Sex 'Assigned at Birth,' One of Nation's Largest School Systems Plans to Teach Middle Schoolers
The idea that biological sex is "assigned" at birth is being enshrined in the official curriculum of one of the nation's largest public school districts. Medical doctors and feminists maintain this is a case of an ideology endangering women and girls and an affront to science.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, which neighbors Washington, D.C., and is home to more than 1 million people, ongoing controversy has surrounded the public school board's push to advance a family life education curriculum that includes 80 hours of sex ed for every public school child.
Last month, "biological sex" had been declared "essentially meaningless" by Dan Press, one of the most liberal members of the 26-member board, and the phrase was removed from the lessons. Students will now be told that sex is "assigned at birth." The entire medical establishment was behind this idea of doctor-assigned sex, he said at the time.
In opposition, Laura Murphy, who serves on the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee, presented a three-minute response to the notion that sex is assigned and not determined by genetics, at the last meeting on April 12, as reported by The Stream. She cited numerous sources to make the case that "biological sex" should be placed back in the curriculum.
"We discussed this last time. Let's move on," Press reportedly said of Murphy's objections. The committee did indeed move on, voting 24-2 to proceed.
The proposed revisions to the sex ed lessons also currently suggest that if a student has "concerns" with sexual orientation and gender identity, he or she should speak with a trusted adult, removing "clergy" from the list of trusted adults.
In a Sunday letter to the editor in the Fairfax County Times, Robert Rigby Jr., president of FCPS Pride, insisted that they were not attempting to eliminate biology, echoing Press, and deferred to medical "experts" on the semantics of sexuality.
"[T]he term we used to use, 'biological sex,' is broader and less well defined that what we used to think" and that "we are learning through scientific studies that there are genetic, hormonal and developmental (that is, biological) components of gender identity," he wrote, listing the support of 19 medical and professional associations.
"When a child is born, the attendant (doctor or midwife) looks at the child's visible anatomy, makes a determination (assigns) and puts that on the birth certificate. This is the gender with which the child grows up in their early years."
He continued saying that he expects a "brief learning curve" in teaching that sex is assigned at birth, arguing that it should be taught starting in 7th grade and children will soon understand it and he hopes no one feels "erased" by it.
Medical doctors who spoke with The Christian Post Monday noted that this is a case of ideology overtaking science.
"Sex is established at fertilization. It always has been and always will be. Every physician in every medical organization knows this, and yet, it seems virtually every 'mainstream' medical organization now denies it — backing the verbiage 'sex assigned at birth,'" commented Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians.
"How can so many large medical organizations turn their backs on science? Maybe science really has changed? Rest assured, 'sex assigned at birth' is still political agenda trumping science.'"
She went on to explain that one of the reasons this occurs is because official positions of these medical guilds are determined by a tiny fraction of their membership, a fraction largely self-selected into various specialty committees.
"For example, the [American Academy of Pediatrics] policies on LGBT issues are determined by a maximum of 30 pediatricians. None of AAP's other 66,000 members have any input whatsoever," she said.
Dr. Joseph Zanga, founder of ACP, said in an email to CP Monday that although the idea that sex is assigned a birth is "insane" it is in line with the public approach of many professional organizations.
"The majority of them exist and are financially supported by commercial interests who in turn, as do the organizations themselves, fear the most vociferous groups," Zanga said.
"Some of their members also are paid to prescribe hormones, do sex change surgery, etc. I've watched this play out for decades in the American Academy of Pediatrics," he explained.
Read more about biological sex on The Christian Post.