San Francisco School District Teaches Gender Identity Curriculum Without Parental Consent

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) told teachers they didn’t need to notify parents before teaching children pro-transgender, gender identity lessons.

Parents don’t need to be notified before teachers discuss “LGBTQ family and gender diversity,” documents obtained by Parents Defending Education through public records requests found. 

A document called “LGBTQ Family + Gender Diversity,” a “Teaching Guide for Elementary Grades,” explained that there are several instances in which teachers don’t need to inform parents that they will teach gender identity curriculum in the classroom. 

“A discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning people does not constitute a discussion about human sexuality or family life education,” the document explains, saying that such instruction “does NOT require parent notification or permission according to the California Education Code.” 

It goes on to explain that parent notification is not required “When celebrating diversity or April’s LGBTQ Pride month,” “When providing definitions to students,” “Reading a book with LGBTQ character(s)/plots/subplots,” or when “Speaking about LGBTQ persons in the curriculum outside of sexual health education.” 

One section, titled “Essential Questions by Grade Level,” lists learning goals by grade. The questions are intended to help implement a “learning process that introduces, builds and deepens students’ understanding of LGBTQ family and gender diversity.”   

A question for kids in transitional kindergarten reads “What do we notice about gender?” while a question for first graders is listed as “What do I notice about rules about gender?” 

Meanwhile, those in second grade are asked, “How can we be supportive of LGBTQ people in our community?” and, “How have heroes and allies made a difference for LGBTQ communities?”

Questions for fourth graders include, “How is gender organized across California society and history? How is that different from Native American traditions?” as well as, “What is the relationship between oppression and LGBTQ health?” Another reads, “How have LGBTQ people organized social movements now and in the past in California?”

Fifth grade students are asked questions like “How was gender controlled in the formation of the United States?” and “What is gender self-determination? How is it different from the gender binary?”

“Key Ideas” that children are taught at SFUSD are taught include “It is normal to explore gender and be curious about gender” and “limiting ideas about gender are learned from families, friends, TV/Movies, school and society.”

Children in the district are also taught that “Westward expansion and colonialism impacted Native American gender diversity.”

A document called “Gender Inclusive Language,” labeled as “Guidance for SFUSD Educators,” included a vocabulary list. It featured terms like “transgender,” “cisgender,” “non-binary,” and “gender-nonconforming.”

The document also instructed teachers to “avoid using he as a universal pronoun; likewise, avoid using binary alternatives such as he/she, he or she, or (s)he.”

The district also has a “Queer Trans Advisory Council” which is made up of high school students and is tasked with planning Youth Pride Day and engaging in other forms of outreach and activism.

Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com