Crosstalk: August 2, 2017

Today on Crosstalk, Jim is talking with Michele Lentz (President of the Child Protection League committed to promoting the welfare and protection of children). Michele unpacks for us what has happened in Minnesota which also threatens school districts everywhere. 

According to Lentz, the Minnesota Department of Education has adopted a "Toolkit" to "ensure safe and supportive schools to transgender and gender nonconforming students." In all actuality, it's something that came in through the "anti bullying" bill of 2014 - a bill which the Child Protection League says was never primarily about bullying but, as "a means for the Gay Lesbian, Straight Education Network to get their curriculum into our schools." It was "not meant to see the light of day" yet thankfully "they have now been completely exposed." CPL's website says "The Toolkit refers to itself as “evidence-informed best practices”; it claims it is “a best practice” for transgender students to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers that match the gender with which they identify; that it is “best practice” for transgender students to “room with peers that match the student’s gender identity”; that it is “best practice” for boys who think they are girls to play on the girls’ sports team. The term “best practices” is sprinkled throughout the document.

Crosstalk advises that there is an increasing number of school districts across the country seeking the same policies despite the fact that transgenders still make up a very small percentage of the US population; a "toolkit" such as this is only working to normalize this behavior and Lentz says would "coerce school districts and implement an agenda within the department of education." Is this unstoppable? What do parents need to know? What should parents do? 

The good news? This "Toolkit" is not binding in all MN schools and Lentz recommends that everyone need contact their own school districts to ask that "common sense procedures" be considered FIRST. Lentz says it's "up to the parents to stand against this" and that confident parents "need not be intimidated or bullied themselves."