Gender identity in schools

Recently, a letter was sent to parents by the Central Okanagan board of education stating the local school curriculum will adopt the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity initiative in all grades.

The letter was not very helpful in its aim to facilitate parental understanding of these matters. It was short, vague, and the resources cited read more like a confirmation bias than actual scientific and medical insight.

This is not to say that I'm writing from a position of resistance. I believe in fostering a community spirit of unwavering support and acceptance for all people and will very much welcome any additions to the curriculum that promote those values. The trouble with the opaqueness of this announcement is it's not possible to tell if this SOGI education is based on community acceptance or if it's based on an ideology that has not been fully vetted.

On a personal note, a member of my family changed their gender identity with the help of hormone therapy at age 14. By age 18, this person regretted their decision, despite an overwhelming amount of support and, dare I say, adulation, from family, friends and the community at large.

When the adolescent years were over and the looming reality of adulthood presented itself, regret began to take hold, and that regret was met by indifference from most people and outright rejection by others. The overall reaction to the regret of changing genders was the polar opposite of the initial reaction received when this person came out as a gender non-conforming pubescent teen. 

I hope the SOGI education system takes these statistics into account and relays that information to students. I hope there is a truly honest conversation being had in the classrooms about the gravity of making life-altering decisions such as taking hormones or undergoing surgery to alter genders.

The reason I'm concerned is that, after reviewing the provided resources, I don't get the feeling there are these types of two-way conversations being had within the program. It seems as though we are actively promoting gender non-conformance and calling it community acceptance, which is great in an adult setting, but does give concern when bringing these philosophies into the classroom at such a young age.

Will young children be able to distinguish between being accepted and being congratulated in these regards? Kids want to be both accepted and congratulated, so what happens when they reach new, unknown, awkward and scary milestones in their lives? Will they turn to the option of changing their gender because they crave acceptance and attention? If they move forward with this decision and spend their teenage years on hormone therapy, what does that do to their overall long-term health? What happens if they reach adulthood and realize they've made a mistake? Will they be met with the same congratulatory acceptance or will they be ignored because they don't fit the narrative?

There are serious questions here and, as far as I can see, no answers have been offered. The brief, passive nature in the way this was announced raises more concerns than it quells.

Name withheld by editor