Last week the Waterbury Record broke an important story on its front page. The story detailed a new policy at Harwood Union of asking students to introduce themselves and share what gender they identify as, in public in the classroom.
The new policy is an attempt to follow new guidelines from the Vermont Department of Education that are meant to make schools more inclusive and LGBT-friendly.
And that is a great goal. Schools should be inclusive and nonjudgmental for all students, including transgender and cisgender students.
But one has to ask – are all kids going to be comfortable standing up in front of their peers and their teachers and stating something so intimate and personal? Could this not embarrass them or cause them to misidentify themselves to avoid letting others know that their gender ID does not match their birth certificate?
Would it be appropriate to ask students to state their sexual orientation?
Could asking kids to state their gender identity lead to the same bullying such a policy is aimed at preventing?
Should parents have been notified that their children would be asked such a personal question in the classroom?
Much the same way younger people simply accept different sexual orientation and accept same-sex marriage, they are more likely than their parents and grandparents to accept all gender identities without question.
And that is a good thing. That’s progress as a society if we can accept people for what they are and make sure they are not bullied or ostracized or have their civil rights trampled.
But is it appropriate to ask people to answer such a personal question in public? What if asking teenagers to answer that question publicly makes them uncomfortable? They may not yet have discovered their gender identity or their sexuality for that matter.
Is there a better, less pressured way to create an environment of tolerance and acceptance at our public schools?
We applaud the intent but have some questions about the methodology.
