JERSEY could become a “model” for the UK by adopting new transgender guidance for schools, according to its author – who has warned that Britain’s existing approach to the issue is “a mess”.
The States Assembly is set to debate a proposition from Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache which, if approved, would replace the current Trans Inclusion Guidance with a document written by Transgender Trend founder Stephanie Davies-Arai.
Ms Davies-Arai was in the Island on Monday to press her case directly to politicians.
Around ten States Members attended her presentation, with “a couple more who joined remotely”, she said.
Describing the discussion as “respectful”, she added: “I think it was a really good conversation – and I’m always glad when people argue with me because that means people are engaged.
“My feeling was that there was good engagement and understanding. I really enjoyed it.”
Jersey, she warned, must not follow what she sees as the UK’s troubled path.
“If you look at what’s happening in the UK now, it’s all blowing up,” she said. “It’s all become a mess, and it’s best not to start on this path in schools, because we have a lot to undo now, and it’s really hard. It’s not fair on the children.
“So I’d say, in Jersey, don’t make the same mistake – start off cautiously. Just be very cautious in this area.”
Ms Davies-Arai argued that Jersey’s size and political independence give it a rare opportunity to think carefully before embedding policy.
“I think Jersey could be a model, because Jersey is small with its own parliament,” she said.
She raised concerns that, in the UK, policy moved ahead before public debate had properly taken place.
“In the UK, guidance [around transgender pupils in schools] came in before anybody had the debate about it,” she said. “There really wasn’t any debate.”
By contrast, Ms Davies-Arai welcomed the fact that Jersey politicians are debating the issue openly.
“I think it’s really good that [Jersey] has the debate first to talk it through, find out what you think really is the best way, question everything,” she added.
States Members are due to debate Deputy Bailhache’s proposition later this month. He argued the existing trans inclusion framework is “muddled and contradictory” and does not account for “fundamental changes in approach” following a 2024 UK review by Dr Hilary Cass.
But the Education Minister has stated his opposition, raising “serious concerns about the proposition’s implications for safeguarding practice, professional integrity, and Jersey’s statutory frameworks”.
Deputy Rob Ward defended the current guidance for schools as “evidence-informed, non-statutory, and focused on pupil welfare”, claiming that Deputy Bailhache’s proposition would “replace this professional guidance with a document not aligned with Jersey’s legislative frameworks, safeguarding principles, or children’s rights commitments”.
And a panel of politicians focused on diversity and inclusion said the proposition would have an “exclusionary impact on a small group of individuals”.
