Broward considers reproductive health curriculum that includes gender identity

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward County Public School District is considering whether to approve its reproductive health gender course Tuesday, which includes some teachings on gender identity.

The school board will vote on whether to re-submit the supplemental instruction to the Florida Department of Education. If the board votes no, the district will not provide the supplemental instruction for the 2023-2024 school year.

Entitled Reproductive Health and Disease Prevention Education, the modules include discussion on reproductive health, including sexual abuse and STD safety. It also educates students on proper hygiene such as cleanliness and healthy grooming habits.

By way of the Broward County School Board, parents are allowed to opt-out of the curriculum. The district had begun receiving community input about the curriculum in June.

“Any student whose parent makes [a] written request to the school principal shall be exempted from the teaching of reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, its symptoms, development and treatment,” the form reads. “A student so exempted may not be penalized by reason of that exemption.”

Gender identity teachings, which have been a target of the DeSantis administration, are found in parts of the grade 9 lesson plans.

In one lesson plan, an objective designed for grade 9 explains what gender and gender identity are, and how they are different from biological sex. It then asks, “How does someone determine whether you’re a boy or girl?” and “When you’re born, how do you know what your gender is?”

The syllabus further detailed differentiating body parts on boys and girls determine biological sex instead of gender. The subjective matter also highlights how people identify as “cisgender” or “transgender.”

The curriculum explains some people are born with external genitals that don’t match their internal organs, such as someone with a vulva but no uterus. “Intersex” in the material is described as body parts different from a persons internal organs, sometimes referred as “Disorder of Sexual Development.”

It also describes cisgender as being how individuals “feel” when they close their eyes to what they would see in the mirror. Notably, it stated common “male” and “female” terms are incorrect and should instead termed “cisgender.”

It further asks students to define “gender scripts” while giving examples. A worksheet is then given asking students to write different types of messages they or others have received based on “assigned male” or “assigned female” stereotypes.

In one exercise, students are asked to only use “they or them” pronouns instead of “he or his” or “she or hers” to describe pictures of people they receive in an envelope. They are also forbidden to use gender words such as masculine or feminine or man or woman in the lesson activity.

Transgender identification is also discussed in the curriculum. The material describes transgenderism as how a person feels inside as opposed to what they see in the mirror.

While gender identity is discussed in ninth grade, tenth and eleventh grade topics include teen dating violence and abuse and teen pregnancy prevention. For all high school grades, material is given on using condoms effectively.

Middle school lessons, in sixth grade for example, include understanding romantic relationships. Another, in grade seven, discuss sexually transmitted infections and prevention. Sexual education topics are also discussed in kindergarten through fifth grade.

In kindergarten, one lesson plan titled “Understanding Our Bodies – The Basics” instructs students “There are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have.”

It explains “most girls have a vulva and most boys have a penis.” A character diagram is also shown asking students to identify where these body parts are.

The curriculum will be discussed by the Broward County School Board on Tuesday, Oct. 17. 2023.