- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges teachers to become transgender activists through an assessment tool which gauges their classroom practices.
- The assessment encourages teachers to have rainbow flags in the classroom, use gender-neutral language and get involved with Gay-Straight Alliance clubs.
- The CDC claims the assessment should be optional and advises against using it as a requirement to assess staff commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging teachers to become transgender activists by encouraging them to participate Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs and using trans-inclusive language, according to its LGBTQ inclusivity guide.
The “LGBTQ Inclusivity in Schools: A Self-Assessment Tool,” which was published in October 2020 and recently made waves on social media, measures how participants incorporate practices that “address the needs of LGBTQ students who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized.” The assessment rates participants from “minimally inclusive” to “highly inclusive” and provides tips on how to improve score. (RELATED: CDC Assessment Tells Teachers To ‘Commit To Change’ If They Are Not ‘Awesome Allies’)
During the assessment, participants analyzed how closely they relate to statements about LGBTQ-inclusive practices in the classroom which include using gender-neutral words and using chosen names and pronouns. Participants were then asked whether or not they correct people when they hear a gendered or “outdated” term.
The assessment advised using “partner” rather than “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” It also included a glossary of LGBTQ-inclusive terms to learn which included “ally,” “cisnormative” and “gender identity.”
It also asked participants about their “beliefs, assumptions, & biases” and questioned if they believe that “gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation can be complex, are unique to an individual, and can be experienced on a continuum.”
“I cannot assume a student’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” another statement reads.
R&I ~ MJM
