'Just going through a phase ...' These are the words parents are apparently no longer permitted to say to children seemingly confused about their gender. In fact, in the grovelling atmosphere of Woke dictated LGBT+ enforcement, if parents do presume to take this line, they are in danger of being accused of transphobic bigotry and abuse, and of having their child removed.

The latest example of a school steamrollering parental anxieties out of the way in a mad rush to propel a child towards transitioning can be found in Wales. In full tilt to enforce the new relationships and sexuality regulations, Rhondda Cynon Taf council has apparently enthusiastically adopted the notorious trans toolkit, controversially advising schools to support children if they express a wish to change gender.

It may be remembered that this is the self-same resource subjected to legal challenge in Oxfordshire by a 13-year-old school girl, who objected to the mandated use of female changing rooms, dorms, and toilets by transgender children. She argued this was unfair and made her feel powerless, to which the court agreed. The toolkit was withdrawn.

Before the juggernaut of transgender 'inclusivity', however, Rhonda CBC would appear to dismiss such concerns. They are not alone, of course. The Scottish government appears similarly hellbent on hammering its support for transgender rights. Under new LGBT inclusivity guidelines, for example, it warns teachers not to challenge a child's self-identification, urging schools to use the preferred name and pronouns selected by the child.

True, the guidance says that to change the gender and name of a pupil in school computer systems requires parental permission, but it would seem less formal endorsement is now mandated, whether parents agree or not. Which means, of course, that justifiable parental concerns over lack of proper investigation or exploration are being censored and suppressed.

This is nothing short of systemic abuse by ideologically motivated LGBT+ groups that have gained a stranglehold on power. Groups that are ruthlessly seeking to impose their own value system and re-orchestrate society into their own image – and where anything that calls into question the new Weltanschauung is rigorously and, dare one say, viciously suppressed.

On any scale of assessment, this is insanity. The truth is we are witnessing a social experiment, and the nation's young are being used as guinea pigs.

All children, as they develop and grow, go through periods of intense self-questioning, and very often they don't like what they see. I'm too fat, they think, or too thin. I've got spots, I'm ugly ... no one loves me. I'm different, I don't fit in. And sometimes – often – real and intense anger erupts against those around them. It is all part of the process of becoming; of the birth of the person they will one day become.

So girls, confronted with their developing bodies and perhaps perceived 'inequality' with boys, may be tomboys, vehemently rejecting their biological feminisation. Boys, preferring artistic and academic pursuits to bounding round a muddy rugby field and possibly getting hurt, may want to dress up in their mother's clothes - the sparklier the better! Both sexes may write poetry ... both alike long for love, acceptance and support.

In 2009, 77 gender confused children were referred for treatment to the Portman and Tavistock Clinic – England's only children's gender identity treatment clinic. By April 2019, the number had risen to 2,590. It is worth saying that the number would have been far higher if the Tavistock had had more staff; but, as it was, they lacked the resources, so that the numbers were capped. Even so, the figures show a 4,500% increase over 10 years, and it seems beyond question that the rise is being fuelled by the current, misplaced emphasis in schools on teaching children as young as four that gender is a matter of choice, not biology.

It is medically acknowledged that the majority of gender dysphoric children are suffering some form of related mental illness, are autistic, are homosexual, or have been the victim of abuse. In other words, their feelings of bodily dysmorphia are a form of displacement or compensation for an underlying cause, for which they ought to be receiving care.

In fact, research clearly shows that at least 85% of gender dysphoric children will, by puberty, be entirely happy with their birth sex, if only given love and support. Which means that if these children are prematurely rushed into irreversible treatments, their lives will be irreparably scarred.

This indeed was argued by Keira Bell in the recent successful case she brought against The Tavistock and Portman, saying how much she regretted her decision to transition to a male, and arguing she should have been challenged more by those offering her treatment.

The function of education is to provide children with the knowledge and skills they need to become fully rounded adults and take their future place in society. It is not to indoctrinate them into lifestyle choices that do not occur naturally and that fail to enhance their wellbeing and happiness.

Just going through a phase ...? The promotion and normalisation of transgender ideology is one phase that needs to end as soon as possible - before it causes more harm.

Rev Lynda Rose is founder of Voice for Justice UK, a group which works to uphold the moral values of the Bible in society.