The following is a multi-part series on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
- Read Part I (Hypocrisy)
- Read Part II (People)
- Read Part III (Money)
In part III, we followed the money. This is part IV – the Agenda, as it pertains to education.
HRC has an education project, called Welcoming Schools.
- View the Welcoming Schools Advisory Council.
- View the Welcoming Schools Staff.
HRC is not content to lobby for LGBT rights. Their agenda to promote LGBT issues has been ‘Common Core-aligned’ and pushing their materials in elementary schools is the primary focus.
From the ‘about page’:
Welcoming Schools offers professional development tools, lessons aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and many additional resources for elementary schools on:
The resources page centers around inserting LGBT issues into Elementary schools and, “Lessons on embracing family diversity, developing gender inclusive classrooms and ending bullying and name-calling. Aligned with the Common Core State Standards.”
Welcoming Schools offers a “starter kit” on their website. View the “Starter Kit“, but be warned, it’s 78 pages long.
The title page says:
“An Inclusive Approach To Addressing Family Diversity, Gender Stereotyping and Name Calling in K-5 Environments.”
The “starter kit” also includes the idea of creating lesson plans to ‘understand’ gender:
Use lesson plans designed to expand understanding of gender. Provide opportunities for students to look at the qualities all children share. Help them to see the limitations of gender stereotyping.
Remember, this is directed at elementary school-aged children in K-5 — which means 5-year-olds to 11-year-olds.
Throughout the “starter kit”, reference is made to parents and stressing ‘family’, yet I was unable to find an instance where they direct educators to talk to parents before engaging in some sort of class group therapy. See page 43 and on for the suggested ‘lessons’ and page 69 begins a ‘book list’.
One section under the books list is titled, ‘challenging gender limits with picture books’. One book on the list is I am Jazz, which I have written about before.
The Welcoming Schools introductory guide underscores the need to insert LGBT materials into elementary schools, wrapped in the idea of ‘curbing bullying’. While cutting down on bullying is an admirable goal, Welcoming Schools seems to focus on anyone using the word ‘gay’ as a slur.
We’ve seen this ‘curbing bullying’ maneuver here in North Carolina before when Omar Currie decided to read a ‘gay fable’ to his class of 8 and 9-year olds without parental consent.
If you think Welcoming Schools isn’t in North Carolina, you’d be wrong. It’s in Charlotte schools and has been since 2013.
North Carolina’s policies and statutes start sex education in 7th grade, so the question has to be asked — what grades are involved with Welcoming Schools in Charlotte?
Related Reading:
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