be taught at different levels for different people," he said.

"For young children it should be extremely basic, in secondary school it should be more complex. It’s important for teachers to be informed so they can provide answers to children who have questions about it.”

Labour’s stance on this has left Asa, once a proud Labour supporter, without faith in the party.

“I would never in my life vote Labour under Keir Starmer, especially with his comments on gender identity. In the next few years I will move to another country if it doesn't get better,” he said.

Emily Wood, a youth worker at Carlisle-based youth charity PiNC Arts, said she found the term 'ideology' to be divisive.

"I feel like 'gender ideology' is being used as dog-whistle here, and Keir Starmer doesn't want to sit any side of the culture war, he wants to please everybody.

"What I hear from young people at PiNC Arts is that none of their teachers really understand.

"But young people are going to find out about these things, so why not teach them in a school setting?

"Young people may grow up in a sense that they're weird, not normal, and that's more damaging to a young person than discovering that they can identify as a different gender if they feel like it.

"Children growing up with a sense of self and not feeling like an outcast or a weirdo is much better than not being taught about gender at all."

Gavin Hawkton, from Carlisle Green Party, said, addressing both Ms Minns' and the Labour leader's views: "The language being used by politicians to frame the issue as an ‘ideology’ is concerning as it serves to stigmatise and marginalise an already vulnerable group in our society.

“This isn’t the first time that vulnerable minorities have been weaponised for political gain.

“In the 1980s, fear stigma, and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community were prevalent."

Explaining his stance on trans rights more generally, he said: “I stand firmly against this weaponisation of vulnerable groups today.

“Trans rights are human rights, and it’s crucial that everyone, regardless of their gender identity, is treated with dignity and respect.”

Transgender streamer and comedian Avery Edison, who has over 52,000 followers on X, said in reaction to Sir Keir's words: "'Gender ideology' is the purest of dog-whistles, and the way you know that is that children will still be calling male and female teachers 'Mr' and 'Mrs'.

"Schools are suffused with actual gender ideology.

"What Keir means here is 'the existence of trans people'."