How to Teach Gender Identity (And Not Get Fired!)

It is important to note, in the context of this blog and this course, that much of this content must first be approved by an administrator in order to be shared with students. While there are Healthy Living Learning Outcomes approved by the Department of Education (outlined in this document) they are vague and open to interpretation.

In fact, the word "gender" only appears twice in all Healthy Living Learning Outcomes -- both times under Grade 7:

7.6 Differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity.

7.10 Differentiate between the warning of signs of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, recognizing gender differences and the impact of delayed treatment.

There is no mention of defining gender identity, or engaging with it in any meaningful way, just the requirement that students can "differentiate" it from sexual orientation. Furthermore, the term "gender" is disparaged through being implicitly linked to notions of "disorders" and "treatment" in Outcome 7.10. Teachers must be careful to approve any material that could be understood as existing outside of these Learning Outcomes, or face stern reprisal from administration, and parents.

This NBC News article details how a health teacher in New York was suspended after handing out an information packet on gender terms and sexual expression to their Grade 7 students. The packet contained graphic language and the definitions of sex and gender terms. One parent in particular felt the need to post a video in order to express his discontent with the education system, and question why his Grade 7 child was being exposed to this material at all. (Note: The video is quite long, and does not need to be watched all the way through.)

While I disagree with this parent's sentiments concerning the exposure of gender identity terms to Grade 7 students, I agree that the information in this packet (as he presents it) appears to be too mature for the audience that received it. In fact, the news article indicates it was intended for a Grade 10 class, but was mistakenly given to the Grade 7s by a guest speaker.

This news article illustrates the importance of open communication with administration, and parents, about the material being covered in class -- especially when that material is sexually and politically charged.