It hasn’t taken long for the transgender movement to encroach on institutions that are the fabric of American society, first starting with schools and then moving in closer to more vital territory — the family unit. The latest double-edged sword utilizes both, all under the guise of anti-discrimination.
A proposal in Delaware, Regulation 225, “Prohibition of Discrimination,” at first seems to suggest guidelines for making sure kids feel safe and accepted in school, to ensure they are not discriminated against, even when it comes to their sexuality, gender identity or assigned sex at birth. Section 3.4 reads:
Nothing in this regulation shall be construed to prevent School Districts and Charter Schools from providing separately to each gender those segments of a program of instruction dealing exclusively with human sexuality. A student shall have the opportunity to participate in the program of instruction dealing exclusively with human sexuality that is consistent with the student’s gender identity regardless of the student’s assigned sex at birth.
But that’s not all. The new regulation also fails to require schools to inform parents that a child has decided, believes him or her self to be, or otherwise desires to be addressed in school as a member of the opposite gender from their assigned sex at birth. In fact, it goes a step farther and essentially suggests teaming up with the child to create a plan to deal with sexuality. Section 7.4.1 reads,
A school may request permission from the parent or legal guardian of a minor student before a self-identified gender or race is accepted; provided, however, that prior to requesting the permission from a parent or legal guardian, the school should consult and work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the parent or legal guardian is aware of the Protected Characteristic and is supportive of the student, and the school shall take into consideration the safety, health and well-being of the student in deciding whether to request permission from the parent or legal guardian.
Fox News reports the proposal has caused an uproar among locals because on one side “are parents who say they want a more welcoming climate for their transgender or nonbinary children. On the other side are parents who say the proposal infringes on their basic parental rights.” If the regulation is approved, Delaware would be among about 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have passed similar anti-discrimination provisions based on gender identification, but one of the first states to “acknowledge gender identification in schools as a protected characteristic” and violators could face prosecution if they don’t comply.
It’s unsettling, to say the least, that a school would purposely participate in not only allowing kids to deny biological reality, but corroborating against their parents to engage in that. To scheme with a minor, about their sexual orientation or gender identification, is the new under-18 pregnancy, or request for birth control — and schools are the new doctors, who must remain mum. This is not to say that schools or children should engage in, or even allow, discrimination or bullying, based on anything, but it’s clear to see the same principles, the same concerted effort against discrimination, has hardly ever been applied to kids in school who are Christians, to use one example.
Infringing on parental rights, in favor of perpetuating transgender ideology, seems to be en vogue. In Ohio last week, a judge ordered that parents lose custody of their 17-year-old daughter, who wanted to begin hormone replacement therapy and transition to a boy. The parents, who are Christians, did not believe that was moral, and discouraged the transition, encouraging therapy with a Christian therapist, instead. The judge granted custody to the grandparents who were, in the judge’s eyes, more accepting of the teen’s desires. This step, in tandem with school policies Delaware is currently debating, is disturbing for parents, for parents of faith, and for people in a school setting, who may fundamentally disagree with transgenderism as a sexual or gender orientation.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
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