School and the education system
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What is happening in Swiss schools ?
Some Swiss schools encourage children and adolescents who question their sex to "socially transition", sometimes even without their parents' consent.
The concept of "gender identity" is not explicitly included in the Swiss school curricula (Lehrplan 21 and the Plan d'Études Romand, PER). Nevertheless, many schools now address it through sex education classes, anti-bullying and anti-discrimination programmes, awareness campaigns and teacher training.
These activities are often delivered by external organisations specialising in sexual health or LGBTQ issues, as well as by state-employed health professionals. As a result, many parents may be unaware of the extent to which concepts relating to "gender identity" are now being taught in Swiss schools.
What is "social transition" ?
"Social transition" is the process of changing how a person presents and wishes to be perceived by others in order to align with his or her "gender identity".
It typically includes one or more of the following:
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coming out as "transgender" or "gender diverse" to family, friends, school or others;
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adopting a new name, socially and sometimes legally;
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asking teachers and pupils to use different pronouns and the new name;
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changing school records to reflect the new name and pronouns;
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changing clothing, hairstyle, appearance or mannerisms;
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using toilets, changing rooms, dormitories or other facilities designated for the opposite sex;
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participating in sports and competitions with the opposite sex.
For some organisations active in Swiss schools, "social transition" is considered the appropriate response when a child declares themselves to be the opposite sex. Other organisations and experts consider it to be an active intervention with potentially significant consequences for the child's future development.
How did the concept of "gender identity" enter Swiss Schools?
The Council of Europe's recommendation
In March 2010, the Council of Europe, of which Switzerland is a member, adopted recommendations intended to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or “gender identity”.
Regarding education, the Council recommended that, in the interest of the child, “member states should take appropriate legislative and other measures, addressed to educational staff and pupils, to ensure that the right to education can be effectively enjoyed without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity” The idea is to promote “mutual tolerance and respect in schools”. This should include “providing objective information with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity, for instance in school curricula and educational materials”, and conclude by saying that these measures should take into account the rights of parents regarding the education of their children.
Although these recommendations are not binding, they have influenced educational policies throughout Europe.
Swiss curricula
Neither Lehrplan 21 nor the Plan d'Études Romand explicitly refers to "gender identity". However, many cantons and school districts have incorporated the topic through sex education, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying programmes and awareness campaigns. In practice, pupils may encounter concepts relating to "gender identity" regardless of whether they appear explicitly in the official curriculum.
Who teaches these concepts in Switzerland ?
Concepts relating to "gender identity" are taught through public health services, sex education organisations and LGBTQ advocacy groups. Depending on the canton, this includes:
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Bern: ASEPE
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Fribourg: CFSS
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Geneva: SSEJ, Fédération genevoise des associations LGBT, Le Refuge
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Jura: Association des animatrices en éducation sexuelle
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Neuchâtel: GSN
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Ticino: Commissione per l'educazione affettiva e sessuale nella scuola (CEAS)
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Valais: SIPE
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Vaud: PROFA
Santé Sexuelle Suisse publishes educational material promoting concepts such as "gender identity" and "medical transition", including the brochures Hey You!, My Sex and I, Ta sexualité, tes droits, Sexesss and Elephantine & Renardo. It also distributes documents concerning children's "sexual rights" that are widely available in schools.
Schools also invite organisations specialising in "gender identity", including Agnodice and Transgender Network Switzerland (TGNS), to provide presentations, counselling and teacher training. These organisations also publish guidance for schools on how to manage pupils who declare themselves to be “transgender”.
In Geneva, the Department of Public Education has commissioned the Fédération genevoise des Associations LGBT to provide awareness programmes for both pupils and teachers. In the Canton of Vaud, Voqueer regularly visits schools to discuss "gender identity" and related topics.
What teaching materials are used ?
The 2014 reference framework for sex education in French-speaking Switzerland, published by Santé Sexuelle Suisse, distinguishes sex from "gender" (without a definition of the term) and introduces concepts relating to "gender" and "sexual identity" from early primary school onwards (again, without any definition of the terms).
Children aged 4 to 8 are introduced to the concept of "gender" or "sexual identity". Pupils aged 10 to 13 discuss the distinction between sex and "sexual identity", while adolescents aged 12 to 15 learn about differences between sexual orientation and "sexual identity".
Agnodice's "best practices" guidelines
In 2022, Agnodice published guidelines describing "best practice" for schools dealing with children questioning their "gender".
The guidelines recommend a specific procedure when a pupil questions his or her sex. The document encourages schools to:
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adopt a child's new name and pronouns;
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advise pupils on hormonal treatments and surgeries;
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facilitate the child's "social transition";
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permit access to facilities used by the opposite sex;
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present the "transition" to classmates through educational sessions;
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encourage exploration of "gender" and the deconstruction of bodily realities associated with being male or female.
The document also talks about “diversity of genders”, “change of gender”, “gender congruence”. The document also refers to "sex assigned at birth" rather than sex.
The document states that anyone can be “transgender” and identifies non-conformity to sex stereotypes, depression, “absence of libido” and psychological difficulties as possible indicators that a child may be “transgender”.
The document also refers to claims of elevated rates of “suicidal ideation” and “suicide attempts” among children and adolescents who declare themselves to be “transgender”, despite the absence of evidence that non-affirmation itself increases suicide risk.
If a child questions his or her sex, schools are encouraged to refer the child to Agnodice. The organisation recommends meetings involving the school, parents and Agnodice. If parents oppose the child's "social transition", Agnodice proposes mediation. If disagreement continues, the organisation advises referring the case to Child Protection Services if this is considered to be in the child's best interests.
TGNS distributes a German-language version of the same document.
In addition to its advocacy activities in schools, Agnodice also operates Centre3, a private therapeutic service for “transgender” and “non-binary” individuals.
School policies and parental rights
Several Swiss cantons have adopted or are developing guidance on how schools should respond when pupils declares themselves to be “transgender”. These policies generally follow a "transaffirmative" approach.
City of Basel
In 2024, the City of Basel published guidance for schools regarding pupils who declare themselves to be “transgender”.
Canton of Bern
The Canton of Bern supports "LGBTIQ+" ideology in schools through educational resources and teacher training.
Canton of Geneva
Geneva first introduced guidelines in 2020. Initially, schools could "socially transition "children and adolescents even when parents objected, or without the parents’ knowledge.
Following strong opposition from parents, and an independent legal opinion warning that the department of education was in breach of parental rights, the guidelines were amended. Since July 2024, schools are no longer permitted to “socially transition” children under the age of 15 without parental consent.
However, Geneva's school health services indicate that parental opposition to a child's “social transition” may constitute child abuse, allowing schools to refer families to Child Protection Services.
Canton of Valais
In 2022, parliamentarians from the Socialist Party and the Centre Party introduced a parliamentary proposal calling for similar guidance for pupils who declare themselves to be “transgender and non-binary”. The guidelines were published in 2024.
Canton of Vaud
In 2021, the Canton of Vaud adopted official guidelines concerning pupils who declare themselves to be “transgender and non-binary”. Parents are not included in the "transition" process.
City of Zurich
In 2020, the Gender Equality Office of the City of Zurich commissioned a legal opinion supporting the "social transition" of pupils in schools. In 2025, the City of Zurich published guidelines regarding “transgender children and youth at school” for school staff.
Private schools
Private schools also have similar guidelines, albeit, not publicly available.
Parents losing custody
Swiss and international media have reported cases in Geneva and Vaud in which parents were not informed that their children had “socially transitioned” at school.
Some parents subsequently became involved in legal proceedings or lost custody of their child after opposing “social/medical transition”. In these cases, schools (private and public) acted in cooperation with organisations promoting “gender identity” ideology.
Why is "social transition" controversial?
Children and adolescents expressing “transgender ideation” are a heterogeneous group
According to the 2024 Cass Review, minors referred to “gender clinics” present with diverse and often complex profiles. Many have neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, mental health disorders or adverse childhood experiences such as abuse and sexual trauma. The Review also notes that a majority of adolescents referred to “gender services” are same-sex attracted. (Cass Review, 2024, pp. 90-97)
Historically, before affirmative models became widespread, the small sample of boys who expressed confusion or discomfort with their sex were not affirmed and simply received psychological support. For most of them, puberty was the cure. Once adults, the majority were same-sex attracted.
Sex stereotypes
“Gender identity” ideology reinforces traditional sex stereotypes by encouraging children and adolescents who do not conform to conventional expectations of masculinity or femininity to question whether they are really boys or girls.
This leaves less space for healthy sex non-conforming behaviour.
Social contagion
Since 2010, many western countries have observed a spike in teenage girls expressing “transgender ideation”. Switzerland also has seen a surge in girls declaring themselves to be the opposite sex and the Federal office of statistics on “gender” mastectomies reflect the growing number of teenage girls and women under 25 undergoing this radical intervention.
Specialists posit social contagion, through social media and peer-to-peer pressure, as a factor of influence amongst teenagers and young adults expressing “transgender" ideation.
Social transition is not a neutral intervention
The UK’s Cass review states that “social transition” should not be regarded as a neutral act. Rather, it is an active intervention that may increase the likelihood of subsequent medical interventions, many of which have irreversible consequences, including sterilisation and loss of sexual function. (Cass Review, 2024, pp. 158-162)
Children and adolescents should be left to mature naturally and explore their personalities and sexuality without pressure from adults.
Safeguarding, single-sex facilities and girls' rights
Some school guidance states that pupils declaring themselves to be “transgender” should use the toilets, changing rooms, dormitories and sports facilities of the opposite sex. Consequently, boys are allowed in girls’s spaces and the girls cannot object.
Such policies conflict with schools' safeguarding responsibilities, which require schools to minimise foreseeable risks to children and adolescents. Sex remains relevant in assessing risks, particularly in relation to sexual abuse and the protection of vulnerable pupils. Girls are disproportionately affected.
Many institutions have adopted policies that require staff to disregard sex in favour of “gender identity”. This undermines safeguarding by making it more difficult to identify risks and speak clearly about them.
Some schools have also replaced single-sex toilets with mixed-sex facilities. Reports indicate that many girls avoid using these facilities because of embarrassment, concerns for privacy and fear of sexual harassment. Girls' particular need for privacy during menstruation is also overlooked.
Allowing male pupils into spaces reserved for girls removes clear boundaries that exist to protect female privacy, dignity and safety. In the case of sports, boys' physical advantages over girls could lead to serious injuries.
Current policies designed to include “transgender” pupils frequently do so at the expense of girls, who may increasingly exclude themselves from these spaces.
Staff and parents who raise safeguarding concerns are often labelled "transphobic" or discouraged from referring to sex. Effective safeguarding depends on the ability to speak openly about sex-based risks.
Femina Helvetica's position
Femina Helvetica advocates:
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maintaining all single-sex facilities in schools;
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recognising sex in safeguarding policies;
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protecting children and adolescents from “social transition”;
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ensuring that schools do not facilitate the “social transition” of pupils;
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protecting parent’s rights to participate in decisions affecting their children;
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safeguarding girls' rights to privacy, dignity and safety;
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ensuring that schools teach objective, evidence-based knowledge grounded in biological reality and established science, rather than promoting contested ideological beliefs about sex and "gender identity".
Links to supporting documentation of this issue.
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Council of Europe. Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. 2010.
https://search.coe.int/cm#{%22CoEIdentifier%22:[%2209000016805cf40a%22],%22sort%22:[%22CoEValidationDate%20Descending%22]} -
Santé Sexuelle Suisse. Information materials on sex education, "gender identity" and children's sexual rights.
https://shop.aids.ch/fr-ch -
Santé Sexuelle Suisse. Cadre de référence pour l'éducation sexuelle en Suisse romande (Reference Framework for Sex Education in French-speaking Switzerland). 2014.
https://www.educationsexuelle-ecole.ch/ck/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Cadre%20de%20reference%20romands.pdf -
Agnodice. Guide de bonnes pratiques lors d'une transition de genre dans un établissement scolaire et de formation (Guide to Good Practice During a Gender Transition in an Educational Institution). 2022.
https://agnodice.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Guide_de_bonnes_pratiques_2022_WEB.pdf -
Transgender Network Switzerland (TGNS). Trans Schüler_Innen: Best-Practice-Leitfaden für eine Transition in Schule und Ausbildung (Best Practice Guide for Transition in Schools and Training). 2019.
https://www.tgns.ch/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Leitfaden_Trans_Schueler_innen_TGNS_2019_Web.pdf -
Fédération genevoise des Associations LGBT. Partnership with the Geneva Department of Public Education.
https://federationlgbt-geneve.ch/projets/ecoles/programme-dactions-de-formation-et-de-sensibilisation/ -
RTS. Homophobie (5/5): Cas d'école (Voqueer school visits in the Canton of Vaud). 2025.
https://www.rts.ch/audio-podcast/2025/audio/homophobie-5-5-cas-d-ecole-28924784.html -
City of Basel. Guidelines for schools regarding transgender pupils. 2024.
https://www.bs.ch/medienmitteilungen/ed/2024-neuer-leitfaden-fuer-schulen-zum-umgang-mit-trans-schuelerinnen -
City of Bern. LGBTIQ+ educational resources and school guidance.
https://www.bern.ch/themen/gesundheit-alter-und-soziales/gleichstellung-in-geschlechterfragen/bildung-berufswahl/lgbtiq-themen -
Canton of Geneva. Guidelines on supporting transgender and non-binary pupils and apprentices in schools and vocational training. 2024.
https://www.ge.ch/document/directive-accompagnement-dans-cadre-scolaire-formation-professionnelle-eleves-apprenties-apprentis-transgenres/non-binaires -
Geneva - Le Temps. "Transitions de genre: l'école genevoise accusée d'écarter les parents." 29 March 2023.
https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/transitions-genre-lecole-genevoise-accusee-decarter-parents -
Valais Parliament. Parliamentary postulate concerning the inclusion of transgender and non-binary pupils in schools. 2022.
https://parlement.vs.ch/app/fr/document/175859 -
Canton of Valais. Guidelines regarding transgender and non-binary pupils in schools. 2024. https://www.vs.ch/web/se/directives-du-chef-du-departement-communes-a-plusieurs-degres
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Canton of Vaud. Press release announcing guidelines on the support of transgender and non-binary pupils in schools. 2021.
https://www.vd.ch/actualites/communiques-de-presse-de-letat-de-vaud/detail/communique/accompagnement-des-eleves-transgenres-et-non-binaires-dans-lecole-vaudoise-1639382300.pdf -
City of Zurich. Legal opinion on "transgender children" in schools (Prof. Dr. Andrea Büchler). 2020.
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/aktuell/publikationen/2020/juristische-expertise-transkinder-schule.html -
City of Zurich. Transgender Children and Young People at School: Guidelines for School Staff. 2025.
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/content/dam/web/de/aktuell/publikationen/2025/gleichstellung/2025-trans-kinder-und-jugendliche-broschuere.pdf -
Cass, Hilary. Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People (Cass Review). 2024.
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20250310143642/https://cass.independent-review.uk/ -
Singh, D. et al. "A Follow-Up Study of Boys With Gender Identity Disorder." Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2021.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.632784/full -
Littman, Lisa. "Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria." PLOS ONE. 2018.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202330 -
Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland). Statistics on “sex change” surgeries.
https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/catalogues-databases.assetdetail.26405100.html -
Jeffreys, Sheila. Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism. 2014.
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Shrier, Abigail. Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. 2020.