As the school year begins again, Republicans are making it more than clear that their plan is to stomp down on students and teachers whenever possible. While we don’t always have a lot of recourse for vulnerable LGBTQ+ students in private schools, we can fight back when it comes to mean-spirited adults trying to push queer students and staff back into the closet.
As reported by The Dallas Morning News, one school district in the area between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, recently voted to ban teachers from discussing “gender fluidity” in schools. This includes not using a student’s pronouns if those pronouns don’t align with their sex assigned at birth and requiring them to use the bathroom based on their sex assigned at birth. Basically, this means forcing teachers to misgender students, which is an act of violence.
Folks who serve on the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) school board voted in favor of these damaging policies 4-3. These policies also reiterate critical race theory (CRT) hysteria and book bans.
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Before the vote, the president of the school district board, Casey Ford, said the policies were “taken directly” from the education code and are a reflection of “Texas law and community values,” per CNN.
How would these damaging policies work in practice? Let’s look at what we know so far. First of all, all trans students would be barred from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity. They would also be forced to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex assigned at birth. Both of these essentially force students to “out” themselves or isolate themselves from their peers to some degree; for example, quitting sports or being late for class or lunch because they need to use a separate bathroom.
The policy bars any classroom discussions or teachings that are remotely trans-inclusive, including barring discussions that support trans folks living a different gender from their “biological sex.” The policy also bars discussions of “gender fluidity,” which include the idea that it’s possible for a person to be “any gender” based on their “feelings.”
Teachers would also not be allowed to talk about sexual orientation or gender identity with students under the fifth grade.
“I am so sorry for the students in our district whose education is going to be stunted,” said Becky St. John, who serves as a trustee of the school board and voted against the policies, per The Dallas Morning News. She added that these policies are not only going to “overburden” teachers but “harm” students.
The policy also gives trustees on the board considerable power in book selection. Notably, it would mandate that books that are challenged and removed from the library cannot be reintroduced to the library for another 10 years.
An elementary school student addressed the board, saying they like to bring books to school. “My mom said the trustees are changing some rules to make it hard for my teachers to keep books at school,” he told the crowd of about 200 attendees. “I think this is a bad idea because kids want to read books.”
Kids do want to read books. And play sports. And use the bathroom safely. And talk about their identities. And the identities of their families. And feel safe, supported, and loved. Kids know all of this, of course—it’s conservative adults who want to brainwash them into believing hate.
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