A biology class at a Massachusetts high school compared transgenderism in humans to clownfish and a species of tree frog, both of which can change their sex under certain conditions.
The comparison was part of a series of slides that discussed variation in human biology in regards to sex, gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
The slides, which were obtained by the parent activist group Parents Defending Education and reviewed by the Washington Examiner, say that “humans are conditioned to view sex and gender as binary.”
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In a slide that discusses “human biological variation,” the lesson mentions “intersex people” and that “only mentioning biological sex as male and female marginalises intersex people who have been persistently discriminated against.”
Intersex is a rare genetic condition caused by the presence of multiple sex chromosomes, resulting in the presence of both male and female physical characteristics. The Needham High School lesson says that intersex is found in close to 2% of the population, which Erika Sanzi, the director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, said was false.
“The claim that nearly 2% of the population is intersex is preposterous and deliberately deceptive — the actual number is .018%, or about one out of 5,000,” Sanzi said.
Sanzi appeared to be citing a 2002 study by psychologist Leonard Sax that debunked the claim that 2% of the population could be identified as intersex.
The slides in the high school lesson, after defining gender identity as “your psychological sense of self,” pivoted to “non-human examples of variation,” specifically citing clownfish, common reed frogs, and the plant amborella.
Both clownfish and reed frogs have the ability to change their sex under certain conditions. Parents Defending Education said that several students understood the lesson as “trying to show kids that wanting to change your sex is a feeling that is common throughout nature.”
“Needham High School promised a science class and instead delivered a pseudoscience class. The slides shared by the biology teacher are harmful and wrong because they are factually inaccurate, sow confusion and rely heavily on regressive sex stereotypes,” Sanzi said. “Perhaps most absurd is the implication that biological sex in humans is fluid, or can literally change, because it happens to be true of non-human species like clownfish and tree frogs.”
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In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Needham Public Schools confirmed that the slides were “a component of a unit taught on genetics” and that the district “continually review[s] our curriculum and programs, including the science lesson referenced, to ensure accuracy and alignment with local and state standards.”
“We are proud of the programs we offer all students and continue to work hard to ensure all curriculum materials and resources appropriately reflect the needs of a diverse student body and the standards, values, and high academic expectations of the Needham community,” the district said.
