BETHESDA, Maryland (LifeSiteNews) — Students at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, Maryland, were exposed to a slideshow commemorating “Transgender Awareness Week,” which included lessons on “coming out” and how to use “chest binders” to appear masculine.
According to Fox News, students were told in the slideshow that a “person’s gender is who they feel that they are” and were also quizzed on “what it means” to be transgender. Another activity involved students asking their classmates, “How do people know if they are a ‘girl’ or ‘boy?’”
Students were then shown a YouTube video titled “8 Tips for Being Nonbinary!” by Laurenzo, an internet personality and outspoken transgender advocate. The video answered the questions of “How can I let people know which pronouns I prefer if I switch back and forth?” and “I am closeted. What do I do?” The video also addressed how to use “binders,” which aid in flattening a female’s breasts to appear more masculine.
When asked for a comment by Fox News Digital, the Montgomery County Public School system defended the teacher, claiming that the school should make sure “every student feels safe, seen, and respected at school.”
“The lessons were about awareness, respect, and how to support peers in a school community that includes students of many backgrounds and lived experiences,” stated the school system. “Middle school is a time when questions come up, and schools must reinforce that bullying, harassment, and discrimination have no place in our buildings.”
The Maryland incident comes within the same week as an Oregon school survey that asked 6th graders what their “gender identity and sexual orientation” is. Students were also asked if they identified as “transgender,” “Two Spirit,” “Demigirl/Demiboy,” “Nonbinary,” “Generfluid,” “Genderqueer,” “Questioning,” or “Agender/No Gender.”
In October, a Seattle high school distributed “chest binders” to students, along with “tucking underwear” and “nipple guards.”
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications for Defending Education, told Fox News that Montgomery County has no justification for exposing middle school students to this type of sexually explicit material.
“There isn’t a single justification for this cult-like propaganda being pushed on children at school,” stated Sanzi.
“They are presenting a harmful ideology as gospel to other people’s children and manipulating language in ways that would almost be funny if it didn’t come with so much risk. Many kids will rightly scoff and be unfazed by the absurdity of it all, but others may be vulnerable, potentially set down a path from which they can never fully return.”