Video does not show teacher lecturing pupils on pronouns

Context

Clips have been shared on social media, which users say show a teacher telling pupils about pronouns. 

Leo Kearse, a comedian who has appeared on GB News and stood for the right-wing Reclaim Party, states in one such post: "A teacher tries to indoctrinate children with gender ideology. It's not harmless. It's compelled speech." 

Another, posted by X (formerly Twitter) user “Concerned Citizen,” who regularly shares misinformation, states: "Young kids ripping on the ludicrous nature of pro-nouns will make you laugh & give you hope."

In fact

The video does not show a teacher speaking to pupils in a classroom. It was actually a comedy skit uploaded in October 2023 by a TikTok creator called "chinhhienvi." While the clips not showing the full context are generally around the one minute mark, the full video extends over two TikTok posts for almost eight minutes. It shows someone playing the character of a teacher called Darren, who points at a board and tells people how they want to be addressed. Off-screen voices are heard questioning their teacher’s request, with one asking whether this is part of the school curriculum. 

At the end of part two of the video, it’s explained specifically that the video was "all an act." This context is missing from the shortened clips being shared on sites such as X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. The messages on the shortened clips often state as fact that children are being indoctrinated or praise the off-screen voices representing the children for talking back. Pronouns are a prominent talking point among those who are gender critical, and these out-of-context clips have been used to promote negativity around this subject.

The verdict

While the original full-length TikTok content explains that the situation is a skit, the shortened versions going viral on Twitter and TikTok do not include this context. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.