National Science Teaching Association

Boys, girls, men, women, parents, male, female are all words that the NSTA wants to get away from.  They are desperate to embrace LGBTQ agenda.  Remember, it’s science and it’s teachers so has to be good for your kids!

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Students process many messages about gender diversity from their families, friends, media, and school. When we teach about gender, we must plan proactively to make sure our messages are internally consistent from lesson to lesson, while also acknowledging students’ experiences outside of biology class. For example, in a genetics unit, we may initially teach students that females have XX chromosomes and males have XY chromosomes because so many textbooks and lesson materials use this oversimplification. But some students will think and some will even ask out loud, “What if someone’s XX but they identify as a male because they’re transgender?”

The student’s question reveals our teacher oversight—we never formally defined “male” and “female” in the first place. When we realize this issue, we take a moment to clarify that when we say “male” and “female” in the genetics unit, we are referring to chromosomal sex, not gender identity. We may also acknowledge that some humans are not XX or XY, but students hear this as an “exception to the rule” because we are discussing it after we have already learned the rule.

What if, instead of teaching a simplification, we started each unit by defining sex and gender in context? For example, in genetics the important difference between “male” and “female” is in the X/Y chromosomes, but in an evolutionary context, the sexes are distinguished by their behavior or the size of their gametes instead. And in anatomy and physiology, “male” and “female” traits are often shaped by levels of estrogen and testosterone.

Gender-inclusive teaching requires continuity in the terminology and concepts taught from one lesson to the next. To provide continuity, we must consistently include gender, where applicable, as one of many lenses for analysis. This means beginning each unit of study with a diversity lens rather than teaching an oversimplification that will later require amendment. When we address gender diversity in a piecemeal, reactionary way or through a detached, one-time “very special lesson,” we miss the opportunity to make connections between multiple units of study.

 https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-septemberoctober-2021/gender-inclusive-biology-framework-action