• Dr Stephen Whitehead • Ms Van Thanh Binh www.intelligencepartnership.com

1. Steps to Tackle Toxic Genders
in Your School
Dr Stephen Whitehead
Ms Van Thanh Binh
www.intelligencepartnership.com

2. Start from the Principle of
Total Inclusivity
and
Self-Love

3. Total Inclusivity
Total Inclusivity means recognising, valuing, protecting and nurturing
diverse identities, including those of race, gender, sexual orientation,
class, disability, age, religion and language.
No one is isolated, no one is discriminated against, all belong, all
matter equally

4. SELF-LOVE
Self-love means recognizing oneself, valuing oneself, nurturing
oneself, protecting oneself, empowering oneself, thereby ensuring
you are able to grow in a self-aware and contented state.
Self-Love is Healthy Selfishness,
It is not narcissism nor egocentricism.

5. What is Toxic Masculinity?
“Toxic Masculinity is a way of being a man which draws on gender traditional,
patriarchal values and assumes the right of men/males to dominate and
control women and LGBTQ+ people. Toxic masculinity is aggressive, violent,
emotionally dysfunctional and fundamentally damaging to society and
individuals, including those who perform it. Toxic masculinity feeds misogyny,
racism, sexism, abuse, homophobia and institutionalized violence.”
S.Whitehead, A. Talahite, and R. Moodley (2014) ‘Gender and Identity’, Oxford University Press

6. The Toxic Masculine Cave
The Three Levels of the TM Cave:
1. Deep Level - Aggressiveness (violent, misogynistic, homophobic, angry
towards authority and especially feminists, victimhood; e.g. incel, male
fundamentalist.)
2. Mid Level - Anxiety (uncomfortable expressing emotions, defensive,
distancing, withdrawn, isolated; feel threatened by female power,
unreflective, identity crisis, depressed, awkward, resisting.)
3. Upper Level - Awareness (painful realization mixed with confusion and
uncertainty, ready to change but fearful of doing so, starting to ask
questions of themselves, dealing with emotional loss and insecurity.)

7. What is Toxic Femininity?
“Toxic femininity is the internalization and expression of negative, painful feelings and emotions
produced by shame, guilt, rejection, frustration, neglect, confusion, disenchantment, abuse,
violence, and hopelessness. Toxic femininity is a mindset of helplessness, a belief that one is no
longer worthy of love.”
Toxic femininity is a consequence of toxic masculinity and results in a female assimilating a reduced
sense of self-worth and value – this leaves her vulnerable to male abuse, control and emotional pain.
Van Thanh Binh and Stephen Whitehead (2023-forthcoming)
Toxic Femininity: Overcoming Suffering Through Self-Love.

8. Total Inclusivity RULES Stages
(across the school):
1. Recognise there is a problem
2. Understand the depth of the problem
3. Launch conversations on Total Inclusivity and Self-Love
4. Establish a Total Inclusivity Advocacy Group
5. Sustain and embed commitment to TI and Self Love

9. 1.Recognise there is a problem
Accept that different levels of toxic gender identities will be present
and possibly growing in your student body so start by gathering
informal evidence as to what is actually happening – ask relevant staff
(e.g. teachers and counsellors) and older students what they are
seeing, hearing, experiencing.

10. 2. Understand the depth of the
problem
Begin formal research across the school. This can be both qualitative
and quantitative but gender-specific focus groups (four to six students
plus one ’interviewer’ - e.g. school counsellor) work best.
Gather the information (data) and collate it so that a fuller and more
detailed picture emerges as to the issues in the school.

11. 3. Launch conversations on Total
Inclusivity and Self-Love
Based on the research undertaken in the school, these conversations
can be introduced as agenda items within the school system of
meetings and raised as topics for student discussion and research in
particular school classes.
Identify the areas of support and contention.
Keep the focus on TI and Self-Love as key tools for staff and student
safety and well-being

12. 4. Establish a TI Advocacy Group
Include teachers, counsellors, older students and at least one
representative from school management. Ideally, include a parent
representative.
Provide the TI Advocacy Group with authority, time and resources to
introduce regular awareness-raising sessions across the school and
recommend policy initiatives to the SMT. Their remit should extend to
providing guidance on TI teaching and learning.

13. 5. Sustain and Embed Commitment
to TI and Self-Love
These values need time to be accepted across the school, normalized
as the school’s culture and activated both in and outside classrooms.
Every existing and new employee needs to ‘sign up’ to these values.
Every Secondary and High School student needs to ‘sign up’ to these
values.
Every parent needs to ‘sign up’ to these values.

14. The Strategy
1. Encourage discussion of toxic gender identities in the classroom. Do not
allow those boys orientating towards toxic masculinity to be ostracized.
2. Explain to all the students the values of Total Inclusivity and self-love –
help them accept these principles in their daily lives.
3. Explain to all students the six stages of self-love and how to achieve
them.
3. Start from the principle of safety for all – everyone is at risk if toxic
genders are flourishing. TI and Self-Love protect everyone.
4. Use the TI Advocacy group to conduct identity-awareness raising
sessions with students and provide the teachers with TI professional
development.

15. For More Assistance:
Contact Stephen or Binh at Intelligence Partnership.
stephen@intelligencepartnership.com
binh@intelligencepartnership.com
Useful Resources: