Community Rallies in Rennes to Support Male Kindergarten Teacher Threatened Over Gender-Based Objections

On November 21, 2025, about 150 people gathered outside the Clôteaux public nursery school in southern Rennes to support a male kindergarten teacher and school director who had been threatened by a family opposed to their daughter being supervised by a man. The teacher filed a complaint on October 14 after receiving death threats on October 10, confirmed by prosecutor Frédéric Teillet.

Union representatives indicated that the family objected to the teacher accompanying their daughter to the restroom. Mickaël Bézard, departmental secretary of the Force Ouvrière (FO) union, expressed dismay, stating, "We are simply reproached for being a man supervising young children." Fabrice Lerestif, FO's secretary general for Ille-et-Vilaine, emphasized the objection was not religious, echoing Education Minister Édouard Geffray.

The gathering included educators from nearby schools and around thirty parents holding signs like "Support to our colleague" and "Parents united! Total respect and support for our teachers." One parent, Pierre Yacger, affirmed confidence in the school’s educational team.

The threatened teacher, profoundly affected, is currently on sick leave. The school community has been significantly impacted, with teaching staff requesting that the child be transferred to restore a peaceful environment. Local education authorities acknowledged the need for mediation with the family to find a resolution.