“Why is it that so many young people today are wondering if they were born in the wrong body?”
That’s a common question among parents, doctors, and lawmakers today as ever-greater numbers of children declare a “transgender” identity.
When schools encourage faulty thinking about gender, sex, and identity, it seems there isn’t much parents can do.
But a new downloadable resource guide is offering information that empowers parents to deal with the seriousness of the issue.
A diverse array of political, medical, social, and religious organizations have united to create the Parent Resource Guide.
This guide discusses the “transgender trend” and its implications, current school policies surrounding gender, the rights of parents in situations of gender and identity, and opportunities to advocate for “common sense” policies.
“It is our hope that this Guide will help you make a positive and effective case for policies that encourage acceptance and diversity in a way that communicates to every student they were born in the right body,” the authors write.
Six organizations were instrumental in creating the guide: the Minnesota Family Council, the Family Policy Alliance, The Heritage Foundation, the Women’s Liberation Front, the Kelsey Coalition, and Parents of ROGD Kids.
The Minnesota Family Council, the driving force behind the creation of the resource guide, works in the public and political spheres to protect religious freedom and biblical truth in our culture. The Council’s vision is to see culture flourish by honoring God’s designs for marriage and family.
The Family Policy Alliance is a Christian organization focused on advocating for biblical values in the areas of abortion, family, sexuality, and religious freedom. The Alliance lobbies on behalf of Christians throughout the United States.
The Heritage Foundation is another conservative think-tank that advocates for “freedom, opportunity, [and] prosperity” as well as “traditional American values” in society. This organization conducts independent research in order to inform public policy.
The Women’s Liberation Front (WOLF) is a “radical feminist organization dedicated to the total liberation of women.” This organization, although secular, recognizes the harm that comes to equality in society when people are allowed to declare a new gender identity.
The Kelsey Coalition, a medically-focused advocacy group “is calling for an end to [the] identity-based medical experiment” that is the transgender movement. The Coalition knows the risks of transgender hormonal and surgical treatments and seeks to end them for the good of young people everywhere.
Finally, Parents of ROGD Kids is an organization for parents of children who have suddenly—“seemingly out of the blue”—identified with the opposite sex and transitioned accordingly. This Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) is an epidemic among “vulnerable youth,” the organization asserts and is incredibly harmful.
Together, these five organizations created the Parent Resource Guide in hopes of turning the tide of the transgender movement, especially in schools.
The guide begins with simple definitions of current terminology, describing gender dysphoria, gender fluidity, non-binary and intersex conditions, and more. These definitions are informed by logic and research.
Parents will also find answers to frequently asked questions about gender identity and school inclusion policies. The guide informs readers that schools are not required to notify parents about changes to locker room and restroom policies.
Additionally, Title IX offers no protection from mixed-sex restrooms and locker rooms, the guide notes. These mixed-sex spaces increase the likelihood of sexual offenses, including “voyeurism, harassment, sexual assault, and rape.”
Not only does the transgender movement affect equality and safety, but it also affects medical wellness. The faulty idea that sex is a spectrum has caused documented issues with mental and physical health in many young people in recent days.
And with so many young people declaring new “gender identities,” it’s recently been characterized as a social contagion. The guide documents multiple cases of children changing their identity purely from being influenced about the idea of transgenderism.
Rather than helping children and young people think through their feelings and reach logical and healthy conclusions, schools are forcing the idea of gender identity on their students and disregarding the medical facts.
The Parent Resource Guide writes, “a better approach is for schools to create a climate that welcomes every student by making room for a greater diversity of personalities without negating the importance of bodily sex.”
“Most children’s personalities do not perfectly conform to the societal expectations for their sex and they should not be led to fear that their unique expression or preferences indicate a need to change their identity or their bodies.”
But schools are caving in to the demands of transgender activist groups, and education about gender transition is now required in many public schools around the country. Additionally, many sex-specific spaces, such as sports teams and restrooms, are no longer protected.
What can parents do to respond to this movement?
The guide encourages parents to “be informed and be proactive.” Parents have the right to review classroom curriculum about sexuality and gender, request notifications about sexuality education, attend and speak at school board meetings, and write letters to superintendents.
It’s up to parents to hold educators responsible for the welfare of the children in their care.
The guide provides a helpful list of sample questions that parents can use to communicate with school officials regarding sexuality and gender-specific policies and education.
“By respectfully speaking out, you can help to ensure that school boards hear what the research makes clear: our sex does not change according to our feelings, and school policy that ignores that fact ends up hurting our kids,” the guide says.
“Resistance to this trend will be built one parent at a time, and it starts with you.”
Regardless of political or religious affiliation, the guide asserts that parents should be involved in protecting their children from the perils of transgender policies in schools.
The Parent Resource Guide is a well-written, thoroughly-researched approach to many of the gender-identity issues prevalent in our culture today.
To learn more about your parental rights, the impact of school policies, and opportunities to advocate, read the entire Guide here.
