We live in a strange world. In the past few years we’ve had battles on social media and in court systems about who has to make cakes for who, who needs to use which bathrooms, and who can get married.
I don’t like to get too political on my blog or any related social media, which is really interesting considering my personal Facebook is covered in political discussions. Spend five minutes looking at my timeline, and you’ll know exactly where I stand on many issues.
I wanted to keep the blog neutral. I wanted to keep the blog safe. I didn’t want the nasty comments or people dramatically unfollowing me.
Then I saw this article about how my state plans to teach children about gender identity and sexual orientation in the sex-ed program. People are outraged and blowing up social media, so I decided it was time to break my blog’s silence.
Because really, if I have an audience of thousands and I don’t speak out for the things that I truly believe in, what’s the point of this blog anyways? So, with a deep breath, here goes.
5 Simple Reasons Schools Should Teach Gender Identity
Ideally, Parents Should Teach This
This is the number one argument I’ve seen against schools teaching gender identity and sexual orientation. “This is a conversation for parents to have, not the schools”.
I agree, sort of. Ideally, yes, parents should have many conversations with their children about gender identity and sexual orientation. These conversations would happen early and often, and completely without judgment.
Back in reality? This just doesn’t happen in many homes. Do you know someone who’s told their son they can’t play with barbies because that’s a girl toy? That is why the schools need to step in.
History Shows That Hasn’t Gone Well
Teaching sex-ed at all has always been somewhat controversial. There were many parents who thought that type of education should be kept in the home.
The problem? Many, many teens had no idea how to have sex responsibly, so they got pregnant or they got STIs. Also, kids who were growing up in abusive homes had no way of knowing what was and wasn’t okay.
Without schools teaching sexual orientation, we have tons of gay teens being told on a daily basis that they’re an abomination. “Conversion therapy” for minors are still legal in 45 states. That means that parents can send their minor child to a camp where they are abused for being gay in hopes to “convert them” to heterosexuality.
When we “leave things to the parents” sometimes it goes really well, but other times it goes horribly wrong. That’s why schools step in on important issues.
Schools Teach Lots of Things Parents Should
In school I had lessons on bullying, drugs, STIs, wearing deoderant, and how to handle my period.
I would argue that all of that could fall into parenting territory.
The issue? If the school didn’t teach girls that they would get a period, there would be girls who thought they were dying on a regular basis.
There are still parents who actively teach their children to bully, so school anti-bullying campaigns are necessary.
Many parents don’t think to talk to their kids about an issue until it’s too late. Schools have a responsibility to teach all kids and give them, in theory, an even playing field.
Because what happens if a transgender teen girl is brought up in a family that tells her that she’s a freak? What if she has no idea that there are other people like her? What if she feels trapped in a body and life that she doesn’t feel fits her?
Then another transgender teen girl is raised in an accepting household? They embrace her gender identity and get her an experienced therapist to understand the best way to support her?
Which of those girls do you think has a better future?
That’s why schools are stepping in. Because your entire future shouldn’t depend on whether your parents support you.
Awareness Helps Lessen Bullying
Look, I’m not naive. I understand that kids bully about everything. I’m not gay or transgender, but I’ve been bullied plenty.
But here’s the thing. School policy can confirm people’s biases and help to justify bullying, or it can knock down that bias and lessen the bullying.
Consider this. Schools often have dress codes that are heavily female specific and primarily involve making sure that the girls are covering enough. Maybe, just maybe, that has to do with why girls are bullied for being “sluts” when the boys can run topless at gym with no issue?
When schools don’t accept a child’s gender identity, they give the impression that it’s okay for other students to not accept their gender identity either. This leads to bullying which all too often gets ignored by the school because they don’t know how to handle it.
Not to mention, there are many kids who don’t grow up being taught about gender identity or sexual orientation, and humans tend to avoid the unknown.
What would our world look like if every child was taught that transgender people not only exist, but they’re perfectly okay people and they deserve as much respect as anyone else?
What would it look like if we taught children that “gay” isn’t a synonym for “lame” but is actually just a variation of normal?
Our children all need and deserve a safe place to learn. Schools teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation is a part of providing that safe place.
The Child Suicide Rate is Too High Not to Teach This
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24.
That’s horrible. It’s scary. It’s disgusting.
Also, 41% of transgender individuals have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, and gay and lesbian individuals are 2-6 times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual individuals.
Schools have to do something.
I know that it might make you uncomfortable. I understand you want to keep the conversation in the home. I know that for many of us, it’s pretty new territory.
It’s okay to have questions. It’s okay to be uncomfortable. But understand that it’s the school’s job to teach children what they need to know. Even if you teach your child to read, the school will still teach them the same.
So please, don’t think that the school is “taking over parents jobs”. Keep talking to your kids. Ask what they’re learning in school and discuss what you think about that. Teach your child to think critically about the information they’re presented with instead of hiding from it.
I tried to stay neutral. I tried to keep this a happy place. But when it comes to children’s education, bullying, and even suicide rates? I’ll put myself, and my blog out there, and say that I’m glad that schools are teaching gender identity.
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Some dress code things are just plain absurd. There is a dress code that requires girls’ bottoms to cover their knees and this dress code is in Texas of all places. (Texas is a hot state.) It’s inconvenient for taller girls and even downright hazardous due to the heat. (In every PE class I have ever been in, someone will vomit from the heat. It happens during the mile and other running events the most often.) Girls have very specific rules for how to dress.
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Thanks for speaking your conscience. I am a homeschool, working mom of 3 in Utah and I agree with everything you’ve said. Keep up the good work!
Oh friend, you have no idea how much I needed to hear this! It’s so rare to find homeschooling moms who feel this way!
Yeah, I am considering homeschooling because of this issue. I don’t agree with teaching “gender fluidity” to my kids and if the school is going to step in and do it then I’m done with public schools.
Children are fundamentally naive and adaptable to ideologues who purport doctrine which is inherently positioned to debunk thousands of years of civilization. Let’s be careful to identify the primary and more importantly the secondary effects of such a strategy. Children are fragile, and there is no research that suggests implementing a school curriculum that teaches gender identity is beneficial or detrimental.
While I agree that gender identity should be taught earlier rather than later, what is the right age for this? We are a very accepting household, with a bisexual teenager who we very much support. But I disagree with how schools are handling this gender identification issue. Schools should decide when and how they will present this information with parental and school district approval. My third grader was just educated on transgender situations without our knowledge….too much info and too early an age in my opinion… and more importantly without our consent. This is a parents job to communicate not the schools. Give the parents a chance for goodness sake, most of us were blind sided. Parents should be informed of a plan and have time to communicate this information to their children before this information is presented to them at school.
From a Christian perspective this is just another subtle working of the enemy of our souls trying to get at the conscience of children. Always in the name of righteousness. Anything God has said is being reversed. The lust, violence filling things like Netflix, millions addicted to pornography, no respect for authority in children proves the outworking of other reversals. Yes ideas do have consequences. In Australia a mother was so determined her boy should be a girl that even when he didnt want to she imposed it. The judge threw the book at her and her child taken away. Western society is abandoning God to the point where if you believe truth you will be seen as wrong and ignorant. Bullying, abuse, violence will go on no matter what utopia the academics try and create. The truth still stands firm.
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AMEN! I AM A HOMESCHOOLING FATHER. MY WIFE STAYS HOME AND TEACHES AND I SUPPORT AND HELP THE PROCESS. THIS IS ONE REASON WE HOMESCHOOL. SCHOOLS ARE STRICTLY FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES. PARENTS HAVE THE SOUL RIGHT TO RAISE THE CHILD AS THEY SEE FIT. IN SOME CASES THE PARENTS FAIL, BUT THAT IS ALWAYS THE CASE IN A FREE SOCIETY. WE ARE FREE TO FAIL. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT WORLD, OR SOLUTION TO EVERY PROBLEM. WE MUST PERSIST IN OUR FREEDOM TO REJECT THE IDEA THAT GOVERNMENT, OR MOBS OF PEOPLE WITH AN OPPOSITE AGENDA CAN IMPOSE THEIR IDEOLOGY AND INDOCTRINATION UPON OUR OWN CHILDREN.
Amen!! No matter how much they try to make the lie a truth, it’s still a lie. God loves these people, and proved His love by paying for our sins Himself on the cross. No matter how much the world embraces sin, it’s still wrong. Lying is wrong. Murder is wrong. Stealing is wrong. Sexual immorality is wrong. Rejecting TRUTH is wrong.
All this gender identity teaching, drag queen story hours, gay pride parades, etc. is being advertised as acceptance but in reality it is indoctrination. Many of these kids are confused enough as it is and start to experiment or end up committing suicide. According to the bible, homosexuality is wrong. I resent the states imposing this ideology on us. I’m so glad we have the option of homeschooling. Dr. Money, the author of gender identity and from the Kinsey Institute, led a much publicized experiment that failed. Why would his theories even be considered for our schools?????? This is an abomination.
It’s so awesome there’re open-minded people. I can’t understand those who are against teaching gender identity and sexual orientation. Like, we’re all (well, almost) having sex, and not everyone is making love with a person of opposite gender. That’s how it is, we’d better speak about that openly.
I’m against it because I don’t like the way the lgbtq+ program has been targeting children lately. I have no problem with the LGBT+ community and I believe in freedom so hey let them do what they want. However when it comes to children that’s where I draw the line. Let’s start with the fact that some people want pedophilia to be a sexuality. Another thing is drag queen story hour where there are grown men reading to children some of which have been exposed as sexual predators. Then theres Desmond the 5 year old drag queen and people think its appropriate that he’s dancing in gay bars and having grown men throw dollar bills. Also if anyone has seen pictures or gone to pride month you’ll know that it’s very sexual and there are grown men walking around naked with children there also. The scariest thing though is 5 year olds being given hormone blockers which despite what the community says is damaging to growth and development. Just think about that for a second, we don’t let 5 year olds choose what they have for dinner but it’s completely fine to let them decide to take drugs that mess up their natural biology and will prevent them from developing naturally. Did you know that 71% of kids who say their transgender and don’t go on hormone blockers grow out of it and thus live lives where they dont have such high suicide rates and dont have to cut off their body parts and another thing the suicide rates don’t get much better after the transition surgery. My point to all this is that children don’t understand all this stuff and if taught in schools is just going to confuse them. Just let kids be kids and stop trying to ruin their innocence.
What does teachign gender identity even mean? It means pushing the radical leftist gender ideology that is based on lies and delusions. There are only two genders, male and female, which are based on biology and they are immutable. To teach children anything else is child abuse. Public schools should not be abusing children.
This is so very true. Most professionals studying gender are afraid to speak the truth about this. There are only two genders. Hormones and changing reproductive organs will not change your gender. Xx or xy chromosomes exist in 99.9% of our world population. Less than 1% are truly transgender by definition.
It’s fine for anyone to feel how they want, society shouldn’t have to pretend with every delusional individual. You may not feel comfortable in your body, but you cannot change your gender. Gender is not a mental state, but a physical one.
Teaching gender equality early on to your child is one way to let him/her know that whatever gender a person may be, he/she should respect and treat them equally. I am happy that people are now open-minded to subjects like this as it really helps create and maintain a loving and peaceful community. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful article. I will definitely share this with my family and friends. Looking forward to your next post! :)
Emery we are not discussing gender equality. This is gender identity or Queer Theory and goes way beyond the old gender equality teachings.
What is the difference between saying ‘if you are a girl you need to like these certain things’ and saying ‘if you like these certain things you must be a girl?’
Why can’t a girl who enjoys some stereotypically ‘male’ things just be left to those things instead of trying to convince them that it makes them a boy? Surely this just enforces the gender stereotypes that already exist.
yes exactly. this is why it is a dangerous ideology that can lead to a child become medicalised and even steralised for having a different gender expression. gender expression is now confused with whether you are male or female.
Girl and boy are determined by genitalia not what toys they like to play with.
yes exactly. what this article fails to explain is that gender expression and gender identity have been conflated so that now if a child expresses their identity in a non-gender conforming way they are labelled “transgender” and end up being medicalised and even steralised as a result.
yes exactly. what this article fails to explain is that gender expression and gender identity have been conflated so that now if a child expresses their identity in a non-gender conforming way they are labelled “transgender” and end up being medicalised and even steralised as a result.
I am in agreement that gender identity and gender non-conformity are being conflated. The feminists of the 1960s and 70s fought hard to remove cultural programming of femininity and therefore “burned bras” (hey if you look st images of underwear from the 50s and 60s it makes sense), to throwing make up into garbage cans at demonstrations, protested Miss America, and was effective at breaking down cultural ideas of how a woman was supposed to look and act. And I’m grateful. However dominant culture prevails and we have women still suffering from eating disorders, and unhealthy diet and exercise obsession, and a soaring amount of plastic surgery. Who didn’t do that work at all is men. Men still have a very limited definition of masculinity. I’m grateful for gender-nonconformist such as David Bowie and Annie Lennox, but it mustn’t be confused with gender identity and leading children down the path of identifying themselves as trans and even worst allowing children to undergo hormone treatments leading to “reassignments” and to throw out basic genetics which determines sex, not how someone feels. Even more frightening, and this is a mom who has a child potentially in the autism spectrum (and that’s why I clicked on this site) articles are revealing that, especially in the UK, that autistic kids are largely represented the teen trans identifying group. Coincidence? Autism doesn’t make your child trans, but what if the social anxiety and potential alienation makes austistic kids more prone to connect with other socially alienated kids or confused kids (aka the breakfast club) and they become more susceptible to an ideology they can latch on to. Think: kids who may simply be gender bending to piss off dad, or who knows kids may actually be trans, but why if the kid is just an outcast and feels safe amongst other outcasts and then suddenly there’s counselors and teachers giving them an ideology. Especially autistic kids who experience these issues and are taught to listen to these counselors. What’s worse are the lawsuits ensuing about giving hormone treatments to kids. There’s not a single long-term study about the effects of these hormone treatments over decades of their lives. Many of the kids aren’t even in puberty yet. And once thy start they’re locked in for the rest of their lives. these kids are guinea pigs. You cant get a tattoo until you’re 16 or vote or register for the draft until 18 but you can take hormones to change your sex. It’s insane. Personally I believe pharmaceutical and insurance companies as well as surgeons, all of whom are making a killing off of the trans rights movement, are behind this rather sudden gender movement. Let’s focus simply on bullying and violence And providing support for kids, rather than teaching an ideology that they must be a part of. They’re teenagers. They’re young. Let kids play around with their gender and sexuality (responsibly) without telling them they’re one thing or the other. And let’s be mindful
Of our autistic kids, who are oftentimes very impressionable.
Thank you for this reasonable, sane and smart comment!
I agree with you on all of the points. I believe in freedom and human rights, therefore I am possibly a lot more “leftist” than the crazy bible and traditions conservatives, but looking at the “left” and their ideologies recently makes me wonder, how did it get to this? And if you see that something is wrong, your leftist-manygendered-unicornidentity friends will probably instantly label you a “nazi”. Wtf, people. Think, just think. It’s like both far-“sides” are becoming equally crazy lately.
Gender identity and all that stuff should be discussed in schools when kids re sixteen at least, definitely not earlier. Otherwise it looks like changing genders and “identify as” is the new “No mom it’s not a phase, I am a goth/punk/emo really” thing. And then you regret those lame tattoos later. Only in the case of gender you destroy your hormonal balance for life.
You are a complete nut job. There are only two genders and every biologist will tell you that. Science tells us that. Nature tells us that. Thoughts and feelings don’t change biology. The child suicide rate is climbing specifically BECAUSE of this trans crap.
I’m happy to see a resistance to this ridiculous social experiment they call gender fluidity. I would take my kids out of school the moment they are taught that sex and gender are not linked. I mean come on!
well let me tell you what, after reading you article I can tell you 5 reason why I consider you mentally sick person ! or politically and culturally brainwashed!
1. Because you’ve been bullied many time you have wrong opinions about life !!! and people around! !
2. In this world we are 2 genders Women and Man that’s scientific proved, and all this crap about identification is just psychological research which reveal some mentally declinations from normal , and someone’s took it as political weapon/tool !
3.Nobody know how is going to impact society after such lessons, and from history which you’re referred we know that lot of time government taking wrong decisions who leading to disaster in society!
4.NOBODY FUCKING NOBODY CAN FORCE SOMEONE IN LIFE TO DO SOMETHING WHICH IS AGAINST HIS BELIEVES, according to you mentality we should teach about everything in this life about identity such as maniacs, or killers, or pedo lovers who are here in Europe in some countries you can openly talk about this!!! and I believe this is going to be next leftists steps to legalize such people !!!! sound sick isn’t it !?! Kaylene !?
and last one who gave you authority to spread this shit !!?? do you take any responsiblities for some persons who will follow your sick beliefs! ?!?!
This something that should be left for the parents. No one has the right to infringe on a family’s beliefs. If someone wants to say they are a woman, when truely they are man, so be it. But do not force me or my children go against what science tells us and have identulify said person as a woman. Want to prove to me you are woman? Easy enough, get pregnant and I will relent. Its ridiculous what this country is turning into. I’m not homophobic at all. I have close personal friends of both genders that absolutely agree with my stance.
Couldn’t agree enough. You just spoke my mind. Very well expressed. I say the same. Education begins from home. Open communications at all levels and in any environment such as home, school or office saves a lot of misunderstandings and broadens knowledge. Everyone should feel inclusive and be respected. You would only understand if you educate yourself.
Great share!