Nestled in the privileged west side of Portland, Oregon, Lewis & Clark College prides itself on being a private liberal arts institution of higher learning. Their newest course is a certificate program aimed at equipping teachers with the tools necessary to assist children with gender transitions. Starting in pre-Kindergarten.
Branded as the “Gender Diversity Certificate Program,” the college describes it as “A 9 month online program preparing participants to better support trans-spectrum children, youth, and adults — providing the groundwork needed to act as an agent of change within PK-12 educational systems and youth serving organizations.”
To further hammer home that this project is directed at young children, a toddler is featured as the main picture promoting the program:
They go on to elaborate, saying:
This certificate provides comprehensive graduate continuing education coursework specific to understanding the scope of gender diversity, intersectional challenges and considerations, and the need for educators and other professionals working in youth serving roles to be both allies and advocates for the elimination of arbitrary and destructive gender role stereotypes.
The first of its kind in the country, this program prepares participants to actively engage within classrooms, school boards, and communities regarding curriculum review/development, policies and practice, and social justice advocacy related to gender diversity in children and youth. Participants will gain an increased awareness and understanding of how natural human gender diversity impacts their lives, and the lives of those around them, and be better prepared to act as an advocates for change.
The first term of the program is called “Patriarchy, Transmisogyny, and the Science of Human Diversity,” which they summarize:
This course will examine how patriarchal early socio-cultural interpretation of sex and gender roles were established and then institutionalized by both Abrahamic religious text dating back more than three millenia, the teachings of Aristotle and the Peripatetic school of philosophical thought and early Roman Catholic doctrinal modification of the ‘Sins of Sodom’.
We will also focus on the science that influences and impacts prenatal physiologic sex differentiation and brain development related to establishment of individual identity. Multiple studies show that by age 7, transgender and otherwise gender diverse children (approx. 7% of all children) are aware of the ways in which their identity and expression is different from that of their cisgender peers. Prior to that, parents, caregivers, family and friends may (or may not) have observed gender nonconforming behaviors or interests in a child and wondered ‘how’ and ‘why’ their child was different from other children.
The second term is “Child and Adolescent Gender Development: Society, Healthcare, Education, and Maturation”:
A deeper dive into gender identity development, providing a framework for discussion on how gender identity and expression develop over the child/adolescent lifecycle, how it differs from biological and sexual orientation development, and the impact gender roles and societal attributions have on an individual’s sense of their own gender identity.
This course will explore the ways in which child-rearing based on gender stereotypical expectations has evolved as a result of the socio-political, and medical visibility of gender diverse and transgender people in the 20th and 21st centuries.
It will include interaction with panels of gender diverse/transgender adolescents, teens and adults, and coursework involving individual engagement with the same population.
This course will address evidence-based factors that impact that development and expose existing myths and disinformation about ‘why’ visible gender diversity exists (and persists/desists) in a growing number of children, adolescents, and young adults.
The program then pivots to “Intersectional Discrimination and Disinformation in the U.S.”:
The establishment of patriarchal institutions and intentional misrepresentation of Abrahamic religious texts as discussed in the Summer session of this program provides the foundation for this more in-depth course on contemporary anti-trans bias and hate. It will include examination of the ways in which intersections of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship and economic/educational disparity exponentially marginalize and oppress those who are transgender, nonbinary or otherwise gender diverse.
We will look at how public awareness and perception of gender diverse and transgender people has evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries—from that of disbelief and indifference, to psycho-medical curiosity and eventually, intersectional intolerance, discrimination, oppression, condemnation and political opportunism.
This course will expose myths and disinformation about ‘why’ visible gender diversity exists in a growing number of children and adolescents, and enable students to discern evidence-based information from subjectively interpreted disinformation and opinion.
Known best for its law school, they wrap up the program by focusing on the legal aspect, with the final module billed as “From Policy to Practice: Protecting Student/Staff/Rights and Implementing Policy Change in Schools and Communities”:
Transgender students exist in every school district, county, city and town in the United States. Recent school surveys and other research tells us that 3% of students identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. Educators may be aware of general guidelines when it comes to transgender students’ rights and resources, but the guidelines themselves may not be consistent with existing laws or best practices. Furthermore, the rights of transgender, queer, nonbinary and gender diverse adults working within schools and districts are often overlooked in policy and procedure development, discussion and implementation.
We will discuss (in detail) federal, state and local laws such as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments Act regarding transgender student and adult rights, and provide tools and techniques to enable those attending and their organizations to embrace the full inclusion of transgender individuals in schools, workplaces and communities.
This course will provide school district staff and educators with a step-by-step roadmap to achieving these inclusivity and compliance goals. Implementation support emphasizing community engagement will also be provided to ensure that the unique needs of urban and rural communities are also addressed and that supportive networks can be formed and/or strengthened for ongoing success.
By the end of this course, students will be better prepared to: demonstrate inclusive language, support gender diverse students and address gender-based bullying, engage parents & caregivers in discussion about their child’s gender diversity, analyze curriculum for gender inclusivity and content, and create lesson plans/classroom activities that promote inclusivity.
In other words, they’re setting it up so they sue anyone and everyone who discriminates against them. Be careful to not call anyone associated with this the “P” word, as their army of attorneys are just chomping at the bit to punish you.
Students enrolled in the certificate program will get a 1 year certificate upon completion, and those enrolled in a Bachelor’s program will get credits toward an actual degree. The program is part of the “TransActive Gender Project,” which targets children with transgender propaganda. To pour salt in the wound, the program’s offices are located in the campus chapel.
They further clarify that this is “social justice focused,” and making up more new terms:
Certificate material will critically examine existing institutional oppressions related to misogyny, patriarchy, socio-cultural bias (both implicit and explicit) and reliance on biological determinism as a defining characteristic of child and youth development and education.
Yes, “biological determinism” is yet another symbol of the patriarchy!
Guilt ridden rich white parents actually spend thousands of dollars to send their kids to “learn” about this.
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