Children as young as eleven have been taught that Joan of Arc was ‘non-binary’, it has been reported.

In the ‘Who We Are’ anthology published by Collins, one lesson plan for English language students aged between 11 and 14 claimed that “Joan of Arc (1412-31) is today considered by some to have been non-binary”.

Although Joan of Arc was charged with heresy for wearing men’s clothes, she did not deny her biological sex.

The lesson plan, which was themed around drag queen Amrou al-Kadhi’s biography, claimed that such “historical and global references may prepare students unfamiliar with LGBTQ+ identities to understand the content of the extract”.

But Robert Tombs, Professor Emeritus of French History at the University of Cambridge, told The Daily Telegraph: “Joan of Arc fought as a woman and died as a woman. To call her something else is insulting to her”.

Retired psychologist Carolyn Brown agreed, saying: “Non-binary is a nonsense term – indeed the Supreme Court in the UK recently ruled against including it as an option on passports.

“It’s also another example of the junk science of queer theory being visited on children. It’s unhelpful psychologically to children’s development and is likely to cause confusion and anxiety.”

In 2022, Shakespeare’s Globe faced a huge backlash after an essay on its website suggested that Elizabeth I was non-binary.

People took to social media in their droves to challenge the view, promoted by transgender activist Kit Heyam, that the monarch was ‘gender nonconforming’.

The self-proclaimed “trans awareness trainer” made the claim in a piece defending ‘I, Joan’, a Globe Theatre production about Joan of Arc, in which the French heroine was referred to by the pronouns ‘they/them’.