When she returns from school in Milton, Massachusetts, a nine-year-old girl has many questions for her mom. "What does bisexual mean?" She asks. The librarian gave the instruction to the children, ages 8 and 9, to remember the letters "LGBTQ" and read a book about Harvey Milk.
Officials at the school claimed that the lesson fell within the state standards for history/social sciences and that librarians were "highly qualified" to host age-appropriate discussions. The father wondered if his reaction was excessive and sought advice from his older children as well as a friend who is gay. They all agreed that the topic was inappropriate, particularly in the context school.
This tension is evident all across the country, as the majority of schools and teachers teach about gender identity and sexual orientation. While schools claim they are fostering inclusion and belonging, parents are often left in the dark by their children's questions about topics that they feel inappropriate for their age or outside of school's reach. They don't get why schools are so keen to take away their childhoods.
As part of "social justice" lessons, West Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut, has introducedgender ideologies in kindergarten. These lessons emphasize children's group identities. They also anchor to "mentor texts," which, according to parents, teach their 5- and 6-year olds that their parents or doctor gave them their sex.
A parent training event on gender and sexuality was hosted by Bugbee Elementary Schools in West Hartford. Parents who attended the training said that the instructor emphasized gender ideology and that "gender can be manipulated" and that "sex is not assigned, but is ultimately determined by the individual."
Schools almost always offer a combination of racial and gender ideology. This was evident at the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in February. emailed a note from kindergarten and first-grade teachers at Centennial elementary school in Denver, Colorado. The teachers also provided information on the principles that would guide them in instruction with children aged 5 to 7, 6 and 7. Notes from kindergarten and first grades included the following language: Queer-affirming is "working towards queer-affirming networks where heteronormative thoughts no longer exist." Transgender affirming is the pledge to make space and recognize trans-antagonistic and transgender violence by encouraging leadership.
The commitment to "disrupting nuclear family structures as prescribed by western cultures" was another principle teacher stated.
Centennial Elementary School hosts a variety of race-based playground night events, which are open to all "families" of color.
The Wheeler School in Providence is known for excluding families and students from school events because of their skin colour. All students in grades 6 and 7 received an email about Karyn Persons, author and actor, who was playing Hilary Banks and came to talk to students of color. Only students of color and multiracial students were allowed to attend, according to the email.
Cherry Crest Elementary school in Bellevue posted its school-improvement plan for the 2020-2021 academic year on its web site. It stated that it would "center race" to ensure all students have explicit discussions about race and equity. They will also "identify culture and recognize and identify white cultures through storytelling, sharing and conversation." According to the plan, fourth- and fifth-graders would be responsible for the "implementation at school of anti-racist learning strategies and methods."
Cupertino's R.I. Meyerholz elementary school required third graders to identify their race and rank themselves according to "power and privilege."
The teacher explained that students live in a "dominant cultural" consisting of "white middle class, Christian, able-bodied, educated, Christian, English speaking[s]", which was created in order to "hold and maintain power and remain in power." Students were then asked to make an "identity map" listing their race, class and gender as well as their family structure. These intersectional identities were deconstructed by students, who were asked to create an "identity map" listing their characteristics and ranking them according to the hierarchy that the teacher had explained.
Kindergarteners in the Evanston Skokie School District 65, Illinois were required to read the book not my idea: A book about whiteness. The book states that "whiteness can be a problem" and "always was", and that you don't need to accept whiteness. Parents were asked to question their 6-year-old and 5-year old children about whiteness. They were also asked to provide examples of whiteness that they see in their school and community. Evanston Skokie's commitment toward gender ideology includes teaching children in the first through third grades to break down "gender binary," which is established by white colonizers. They also experiment with neopronouns including "ze","zir,"and "tree."
It is not difficult to see that gender and race ideology have taken root in large numbers of schools, both public and private. These are only a few examples of recent trends.
Schools that teach gender ideology are seen by parents as the gospel of children, making them feel ashamed for their inborn traits and segregating staff members by race to promote inclusion. It is no surprise that they are raising alarm.
