- A coalition of parents rallied against a California school district that partnered with a parental organization to host a lecture on how to raise transgender children, parents told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
- Rachel Pepper, the author of the book “The Transgender Child: A Handbook For Parents And Professionals,” gave a lecture on “gender terminology” and how to offer “understanding” to “gender diverse children and teens” as a part of an event by Davis Parent University, a group of volunteer representatives for Davis Joint Unified School District and St. James School.
- “Her approach is that if a child says that they have a particular gender identity, we have to affirm that regardless of the age of the child, regardless of whatever trauma they may have experienced in the past or whatever. Her contention is that children know, they have an internal sense and we must affirm them,” Allie Snyder, a Davis Unified parent, told the DCNF.
About 30 parents rallied against “gender ideology” after a California school district partnered with a parental group to put on a lecture on how to raise transgender children, parents told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Davis Parent University, a group of volunteer representatives for Davis Joint Unified School District and St. James School, hosted Rachel Pepper on Wednesday, the author of the book “The Transgender Child: A Handbook For Parents And Professionals,” to give a lecture on “gender terminology” and how to offer “understanding” to “gender diverse children and teens.” After learning of the event, parents rallied with signs that said “loving parents don’t support gender ideology” and “democrats against experimenting on kids” outside of the school district on Wednesday to voice their opposition to the event, parents told the DCNF. (RELATED: Connecticut School District Approves Transgender Book For Second Graders Amid Backlash From Parents)
“Davis Parent University, which is an organization that brings speakers to our town, to our community to educate parents on a variety of things, had Rachel Pepper come to talk about ‘The Transgender Child.’ That’s her book,” Allie Snyder, a Davis Unified parent, told the DCNF. “Her approach is that if a child says that they have a particular gender identity, we have to affirm that regardless of the age of the child, regardless of whatever trauma they may have experienced in the past or whatever. Her contention is that children know, they have an internal sense and we must affirm them.”
Pepper addressed how a parent can process the range of emotions that surround “gender creativity” and why parents should “meet gender expansive and transgender young people where they are,” according to the event registration page. Before the event was moved to being virtual “to ensure the safety of those who are planning to attend,” children 12 years or older were able to attend the event with an adult.
“The question really is … how are you safeguarding so that any child can’t watch it?” Erin Friday, a Davis resident, told the DCNF. “There’s no safeguards in place to keep a 10 year old from watching it because it’s just open to the public.”
Parents know that people who transition are19 times more likely to commit suicide. Love and acceptance of natural bodies saves lives- not removal of undiseased body parts. Tell ur child he is perfect as is. @DJUSD #knowschoolsecrets @ChanLPfa @wesyang pic.twitter.com/LolVuIeoCK
— DetransAwareness (@DetransAware) January 12, 2023
Pepper’s book teaches families how to “affirm their transgender, gender-expansive or nonbinary child,” according to a book description. The book discusses “gender development” and “affirming parenting practices” in children as well as “how best to ensure school success.”
The school district and CommuniCare, a local health center, allegedly partnered to “provide children with gender transition hormones and surgeries without parental consent,” according to a recent report by Libs of TikTok (LOTT) who obtained contracts through a public records request. The contract allegedly said that the school “will allow students as young as 12 years old to be treated by CommuniCare clinicians regarding their gender transition, and parents will not be notified unless the child consents,” according to LOTT.
The parents believe that the district should not be promoting or supporting transgenderism among students, especially without parental involvement, Friday told the DCNF.
“[We had] messages of ‘accept your body,’ ‘parents who love their children protect their children’s bodies,’ So very positive,” Friday told the DCNF. “Then of course, we have a couple signs that show that we’re Democrats because it’s a really important part of any of the story because no one believes that the Democrats you know, the rank and file Democrats are against this and we are.”
CommuniCare, Davis Parent University, Davis Unified School District and Pepper did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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