New Issue Brief: Christopher F. Rufo on School Practices Relating to Sexuality and Gender

NEW YORK, NY – Last year, a whistleblower revealed that under the guise of sex education, Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago had partnered with local school districts to offer sexually explicit resources to children as young as 11, including access to a “kid friendly website for gender affirming gear” and sex toys. In a series of City Journal articles, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher F. Rufo exposed countless similar instances of schools nationwide disseminating inappropriate content related to sexuality and gender.

To protect against such violations of parental rights over their children’s health, wellness, and education, a new Manhattan Institute issue brief from Rufo offers a number of actionable ideas for states:

• Respecting parents’ rights over their children’s health and wellness: Public school employees, except in clear cases of parental abuse or neglect, shall obtain written parental consent when dealing with issues related to a student’s gender identity, and shall not withhold or conceal information from parents about their child’s gender identity, or pressure parents or students to proceed with “gender affirming” interventions.
• Ensuring age and developmentally appropriate classroom instruction and respecting parents’ rights over their children’s education and upbringing: No public school shall present sexually explicit content in any K–12 class; teach about sexuality and gender before 6^th grade; teach 6–8^th graders about sexuality and gender without express parental consent; or prevent parents from opting their children out of 9–12^th grade courses on sexuality and gender.  
• Promoting transparency in curriculum and training, as well as democratic accountability: Public schools shall ensure that information about all curricula, instructional materials, and faculty/staff training related to human sexuality and gender—as well as all clubs/organizations open to students—are easily accessible online. School boards shall be required to approve annually, during a meeting open to the public, all books and learning materials related to human sexuality and gender that are available in the library or made accessible to students for instruction.
• Enforcement: The relevant executive officials, parents, and members of the public shall be granted options to enforce the provisions outlined in this policy document.

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