1. Is SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) a Curriculum?

“There is no SOGI curriculum. SOGI is a thread that can be addressed throughout many subjects and topics.  Teachers choosing to address SOGI in the curriculum is NOT about students developing a particular set of beliefs around sexual orientation and gender identity.  It is about building understanding of the diverse society that we live in and learning to treat each other with dignity and respect regardless of our differences.  The Ministry of Education is responsible for the creation of BC curriculum.  SOGI 123 provides ready-to-use, grade-level SOGI-inclusive lesson plans that align with that curriculum.  Teachers can customize SOGI 123 lesson plans to meet the needs of their classrooms.”

1. Where did SOGI come from?

“SOGI 123 was created by ARC Foundation in collaboration with BC Ministry of Education, BC Teachers’ Federation, UBC Faculty of Education, Out in Schools, nine school districts across BC, and local, national and international LGBTQ2 (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirited) community organizations.  We are working together to address the immediate need to support marginalized LGBTQ students by affecting rapid and progressive change in attitudes, policies, and practices toward creating safer and more inclusive school environments for all students.  The primary platform for SOGI 123 is SOGIeducation.org to use tools and resources created by educators, for educators.”

1. Who is ARC?

 The ARC Foundation (Awareness, Respect, Capacity) is based in Vancouver, BC and supports projects that exhibit Awareness, Respect and Capacity …”in improving the status of those who are marginalized in society by sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or financial status”.  They support the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and the Out in Schools program.  This is a program that promotes the LGBTQ2 community largely through cinematic presentations in schools and other venues.

1. How does this affect SD 68?

The Nanaimo and Ladysmith School District was one of the earliest districts to launch the program at the beginning of 2016/2017.  On June 1, 2016 the school board passed an inclusion policy that amends two previous policies while ensuring that…” both the SOGI and MCRR (Multi-Cultural and Race Relations) administrative procedures will be enhanced and remain in place (italics mine)“.  This policy document was accompanied by “enhanced SOGI administrative procedures“.  This document is entitled Administrative Procedure 347 – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

1. So what exactly is SOGI 123?

“SOGI 123 has three phases which have clear outcomes and tools for educators to make their schools and classrooms LGBTQ-inclusive.”  These are:

SOGI 1 – POLICIES

“SOGI-INCLUSIVE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SAVE LIVES.  Effective policies and procedures that explicitly reference SOGI have been proven to reduce discrimination, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts for all students.”

SOGI 2 – ENVIRONMENTS

 “INCLUSIVE LEARNING INVOLVES EVERY PART OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.  When successfully integrated, inclusive operations, language, and practices create positive and welcoming environments for all students.”

 SOGI 3 – RESOURCES

“CAN I INCORPORATE SOGI INTO THE CURRICULUM? YES.

Ready-to-use, age-appropriate, SOGI-inclusive lesson plans are aligned with the new BC curriculum for integration into all subject matter.”

1. Can you tell me more?

The information for SOGI 123 is basically all available on the ARC website or the B.C. Ministry of Education website:  https://bc.sogieducation.org/sogi3.

An outline for what you will find there is:

SOGI 1.

1. a) A list of the 10 key Components for Effective SOGI-Inclusion policies and Procedures,
2. b) 6 – 5 minute Learning Burst Videos,
3. c) 4 – 40 minute Learning Module Videos.

SOGI 2

1. a) General examples of the First Steps for Using Inclusive Language,
2. b) High level glossary of terms used and associated with the LGBTQ2 community,
3. c) Detailed glossary of terms used and associated with the LGBTQ2 community,
4. d) A lengthy list of the Friends of SOGI including the BCTF, Out in Schools, QMUNITY and Egale,
5. e) The Pink Day toolkit,
6. f) The same videos as in SOGI 1.

SOGI 3

This section, perhaps the most troublesome, includes a list of Lesson Plans cited as Curriculum Resources that must be supplemental to the curriculum.  It is broken down into 13 Elementary and 8 Secondary lesson plans.

1. a) Elementary Lesson Plans

K-12 – Why “That’s So Gay” is not Okay

K/1 Social Studies & PHE – Family Diversity

K/1 Social Studies & PHE – Name Calling

K/1/2/3  English Language Arts, Social Studies & PHE  – Pronouns

K/1/2/3/4 English Language Arts & Arts Education – Gender and Labels

K/1/2/3/4 English Language Arts – LGBTQ+ Families

K/1/2/3/4 English Language Arts & Arts Education – Gender and Diversity

2/3 English Language Arts & PHE – Gender Identity

2/3/4/5 English Language Arts & PHE– Questioning Gender Expectations

4/5 Physical and Health Education – Gender Identity, Media and Stereotypes

5/6/7 Social Studies – LGBTQ+ Human Rights

5/6/7 Arts Education & PHE – Gender Stereotypes and Bullying

6) /7 PHE &English Language Arts – Gender and Appearance in Media

1. b) Secondary Lesson Plans

K-12 – Why “That’s So Gay” is not Okay

8/9 Physical and Health Education – Gender Identity

8/9 English Language Arts – Gender Stereotypes in Literature

8/9/10 English Language Arts – Social Justice Vocabulary

8/9/10/11/12 English Language Arts – Gender in Short Stories and Poetry

8/9/10 Physical and Health Education & 10/11/12 Social Studies – Language and Terminology

10/11/12 Social Studies / BC First Peoples / Indigenous Studies – Indigenous Perspectives of Gender

10/11/12 Science, Life Sciences, Biology & Anatomy and Physiology – Intersex Biology

1. c) There are 49 videos associated with SOGI 3 as learning aids,
2. d) There are 48 books associated as learning aids.

As a parent,  grandparent and  retired biologist I am disappointed by the complete lack of common sense and scientific rigour used in promulgating this  harmful and ill conceived program. While posing as an anti-bullying curriculum  it ultimately reveals itself to be no more than another opportunity to promote leftist ideology.

 Is there anything in these procedures that I should be concerned about?

I have identified three sections I consider to be most important to parents.  They are:

 General Guidelines (as described in SD 68  Admin. Procedures #347 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity)

“When considering aspects of this procedure, it is important to keep in mind that gender is fluid and not binary.  It is helpful to see male and female at opposite ends of the continuum of gender identity.  By seeing only two genders in decisions about procedure, there is a possibility of pressuring students to conform to gender stereotypes and the social roles assigned to females and males.  Environments could be created that compel students who are questioning to make decisions before they are ready.  NLPS (Nanaimo/Ladysmith Public Schools) has an obligation to ensure that members of the school community who are LGBTQ2 and members of diverse family structures are respected, included and safe in the school communities and related activities.”

Privacy and Confidentiality

“All persons have a right to privacy.  This includes the right to have one’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth private at school.  Disclosing this information to other students, parents, or other third parties may violate privacy laws,  such as the Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA).  The district will ensure that all medical information relating to transgender and gender nonconforming students will be kept confidential in accordance with applicable district, municipal, provincial and federal policies and privacy laws.  School staff will not disclose information that may reveal students’ sexual orientation or gender identity unless legally required to do so, or the student/parent or guardian has authorized such disclosure through the use of the district’s release of information form.”

Washrooms, Locker & Change Rooms

“All students have a right to safe and private washroom and changing facilities.  They have the right to access washrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities that correspond to their gender identity regardless of their legal sex.  The student’s self-identification is the sole measure of the student’s gender.  Schools may maintain separate washrooms, locker rooms or changing facilities for male and female students, provided that students can access them based on their gender identity.  Where available, schools will designate facilities designed for use by one person at a time as accessible to all students, and to incorporate such single-use facilities into new construction or renovation.  Any student who is uncomfortable using a shared facility while attending an off-site school-sponsored co-ed activity will be provided with a safe and private alternative. Students will not be required to use facilities that are inconsistent with their gender identity.”

1. Why would I be concerned about my child/grandchild being taught this material?
2. This material is not what it purports to be. It is pitched as anti-bullying educational material.  If this were its sole purpose, it is vastly more extensive than necessary.  Do we need to delve into the sexual details of people to realize that we must treat all people with respect and courtesy, regardless of our own opinions and beliefs?  The majority of the materials are concerned with the elimination of gender nouns and pronouns, the celebration of the LGBTQ2 community as a unique group that needs not only to be accepted, but celebrated, perhaps by inference, as superior to the heterosexual population.  For instance in one lesson plan there is the suggestion that two dads are “more fun” than having one dad and similarly for two moms versus one mom.  There is a continual thread that teaches gender is not binary, but fluid.  In my opinion this is the greatest lie and most deceitful trickery.  Herein lies the subtle purpose of the SOGI 123 program.  The underlying message is that feelings dictate reality.
3. The material does not truly convey a neutral tone. It reflects the ideologies and beliefs of a particular minority group in our society.
4. The classroom decorations feature the rainbow colour scheme and highlights pro LGBTQ2 books.
5. It is unfair, unacceptable and unhelpful to all people to refer to those of us who are heterosexual as homophobic, unloving and judgemental. We must NOT kneel down and accept these labels.
6. The material speaks of inclusivity and acceptance as some idyllic objective. If striving to get there excludes the legitimate rights and beliefs of others, SOGI 123 is creating an atmosphere of exclusivity, the very thing it speaks against.
7. The program and materials are a cunning/sly/crafty method for making our children have doubts about the most basic issues in life. What biological sex are you?  For millennia this was not a difficult question to answer and still is not.  I personally do not appreciate the use of the phrase “the gender assigned at birth.  Gender is not assigned, but recognized by clear physical evidence.
8. SOGI 123 is not empathetic towards all school age children. It plays to the hand of the minority at the expense of the majority.  In a hyper-sexed society where our children will be affected by the influence of pornography, poor role models (see the Me Too movement), worries about jobs, housing, whether mom and dad will stay together….  to make them question their own basic sexual identity is a thing beyond ignorance.  It is cruelty.
9. While I can appreciate, only somewhat, the fears and concerns of those in the LGBTQ2 community about being alone and feeling ostracized, this material asks me to accept things I cannot. This DOES NOT disqualify me from caring about them.
10. For those who hold up this material as a shrine to be worshipped at, they will never be able to see the harm they are doing to our children and the future of our society. They have been blinded by their own conceit.
11. For such a monumental change in educational materials, there are a huge percentage of parents, educators and even school board members who do not know what SOGI 123 is.
12. Finally, I firmly believe that the teaching and instruction of SOGI 123 is pedagogical malpractice.
13. Do you have any evidences that SOGI 123 is about indoctrination of young minds, not really about anti-bullying?

Yes I do.  I have read all of the materials on the B.C. Education website, including downloading all the Lesson Plans.  The information I have researched is very largely related to the LGBTQ2 community and their gender/sexuality issues.  There is little direct information on bullying identifiers, specific practices related to bullying and remedial and prevention strategies.

1. https://youtu.be/iRfX_BkUr8Q

In this video, from 22-35 seconds, Glenn Hansman, the President of the BCTF makes this statement, “Without stand- alone policies specifically referencing lesbian, gay, trans and other members of the LGBTQ2 community, it is too easy just to gloss things over when school districts or schools retreat to simply talking about bullying.”  He himself is a gay man who is pushing this agenda and in his own words, bullying is a retreat from the real purpose of SOGI.

2. I am very concerned about the teaching of a gender line. Male and female genders are at either end with a long line in between.  Kids are then influenced by visual cues to locate themselves somewhere on the line, not at either end.  It is the lie that gender is not binary, but fluid. Below are pictures of such an event.