A Florida school district voted to approve a controversial sex education curriculum that opposes the terms “male” and “female” after a debate this week — which was so heated it led to the arrest of a local advocate.
The Broward County School Board passed the proposed K-12 guidelines Tuesday night by a narrow margin of 5-4 after tense exchanges between backers and opponents.
Debbie Espinoza, a member of a local advisory council, was escorted out of the meeting and arrested for allegedly shoving a police officer after a clash with conservative activist Deirdre Ruth.
Supporters at the meeting lauded the curriculum as a thorough and “inclusive” aid for students on a range of issues — from gender identity to reproduction to sexually transmitted diseases.
But others criticized elements of the platform they said surpassed the boundaries of appropriate discourse in public schools — and potentially violated state law.
In one section, the document counsels teachers against the use of the terms “male” and “female” and opt for “cisgender” instead.
“You might commonly hear people refer to just being ‘male’ or ‘female,’ but the correct term is ‘cisgender,”’ the curriculum states. “For some people, what they see in the mirror and how they feel on the inside are different.”
A suggested lesson plan for kindergarteners entitled “Understanding Our Bodies — The Basics” states that “there are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have.”
Other sections for high schoolers describe proper condom use for both vaginal and anal intercourse, and the health risks that accompany different types of sexual activity.
“It’s unfortunate that five members of the board supported curriculum with inappropriate material that should be introduced at home between a child and their parents,” Board Member Torey Alston told Florida’s Voice.
“Attempting to defy the science in terms of the Y chromosome and the X chromosome which biologically define our children is wrong,” one speaker said during the meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
A district parent named Marta questioned how the curriculum would be couched when presented to students.
“Lots of parents are concerned how this information is going to be administered to our children and who will determine the content,” she told the board.
Ruth complained the district made the 1,200 plus page document publicly available on Friday, giving parents just three days to review it before Tuesday’s meeting.
She also questioned the introduction of anal sex materials beginning in the seventh grade.
But other parents endorsed the curriculum, arguing that students benefitted from the subject matter — especially as they advanced into higher grades.
“It’s important for students to learn about things such as consent, hygiene, gender, [sexually transmitted infection] prevention and healthy relationships,” another speaker said, adding sex ed can help prevent grooming and unwanted pregnancies.
Another parent asserted that the guidelines fall within the bounds of Florida laws, some of which restrict discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grade kindergarten through the third grade.
The curriculum will now go to the Florida Department of Education for final approval.