Children deserve education, not gender ideology

OPINION:

From coast to coast, states such as California and New Jersey face no shortage of serious challenges, from the soaring cost of living and rising crime to homelessness and drug abuse. Yet one issue that often escapes the spotlight is the ideological agenda increasingly being promoted in K-12 classrooms. 

Having attended middle schools in these states, we’ve witnessed these lessons in health classes, where, at age 12, classmates and ourselves were asked questions such as, “At what moment did you know you were a boy or a girl?” and were instructed to place ourselves on a scale between male and female.  

Their underlying message: gender is not a fixed biological reality, but something open to interpretation.

At the time, many classmates treated these discussions as a joke. Even students from traditionally progressive families often found the exercises confusing or odd. As seventh-graders, many of us had barely heard the term “transgender,” yet we were being encouraged to question something as immutable as our biological sex. 

The issue extends beyond whether children take these lessons seriously. Repeated exposure to such ideas normalizes them and encourages children to view their identity through a lens that many parents never suspect. 

Across the country, public schools increasingly incorporate gender ideology into classroom instruction, which introduces complex and highly contested social theories to the most impressionable members of society: children.  

In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill made her message about LGBTQ content in classrooms very clear. During the primary debate in May 2025, The Daily Wire highlighted Ms. Sherill’s controversial comments, which included, “I would push an LGBTQ education into our schools. Parents have a right to opt out of a lot of things, but this is not an area where they should be opting out…” She wanted to erase the option for parents to keep their children out of gender ideology lessons.  

Parents are the strongest line of defense, and taking away their authority is the first step in infiltrating young minds. Without parental rights, classrooms will only become more deeply intertwined in woke culture.   

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At an age when children should be focused on subjects such as American history and geometry, many are instead provoked to question objective truths. According to a 2024 report by The Heritage Foundation,19 states encourage the teaching of gender ideology.

Public schools must remain mindful of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor. The high court held that public schools cannot compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality that parents believe undermines their religious beliefs, without notice or an opt-out option.

A typical kindergartner is 5 or 6 years old and is still mastering the alphabet, yet the California Department of Education believes that children of that age can identify as transgender. Similarly, in New Jersey, the Transgender Student Guidance for School Districts implements measures to cut certain communications with parents and interfere with the relationship between parents and their children.

Children are highly impressionable and rely on adults to help understand the world around them. Schools need to provide a strong academic foundation, not promote contested ideological viewpoints about gender and identity.

Shortly after retaking office, President Trump issued two executive orders to combat this gender indoctrination. They were a great start, but recent developments in Illinois demonstrate that deeper reforms are still necessary. On April 30, the Department of Justice opened investigations into gender-identity policies in 36 Illinois school districts, revealing the extent to which resistance persists and underscoring the need for broader reforms.

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Fortunately, Congress has been acting: On May 20, the House passed the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, which would require parental consent before federally funded schools change a student’s gender-related information or accommodations and would prohibit federal funds from being used to teach or promote gender ideology. It now awaits consideration in the Senate.

As Heritage Foundation education policy expert Jonathan Butcher recently noted, the proposal is an important step toward ensuring that parents remain informed and involved in decisions affecting their children. He argues that the bill could be strengthened by clarifying that its protections apply to all minors under 18 and by addressing access to sex-specific accommodations.

While Mr. Trump’s executive orders were a move in the right direction, they can be modified or rescinded by future administrations. Passing this bill with added clarifications would help ensure these educational protections are established in federal law. 

Children do not have lobbyists. They do not vote, sit in legislative chambers or shape education policy. They depend on the adults in their lives to protect their interests and safeguard their future.

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If we fail to speak up for them now, we risk failing an entire generation. We owe them an education rooted in truth and opportunity, not in ideology.

• Payton Kiasevicz is a communications fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Romey Crumbaugh is a member of Heritage’s Young Leaders Program.