Last week I attended a contentious meeting of the Westford School Committee.  They were considering adopting a new transgender student policy.  The content of that policy was, sadly, not surprising.  It contained the usual mandate for biological boys to be given access to the girls’ locker room and play on girls-only varsity teams.  It also advised teachers to not notify parents if their own child is “transitioning” from one sex to another:

“In some cases, however, notifying parents carries risks for the student. Prior to notification of any parent or guardian regarding the transition process, school staff should work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the guardian will be involved in the process and must consider the physical and mental health, well-being, and safety of the transitioning student.”

There was a good turnout of parents at the meeting who courageously voiced their opposition to the policy, particularly this part that would withhold important information about what’s going on at school with their child.  School Committee members explained, rather condescendingly, that this provision was only for students with “highly rejecting parents.”  I’ll be honest, that was the first time I’d heard the term “highly rejecting parents,” but it was clear what was meant by it.  Parents who do not unquestioningly embrace LGBTQ identity or behavior by their children are seen as “rejecting,” and no longer “safe.” 

If you simply google “Highly Rejecting Parents” you’ll get the following quotes in two of the top three results, both from MA:

• “According to the latest National School Climate Survey (glsen.org) done in 2013 by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), seven out of 10 LGBTQ youth face harassment in their schools. Research conducted by the Family Acceptance Project (familyproject.sfsu.edu/overview) shows how highly rejecting parents or caregivers make it exponentially more likely that their LGBTQ children will attempt suicide, experience major depression, abuse drugs and experience greater risks for HIV and STIs.”

• “LGBT youth with highly rejecting parents are more than eight times as likely to report suicide attempts, and nearly six times as likely to report high levels of depression. Given these findings, it is likely that LGBT students with rejecting parents will respond differently from LGBT students with accepting parents when they learn that their parents will be notified that they are victims of bullying related to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression… In addition, school officials should remember that parents of LGBT students may not be aware of their child’s sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. In such cases, students may have grave concerns about their parents’ response to learning that they have been targets of bullying related to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, and feel that this information should not be shared with their parents.”

There you have it – “highly rejecting parents” are a danger to their own children.  The claims of elevated risk of suicide and depression are laying the groundwork for removal from the home on account of it being “unsafe,” or “abusive.”  The language surrounding this new term of “highly rejecting parents” is an only slightly more subtle version of the “Homophobia = Child Abuse” campaign launched by an LGBTQ advocacy group in NYC a few years ago.

Sadly, the Westford School Committee flatly ignored the concerns of parents in attendance and voted unanimously to adopt the policy without addressing the issues their constituents raised.  In fact, the committee dismissed parent’s complaints about daughters being forced to shower or use the bathroom with boys as ignorant, telling the audience to “educate yourselves.”  Parents do need to get “educated” on the issues of human sexuality being thrust upon their children, and they can do so from a Biblical perspective here.  At MFI, we will continue to encourage parents to help their children reject the lie that every sexual impulse should be explored or that one’s identity is defined by sexual desires.  We will never stop fighting for the rights of parents to raise their children in truth, and not be deemed an ‘unsafe’ home because of adherence to traditional Judeo-Christian morality.

For our families,