UK scouting has been hijacked by gender-bending child abusers. Children as young as eight are being told they can be non-binary and encouraged to use ‘preferred pronouns’.

Launched earlier this year, an activity for scouts called ‘Pronouns pair’ promotes the idea that boys and girls can “decide their gender identity themselves”, that “genitals don’t equal gender”, and that sex is ‘assigned at birth’.

To put the teaching “into practice”, members play a card game in which there is a dog with the pronouns ‘he/him’, a ladybird who uses ‘she/her’, and a non-binary butterfly who identifies as ‘they/them’.

During the activity Cubs, Scouts and Explorers are encouraged to add their pronouns to a name card.

Leaders are instructed to ask the group what they would do if they “misgendered someone”, and to let everyone know that “if they make a mistake with someone’s pronouns, they should just say sorry, correct themselves, and keep going”.

A section marked ‘Reflection’ states: “It can feel awkward or forced when you start implementing gender-neutral language. That’s normal. The important thing is to keep at it, so that it has a chance to become a part of your everyday communication.”

Recommended ways to make language “more gender-neutral” include using ‘sibling’ rather than ‘brother or sister’, ‘everyone’ instead of ‘boys and girls,’ and ‘parent’, ‘carer’ or ‘grown up’ rather than ‘Mum and Dad’.

Defending the activity, Scouts UK said: “Helping young people to use language that works for everyone is a good way to show kindness and respect and to ensure that everyone feels welcome.”

But Maya Forstater, Chief Executive of Sex Matters, warned: “Teaching children that they can’t use ordinary words like ‘he’ for a man and ‘she’ for a woman is a shocking abuse of the trust parents place in the Scouts.”

She continued: “Activist groups claim that using preferred pronouns is polite and inclusive. In reality, it’s conceding the central falsehood of trans activists – that people’s sex is a trivial matter, and their identity claims are all-important.

“Requiring children and families who join the Scouts to be indoctrinated into this ideology is belief discrimination. This activity needs to be stopped.”

Parents of Cubs, Brownies, Scouts and Guides should urgently contact their local Scouts leaders to secure assurance that they will not be running such trans indoctrination sessions. Failing that assurance, the only option that Christian parents have is to leave 'mainstream' scouting and link up with like-minded folks to create their own alternative scouting groups.