Activists and parents recently spoke out about sex-ed programs being used in Minnesota schools that asked straight students to role play gay and transgender relationship scenarios.
At a Richfield School Board meeting Monday, many people expressed their frustration with the programs and schools. One person said “Parents are intentionally being deceived and misled about what their children are being taught”.
Julie Quist, a board member of the Child Protection League, said “Programs like 3Rs are not effective”. The 3Rs program stands for “rights, respect, responsibility” and was created by Advocates for Youth, a Planned Parenthood partner.
While many sexuality education materials have addressed the needs of adolescents, Advocates for Youth realized that such education must begin much earlier.
Advocates for youth website
Part of the program includes having students role play different relationships. Straight students have been asked to pretend they are in a gay or lesbian relationship and work through hypothetical sex scenarios.
Other lessons involve curriculum on anal sex and HIV/AIDS prevention for K-5, students pretending to be transgender and having to “make a decision” to have sex with a woman, and there is even a section for teachers that says some straight male students might “have a homophobic response” to role play.
The whole plan is almost 700 pages long and has different lessons for each grade. One kindergarten lesson tells teachers to call females “a person with a vulva”.
Julie Quist reported that there is no evidence that “explicit sexual education” helps to reduce STDs or teen pregnancies.
Chair Tim Pollis said at the board meeting that the content was chosen “in partnership with parents and guardians”.
He also said the program is not new and “parents are provided opt-out information … in advance … no student is required to participate”.
