A teenager has claimed he was thrown out of class by his teacher after insisting there are only two genders.
The unidentified schoolboy secretly filmed the moment he was reprimanded by a teacher at a school in Aberdeenshire, who said the view was not in line with school policy.
The three minute clip was on Friday uploaded to Reddit, where it has since been deleted, and YouTube where it has been viewed 87,000 times.
A leading school teacher’s union said it appears the argument had been “taken out of context” and the boy "intended to cause an issue".
The video begins with the teacher explaining to the boy that there is more than one gender - an opinion “acceptable” to the school.
He goes on to say: "Unlike yours where you say there's no such thing other than male or female - that's not inclusive."
He also says to the teenager: "You're entitled to your opinion", to which the boy responds: "If I am, then why did you kick me out of class? It's not very inclusive."
The teacher replies: "No, I'm sorry, what you were saying is not very inclusive. This is an inclusive school."
Arguing his point the student later says: "I think it's silly to have other than two genders" and that it's “unscientific”.
He continues: "I'm simply saying there are two genders, male or female.
"Anything else is a personal identification."
The teacher later asks: "Could you please keep that opinion to your own house? Not in this school."
The clip ends with the two saying that the other has wasted their time.
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, told the Standard that while he does not know specific details about the incident it appears the boy “had an intent of causing an issue.”
“A teacher wouldn’t remove a child from class unless they were being disruptive,” he said.
“I think that’s initially what happened. The boy has been removed as the teacher has tried to restore order, it has escalated and that’s the point at which the video starts.”
He added: “It is the duty of a teacher is to ensure that everyone's view is respected and heard and doesn't result in ridicule and upset.
“I’ve never heard of a child being removed because they’ve got a different view to the school’s policy.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Aberdeenshire Council said: “As part of our Public Sector Equality Duty we aim to: eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity between those who have protected characteristics and those who don't; and foster good relations between those who have protected characteristics and those who don’t.
“It is important to understand the context of any video clip taken without a person’s consent.
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“In our schools, fostering good relations among different groups can be a real challenge but our aim is to support a fairer, inclusive environment for all.”
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