SACRAMENTO, California, August 27, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – An elementary school teacher packed a powerful punch in a two-minute testimony last month against a proposed law that would require teachers to affirm homosexual, lesbian, and transgender students.
Her testimony occurred during a July 10 California Senate Education Committee hearing regarding AB 493, a measure known as “Teachers: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning pupil resources and training.”
Speaking before the panel of liberal California politicians, Rachel Olsen – a 20-year veteran of the school system – referred to training she had recently received from a program run by a contractor, Queerly Elementary.
“I was told to use preferred pronouns to address students, to stop referring to students by their biological genders as boys and girls, and to teach sexual orientation and various gender identities,” said Olsen.
The purpose of the training being given is to “seek to coerce teachers and students to accept and express ideas about gender and gender identity that may violate their individual beliefs and consciences,” said Olsen, “especially those who subscribe to the gender binary, which is rooted in objective biology as opposed to subjective thoughts or feelings.”
“Biology is not bigotry,” declared the first-grade teacher.
The six members of the committee senate remained stone-faced as Olsen spoke.
“This bill may violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which requires government neutrality on religion,” continued Olsen.
“LGBTQ training often cast aspersions upon sincerely held religious beliefs of many public school educators,” she added.
Olsen pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court has recently ruled that the government cannot force an individual to express ideas or thoughts with which they disagree, and that parents bear “primary responsibility to raise their children, not the state.”
Olsen concluded with one last zinger: “This bill will likely lead to more families and students leaving our public schools to join growing ranks of private and home schools.”
The legislation states in part:
Commencing with the 2021–22 school year, each school operated by a school district or county office of education and each charter school shall provide online training at least once every two years to all teachers of pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and to all other certificated employees at that school, on schoolsite and community resources for the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) pupils, and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils and thereby improve overall school climate.
Another California school teacher who underwent Queerly Elementary training shared with the California Family Institute in June printed materials distributed during an indoctrination session. The flyer, titled “Creating a Gender Supportive School,” advises:
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Use the Preferred Pronoun/Name The intentional or persistent refusal to respect a student’s gender identity may violate discrimination & harassment policies.
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Reduce or Eliminate the Practice of Segregating into boy/girl groups or referencing students by gender. Example: Change Good morning boys and girls! to Good morning students!
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Avoid Comments that reaffirm stereotypical gender roles. For examples: Instead of addressing letters ‘Dear Mom & Dad’ try ‘Dear Families and Guardians.’
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Take the Student’s Lead (and family when possible) to create a transition plan, ensure privacy (if the child wants to change genders).
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Restroom and Locker Accessibility All students should have access to a safe and accessible restrooms and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity.
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Dress Code Reduce or eliminate gender-specific dress codes and practices.
Despite Oslen’s testimony, the panel voted 6-0 to pass the legislation out of committee for consideration by the Democrat-led California Senate.
As Olsen and another expert witness against the bill stepped away from their microphones, Senator Connie Leyva, chair of the Education Committee, sought to counteract their testimony.
“As the proud mother of a gay daughter, I find a lot of what the opposition said to be quite offensive,” chided Leyva.
“I will put my daughter up against anyone’s straight daughter,” added the Democrat chair.