The text came 45 minutes before Year 1 started on 2 September. “Just to let you know that Sasha is now Haruto (Japanese name). We tried it over the summer and didn’t think it would stick but it did. We’ve informed the school.”

This message came from a parent – one of two mothers in the family – in relation to my son’s best friend at school. Sasha – now Haruto – was the only person my son would know well in his new class. During the previous school year, Sasha’s parents had also announced that Sasha viewed herself as a boy. Again, the school had been informed.