America’s culture war has pushed itself into the public education system, and arguments have occurred over how students can present themselves to their peers and teachers. Furthermore, being transgender and other ideas of gender identity are being categorized under the word “woke” and apparently are being taught to children. Many proclaim children are getting brainwashed by wokeness, all in an attempt to “destroy the nuclear family” and “spread cultural Marxism.” I’m sure many will write me off as being brainwashed by the public education system, but the “war on education” is something harming no one but the teachers they throw these claims at, and the students those people care so much about protecting.
So, should “transgender ideology” be shown in schools? Well, what is that so-called ideology? According to the Yale School of Education, to be transgender is to believe your gender identity does not correspond with your sex. You may have a few questions, like what’s the difference between gender and sex? The words mean two different things. Yale states there are two different sexes. Those sexes are male and female, you can be one or the other and it’s that sex you are born with. Gender, however, is a spectrum. It’s not just male or female; it’s non-binary; it’s gender fluid; it’s anything on that spectrum between men and women. It’s not a choice, of course; it’s not an “Oh, this one seems cool” kind of idea, but whichever gender you align with is the one you identify with.
To get a better understanding, I asked a trans person to identify the word and describe what it is. I have chosen to keep this student anonymous for their own privacy. They described being trans with one sentence, “It’s a way to express your true self.” Something which is very telling for the community as a whole — all these people are doing is expressing themselves. When asked about what that experience is like, they stated, “It’s very difficult. I always find myself judging everything I do, wondering if I’m man enough. I choose to express myself how I want to even if people don’t see me as masculine enough.”
I feel that the idea of not being man enough is something even cis-gendered men worry about; they can relate to that idea. Both cis and trans men worry if they are truly masculine enough — a common ground that many seem to overlook.
This is that proclaimed “harmful” ideology apparently being taught in schools: the idea that gender is not binary “invading” these children’s minds and “making” them trans. Some believe the idea is pedophilic, which is a claim that has no factual backing whatsoever.
Looking at the other side of the argument, let’s dive into what they are saying and why teaching this is so bad. I took a look at an article by the Heritage Foundation, the right wing think tank organization, who’s been backed conservative politicians since Reagan. The article is titled, “Parents Are Fed Up With Public Schools Secretly Transitioning Their Children.” In it, the foundation makes a variety of claims around trans people and “gender ideology” in schools. They once again use the term “Cultural Marxism,” a term frequently brought up by people in the same sphere to describe the undermining of “western culture,” resulting in a progressive agenda leading society. According to these critics, gender ideology is forcing Cultural Marxism onto children, and teachers are responsible for children becoming transgender. They claim that they’re trying to separate children from their families, secretly “transitioning” them behind their backs.
There’s a whole other argument to be made about who really has a say over what the student can and cannot do, and who should be making those decisions. Should parents decide their child’s gender identity and pronouns? Should the teachers let the students decide their own identity? Should the government have authority of what you can and cannot do with your gender expression?
As you can see, the teachers are majorly impacted by this. The student may want a name or pronouns different from what the parents said they must be called. What does the teacher do in that situation? Teachers have been attacked the most when it comes to these issues, supposedly teaching these kids this “harmful” ideology with malicious intent. I wanted to put that to the test, so I asked teachers from MD and PA about the topic. Their testimonies give a voice to what teachers truly feel, and set the record straight on this matter.
They stated they did not teach “transgenderism” to their students. No teacher I talked to is teaching about those things, nor is secretly transitioning the kids behind their backs. One quote I’d like to specifically highlight is one from a kindergarten teacher. Some claim that the “indoctrination” starts young, so her statement was very helpful. She stated, “I don’t teach anything about being transgender. However, I stress the importance of equity; everyone gets what they need, as well as kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.”
It’s also important to mention that the trans student I talked to said they did not learn anything related to gender identity in schools. Their teachers did not make them trans; they developed their identity on their own.
Trans people, especially trans kids, have been attacked on so many levels. According to Trans Legislation Tracker (a website that gives live updates on anti-trans bills in the country), in 2023 alone, 588 anti-trans bills were introduced, with 85 of them passed so far. In 2024, we’re at 496 two months into the year. We’re on track for anti-trans bill proposals to skyrocket past the 2023 number, with the amount of passed bills likely to go up as well. These bills have gone after many things, but what I’d like to focus on are the bills targeting education.
The website states the bills allow misgendering, denying the students preferred name and pronouns, forcibly outing trans students to their parents, and banning gender identity teachings outright. When looking into the bills, even in the ones passed, these claims are incredibly true. These bills are destructive for children’s physical and mental health. It limits expression, leads to children being abused by their parents, and increases depression and suicide attempts.
According to studies done by The Trevor Project, 41% of LGBTQIA+ seriously considered attempting suicide last year, nearly two-thirds said that potential legislation against them massively hurt their mental health, and 38% of students found their home gender affirming. If outing these children to their parents becomes law, how will that impact those 62% of children? That’s not even mentioning the majority of those students saying they were bullied for their identity. The Trevor Project also found that if people around them respect their pronouns, it led to lower rates of suicide. If their school setting is affirmative to their gender identity, half of students reported it led to lower rates of attempted suicide. Clear evidence here that when their environments are accepting of them, they feel better overall. When writing and passing so many bills against a group of people, targeting the children of that group, the sad truth is they aren’t going to be alive to witness the aftermath.
I find it troubling that some find it radical for me to say that, find me disturbing and evil to want kids to feel safe in their everyday lives. Some find me repulsive to say let the kids express themselves, to put the identities of the students in their own hands. I will never relate to waking up every day of my life and feel like I’m not the person I am. I’ve been ashamed of things that are completely normal before and scared to reveal my identity in fear of the blow back. I can understand their torment somewhat, but never fully get it. I think it’s important to understand the people this is impacting, to try to put yourself into someone’s shoes and ask yourself, “How would I react if I looked in the mirror everyday and didn’t see who I truly was? How would my younger self feel if I wanted to be who I am, and any time I tried, I was shut down by everyone around me?”
I wanted to ask that trans person about what that feeling was like: “It scares me,” he said. “I get worried that one day I may be killed for just being me. The fact that being at school, somewhere you should be safe, could be a dangerous and uncomfortable place worries me. It also upsets me that I could have to live my life always feeling uncomfortable, in a body that’s not meant to be mine.”
The point is, when legislation enforces anti-trans rhetoric, it harms the students much more than helping them. These lawmakers claim they’re “protecting the children,” yet this legislation has done nothing but harm. The “war on education” is meant to help us, yet it only helps the ones in charge to get re-elected.
