If this is not what I value, why must my family be exposed?

Question

HIGHLANDS RANCH – The issue of being transgender usually pops up with students in high school. However, a 2nd grade biological boy wants to dress as a girl and be addressed with a girl's name.

"As a public school system, our calling is to educate all kids no matter where they come from, what their background is, beliefs, values, it doesn't matter," said Whei Wong, Douglas County Schools spokesperson.

Wong says the staff at one of Douglas County's schools is preparing to accommodate the student and answer questions other students might have. In order to protect the child as much as possible, 9NEWS has chosen not to reveal his school or other names that might identify the child.

This was sent to me from 9 News.com in Colorado. The story is about a school in Douglas County.

(Copyright KUSA*TV. All rights reserved.)

Answer 1

The kid is 7 maybe 8. He shouldn't know what trans-gender is at that age! Why do people insist on teaching these low morals to our babies? Jeez! I didn't learn about any of that behavior until high school and now we have to deal with this and books like Heather has 2 Mommy's. GAG ME!!!! It's bs like this that keeps my kids OUT of public schools! I with I could choke some people on their political correctness!

Answer 2

Well, as it is a public school and this girl is part of the public, I have no problem with a sensitivity course being taught at her school. You may not like it, but you do share the planet with an assortment of people who have the right to safely express themselves in a way that feels natural to them. You cannot pretend they don't exist. That means you will have to talk to your kids about this sooner or later. It is not that your child must be taught to accept this as normal or healthy, but what is being taught in this school may keep this M2F youth from being killed in the long run.  I had a g*y friend beat severely in high school and others threatened. Many g*y students end up dropping out for these reasons. It is even harder on the transgendered. Tolerance is not approval. But being a part of a community means you have to be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with people you would not invite over for dinner. Remember, her parents pay taxes too and deserve a safe school for their child. That said, as a homeschooled parent you don't have to let the school do the teaching for you. You have the opportunity to teach what you will about transgendered people and gender roles in general. While you may not teach this as a respectable or healthy way to view gender, I sincerely hope you teach general compassion for all people. I think that is all the school is striving for in this case.

This is more common than you know.

Answer 3

Because you live in a world with many different types of people and belief systems?  The teachers will probably explain on an age appropriate level what is going on.  That doesn't mean they are going to force the issue or try to get everyone to believe one way or another.  Public schools, by law, are required to accept all students no matter what and educate them in a way that reaches each student.  End of story.  

Maybe you might want to take a look at why the idea of a transgendered person bothers you?

Answer 4

At that age, they shouldn't.

This is something that adults need to learn to handle, but not 8 year olds.  Sorry, but that's not the age that kids need to learn to understand "Billy thinks he's a girl."

I'm really not trying to be crass, but it's just not appropriate for that age.  And I'm not trying to judge the child, or his family, I'm just stating that I don't believe that young children should have to learn about that yet.  School is meant to teach him the 3 R's and basic knowledge, not about alternative lifestyles.  

I did notice the irony, though, that a transgendered 2nd grader will be accomodated, protected, and the kids will be taught that it's perfectly normal...however if a second grader prays over his lunch, draws a cross on his artwork, or states that he believes that God created him, he's told that he's intolerant, that his views are offensive to others, and that religion has no place in public school.  (At least that's what my child, and several others that I know in various areas of the country, have been told by their schools and teachers.  In my son's case, as he's homeschooled, that's what he was told by several ps kids, who said that that's what they learned in class.)

And liberty and justice for all...huh.

Answer 5

Your child shouldn't be exposed to that.  Continue to homeschool!

Answer 6

Would they be as welcoming if he wanted to come to school dressed as Batman and be called Bruce when that's not his name? What if all the kids came dressed up as they wanted to and changed their names? Of course not. They are accepting this in the name of political correctness, not thinking through the ramifications of it all.

The boy wants to dress as a girl and be called a girl's name--this doesn't necessarily mean he is really a she inside. He could be doing it for any number of reasons.

Answer 7

Gender confusion isn't a happy walk in the park, or some ploy to get attention.

I had major issues with that -I've since worked them out- and it really, really sucks. Nothing is right, nothing makes sense, and you have no basic idea of who you are.

If the kid wants to do that, fine. If the school wants to accommodate that, fine. But they should at least let you switch your kids to another class if you disagree with it.

Of course, we could fix the whole thing by not making school compulsory, but that's not going to happen.

Answer 8

This is not a matter of what you value.  I agree with it, as people are people no matter what gender, race or creed they are.  The younger you teach children to be tolerant of these issues, the better the world will be.  

I have a family member who wanted to be Hercules when they were smaller.  He insisted on being called Hercules and wore a cape.  At school, the teachers had some fun with it and the kids didn't mind.  This instance is not much different, it's a matter of perception.

Answer 9

Because you live in a world that other people live in.  

I agree that the public school system has a responsibility to teach all children, and it's entirely not their place to make judgments about the students' lifestyles.

How does it even remotely effect your family?  If it hadn't been in the news, you wouldn't even know about it.  Your kids might have noticed a new girl in their class, and that's about it.

If you don't agree with it, then this is your opportunity to teach your children what you feel are the right values.  Personally, I believe that it's important to teach our children tolerance, but if you have a different mindset, then at least try to turn it into what you believe is a good lesson for your family.

Edit:

Excellent!  I'm so glad to know that you're taking the time to educate your children in a way that incorporates the values that are important to you.

And of course your children didn't express a need to change genders in second grade - they're probably very comfortable with the genders they were born with, which is not the case for this particular young man.

I understand that you might be upset that this was thrust upon you, but that is unfortunately the way the world works.  None of us have a choice in how our neighbors live.  It's important to accept it, because otherwise, you're rejecting reality, which is not usually healthy.

You make an excellent point about how the adults will handle the issues surrounding this.  If we're going to teach tolerance, I suppose we have to truly embrace it ourselves, which means tolerating the intolerance, when it hits us in the face.  I hope the school administration can get themselves some education on how to handle this stuff in the best way possible.

Answer 10

Okay, I've been called all the names. Go ahead. Here's my two cents worth. Teach the parents to be parents and to be the role model this kid needs. The kid is male. End of story. For those that tolerate the psycho-bable of "born in the wrong gender body," fret not, you'll eventually learn that is total bunk. As for the school's "policy," I'd never have my kids in a school with that kind of policy. Public schools are a real problem like this and it is just getting worse as general society deteriates down the road of calling evil good and good evil. A thousand truths to get one lie accepted is all it takes to make the mountain fall. 'Nuff said. You know where I stand. Poor kid.

--Tall

Answer 11

I am less than a mile from this school district.  I agree completely with the statement that this is not appropriate for a child of this age.  It's a 7-8 year old for Pete's Sake!  And any child that has values that is not in line with the school's liberal views is the one that is being singled out as the one "who has a problem."

I have to say, even if I wasn't homeschooling and my daughter was in this class, I would be now.

This is the link with the *full* text of story and or video

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?st...

http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?a...

Answer 12

Unless you go live in a cave in the mountains your family WILL be 'exposed' to things you don't value. You can't seriously expect the whole world to conform to your beliefs?