For most people, the term “Title IX investigation” calls to mind allegations of rape, groping, unwanted sexual advances or a pervasive pattern of verbal abuse.
Think again.
A Wisconsin school district opened a Title IX sexual-harassment investigation against 8th graders for calling a student ‘her’ instead of ‘them.’
- Source: Wall Street Journal
The lawyers for those 8th graders continue their opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal with this:
The district appears to believe that once a student announces different pronouns to others, any subsequent use of the biologically and grammatically correct pronouns—even when not directed to the student—may be punishable as sexual harassment under Title IX. We hope Kiel (Wisconsin) is an outlier, but it may not be.
A school board in Virginia is reportedly considering adding a policy to prohibit “malicious misgendering.”
The Biden administration is about to unveil its long-awaited update to Title IX regulations and, given the president’s pronouncement that transgender discrimination is the civil-rights issue of our time, it wouldn’t be surprising if the new rules call for the policing of pronouns. All of this may soon be coming to a school near you.
- Source: Wall Street Journal
UPDATE: The Fairfax County School Board was initially scheduled to consider this change to the Student Rights and Responsibilities guide at their May meeting, but they rescheduled discussion of the topic to June 16.
The past was far from perfect, but we did know the difference between boys and girls.
Rural School Room, 1900, by Perkins Harnly Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington
From the site SexMatters this letter writing campaign to UK members of government.
U.S. citizens should express concerns to their representatives too.
These so-called “anti-conversion therapy” laws massively overreach and disregard both free speech and religious liberties.
Here’s the letter they recommend UK citizen’s send to their representatives.
I was disappointed to see the photograph of you holding a placard that says “I support a trans-inclusive ban”.
This sounds like a clear slogan to get behind – but this is not a straightforward issue. I urge you to think again.
Affirming that a child is “trans” is not similar to sexual orientation. Childhood gender distress often resolves, and extreme treatments that involve social transition, cross-sex hormones and a pathway to surgery and sterilisation should never be routine.
I am sending you two reports that I hope you will read. One is by Dr Hilary Cass, former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, on NHS gender identity services for children. The other is by Sex Matters, based on its research on the campaign to ban conversion therapy.
Dr Cass’s interim report sets out serious concerns about how children are being treated – not using normal clinical standards for exploring the causes of gender distress, but being declared as “trans” by their school and doctors after self-diagnosing. Her report highlights that a high proportion of those presenting at gender clinics are children and young people in care, with autism or experience of abuse, and those who would likely grow up to be lesbian or gay.
Threatening teachers, parents, foster carers, clinicians and youth workers with prison, fines and a criminal record if they disagree with a child’s self-diagnosis is not the way to get these children the support they need.
The call to “include trans in the ban” is presented as a simple moral test, but it obscures the complexity and uncertainty about the cause of so many children declaring themselves trans. Inclusion in a new criminal law will make it harder for children experiencing gender distress to get careful therapy, or to get support in school and in the community that does not simply “affirm” them as being “born in the wrong body” and needing a lifetime of hormone treatment and surgery.
I would like to meet to discuss this.
The Cass Review – an interim report to the National Health Service England.
Although not mentioned, Christian Pastoral Counseling will be effected by these proposed UK laws as well.
The Florida law was not a “Don’t Say Gay” Law. It is not about homosexuality. It is about age-appropriate discussion of sexual matters. And more. Today’s “Pride” advocates are pushing cultural envelopes that most American parents find disturbing. Those parent’s views must be respected. For example, most homosexuals do not deny the reality of biological sex. Same sex attraction would be an incoherent phrase if they did.
But the new generation of “Pride” advocates most certainly do deny the reality of biological sex. As I’ve amply documented on this blog.
We live in a pluralistic society with all kinds of people groups who possess a variety of worldviews. It is therefore wildly inappropriate to show the following videos to children of parents who fundamentally disagree with the idea that there are more than two sexes and two corresponding genders. For those parents, teaching their kids about TQ+ identities is wildly inappropriate.
The following 4 videos were shown to a 3rd grade class in Glendale California. You can read the details here. A parent saw these on Zoom class and complained.
For those who wonder why Florida and other states are passing laws disallowing sexual orientation and gender identity instruction to K-3rd graders, here is your evidence why.
I’m particularly disturbed by the next one. Here’s what the report at GenderLCGB had to say:
In the video, the host says, “Jodie Foster is a woman, and she made me question my sexuality when I was a child because I liked her so much. And she was nude in the film ‘Nell.’ Not that I remember watching it several times as a child.”
This video is intended to instruct children about appropriate interpersonal relationships – and what did the child learn? The child learned that it is okay for an adult to talk to a child about watching nude people in movies, and having it affect their sexual desires and sexual arousal. This is normalizing behavior – a known tactic of sexual groomers – that should be a warning sign to parents and children. The behavior observed here is adults talking to children about sexual desires and sexual attraction.
Imagine if a male was leading this video and talking to your child about watching a particular actress nude in a movie. How would you respond? - Source: GenderLCGB
Read the full story here. You will see how one teacher and her administrators were unable to recognize inappropriate sexual content for elementary school children.
Of course, not all parents will consider this content inappropriate. But my point is that most will for 3rd graders (!) and that must be respected.
Unfortunately, in the Glendale Unified School District parents do not have the right to opt their children out of gender identity and sexual orientation topics.
Per the state of California, parents do not have the right to opt their children out of gender identity and sexual orientation instruction. In this Glendale Unified video presentation titled “Superintendent’s Community Update December 16, 2021: Building Healthy Communities,” the Director of Teaching and Learning, Christopher Coulter, specifically says, “Opt out provision does not apply to instruction or materials outside the context of comprehensive sexual health education, including those that may reference gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, discrimination, bullying, relationships or family.” - Source: GenderLCGB
To reiterate, in California public schools, not only are you not allowed to opt your child out of this instruction, the teacher is not required to notify parents in advance when they are discussing gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The only reason the parent knew anything was happening was because she observed it directly on Zoom school during COVID distance learning. - Source: GenderLCGB
Because of remote learning the past two years, parents have become more aware of classroom activities. Many will regard these videos, especially 1 & 2, as inappropriate for their children. Parents are making their views known through their elected representatives.
