Teacher fired after outing trans kid by name on social media

A UK teacher has been indefinitely barred from teaching after outing a trans student on social media.

As reported by The Daily Mail, in May 2023, a whistleblower alerted the unnamed Manchester school where 54-year-old Camilla Hannan had been teaching since 2001. Hannan had shared offensive and anti-trans remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, and specifically identified a trans student by name in one of her posts.

Hannan commented on the school’s gender identity policy with dismissive language, referring to it as “a load of nonsensical rubbish,” accompanied by an eye-roll emoji. In another message, she mentioned teaching a student who had changed pronouns and included the student’s name. She expressed concern about the future, stating, “I worry about what the next steps will be.”

Additionally, she posted about trans students being “untouchable,” suggesting they received everything they requested and that staff and students were afraid of upsetting them. She argued that they appeared more like oppressors, as opposed to being oppressed.

Hannan also seemed to associate autism with being trans in two other posts, claiming her autistic students were all adorned with trans flags and badges, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’.

Research indicates that trans and nonbinary individuals are more likely to be autistic than cisgender individuals. However, this data has been misused to promote an anti-trans, ableist narrative that there is something inherently “wrong” with trans and nonbinary individuals, attributing their gender identity to mental illness. Some autistic trans and nonbinary individuals suggest that their divergence from social norms around gender is the actual link.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Hannan admitted to these posts in August. A misconduct hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency took place, and a panel concluded in September that she had disclosed the student’s private medical information without consent, while also repeatedly misgendering them.

The panel found that Hannan “had a deep-seated attitude,” pointing out that while she is entitled to her views, airing them on social media in a manner damaging to the profession, the school, pupils, and especially the student she outed was unacceptable. The panel highlighted that her conduct contradicted a teacher’s role model responsibilities for students and the broader community.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Hannan attributed her writings to frustration with her workload, admitting to “poor judgment.” She stated that she holds no malice toward trans individuals and respects their lifestyle choices and preferences regarding names and pronouns, as reported by the Daily Mail. Nonetheless, she expressed concerns over “gender ideology” in schools, a phrase commonly used in anti-trans rhetoric.

The panel, however, remarked that Hannan’s remorse seemed somewhat self-serving. They highlighted that her assumption of anonymity in her posts suggested her regret was more about getting caught than reflecting on her actions.

Consequently, Hannan was barred from teaching indefinitely but will have the chance to appeal the decision in two years.