The New Jersey State Board of Education recently approved a controversial new equity policy requiring schools to implement gender-neutral language. The regulations were approved in a very close vote of 6-5.
Gender-Neutral Language
The new regulations will require schools to either segregate health education classes by gender or not segregate them at all. Additionally, the regulations will eliminate specific instances of gendered language, replacing terms like “men and women” with more inclusive alternatives such as “everyone” or “persons”. The term “both sexes” will be updated to “all genders.”
Equity vs Equality
The regulations focus on equity over equality. Rather than treating everyone exactly the same regardless of differences, they aim to give everyone what they need to succeed as individuals. Republican state senators issued a statement in which they claimed board members were “driving a wedge” between parents and teachers.
Supporting Those Who Fall Through the Cracks
The policy aims to ensure all students have equal opportunities in education, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, sex, or gender. Board member Elaine Bobrove said: “We are not looking to take programs away from people who are deserving of entering those programs – but we also need to look at the individuals who fall through the cracks.”
Sex Ed Class and Gender
Some board members claimed the move to segregation by gender is discriminatory. “It is discriminatory, to me, to have girls that want to be in one class and have all girls there talking about this issue – and you send a boy in there. I think it’s discrimination,” said Andrew Mulvihill, the vice president of the board, while discussing the possibility of a trans girl attending a sex ed class for girls rather than boys.
Everyone Has Different Needs
The new regulations will allow schools to adapt to the individual needs of students and avoid leaving anyone behind. Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan said: “That’s what we’re asserting – that everyone has a voice, not that one voice is louder than another.”
Online Commenters Were Divided
The story was shared across social media and commenters were divided. “This only encourages confusion,” one person wrote. “This is fantastic. What a great step forward. Recognizing that different people need different things is very important,” another said.
The Tools Kids Need to Succeed
Some commenters felt schools were getting distracted. “Schools need to remember what they’re for and start educating our children rather than making everything political,” one individual wrote. A second person replied: “That’s exactly what they’re trying to do. They’re making sure all kids have the tools they need to succeed. They’re not making it political. You sure are, though.”
Some Commenters Encouraged Doxing
Doxing is the act of finding and publishing private and identifying information about someone on the internet – and some of those who were against new regulations encouraged it. One person wrote: “The addresses of the people making them do this should be published so that normal people can protest this at their homes.”
Others Didn’t Understand the Backlash
Some online commenters didn’t understand the backlash. “I don’t understand what’s so bad about this. Catering to the individual needs of students is a good thing. Supporting trans kids is super important and doesn’t hurt anyone. I don’t understand the problem at all”, one individual wrote.
Sex Ed Segregation
A fair few online commenters expressed concerns about the new segregation rules for sex ed classes. Some people, particularly parents of cisgender girls, were concerned about trans girls attending the same lessons. “Wouldn’t the boy’s sex ed class be better for a transgender girl anyway? This makes me incredibly uncomfortable,” one person wrote.
Trans People Hit Back
Replying to the aforementioned commenter, one person said: “A trans girl would be incredibly uncomfortable in a class intended for boys. That being said, I’m a trans man and I think segregating sex ed classes is stupid anyway. It’s beneficial for everyone to learn about everything. Just look at how many adult cis men are utterly clueless about how periods work.”
Christians Weren’t Pleased
A fair few Christians weren’t impressed by the new rules. “As a Christian, this terrifies me. What is the world coming to?” one person wrote. “Where does Christianity forbid trying to give everyone equal opportunities to succeed? I think it sounds like something Jesus would endorse,” another hit back.
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