Authorities sued after banning gender neutral language in school classrooms for 'violating human rights'

Authorities sued after banning gender neutral language in school classrooms for 'violating human rights'
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Aden-Jay Wood

By Aden-Jay Wood


Published: 25/07/2022

- 08:57

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:48

Officials have been taken to court over the decision, with political groups saying it violates people’s human rights

Authorities are being sued after they tried to ban gender neutral language in school classrooms.

Officials in Buenos Aires, Argentina have banned teachers from describing students as “chic@s”, “chiqxs” or “chiques”.


Chic@s means “chicos (boys) or chicas (girls)”, the @ sign represents and a or an o.

Other gender neutral terms used in Argentina include “amigues (friends)”, “todxs (all)” and “bienvenid@s” (welcome).

File photo dated 12/09/18 of students in a lesson at school. Around eight in 10 teachers at schools in England think their pupils are less ready for the world of work than before the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey suggests. Issue date: Wednesday June 15, 2022.
Teachers in Buenos Aires have been banned from using gender neutral terms
Ben Birchall

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
WikiCommons

But authorities have since been taken to court by political groups, who say the decision violates human rights.

They also say the decision excludes people who do not identify themselves as a male or a female.

Maria Rachid, founder of the Argentinian LGBT Federation said: “The city Government could not explain how the prohibition of the use of non-exclusive language in schools would not violate city and national laws.

“We are completely convinced that we are going to win the case.”

Officials have said the terms are confusing for children, adding that they have been linked to a recent decline in exam results.

Despite the ban, some teachers are vowing to continue to use the gender neutral terms.

A transgender teacher based in Buenos Aires said they would keep using them as a protest against the local Government.

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