Pennsylvania’s largest school district is celebrating “Transgender Awareness Week,” despite the Trump administration’s order prohibiting “radical indoctrination” in the nation’s public schools.
The School District of Philadelphia, which serves more than 100,000 students from pre-K through 12th grade, posted on its social media platforms on Thursday, recognizing the so-called “awareness week.”
‘Our policies … accommodate name and gender requests, ensuring that our LGBTQIA+ students are respected and valued throughout their educational journey.’
“Happy #TransAwarenessWeek. This is a week to help raise visibility about transgender people and address issues members of the community face,” the district wrote.
The post included a link to the activist group GLSEN’s “Trans Action Kit,” which described “Transgender Awareness Week” as running from November 13 to 19. It encouraged those seeking to celebrate it to host a “transgender and nonbinary student and staff panel,” play a “film based on transgender issues,” and “center[] trans and nonbinary voices.”
Critics flooded the district’s Facebook post.
“Thought it was April 1st?!” one user joked.
“Concentrate on academics,” another responded.
“But, about those math and read[ing] scores,” a third user wrote.
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Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images
Just 18% of students in the district are proficient in math, and only 36% in reading, according to Niche.
The district regularly voices support for the LGBT+ community and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In June, the district shared a photo of staff members standing next to a Pride flag and rainbow balloons. “Pride doesn’t end in June — we wear our hearts on our sleeves (and shirts!) all year long. We’re proud to be educators, advocates, and allies — ensuring every SDP student knows they belong,” the post read.
Another June post stated, “As we continue to pursue equity and inclusion, we will nurture classrooms and learning environments that embrace the diverse backgrounds and identities of our students, families, and staff.”
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Photo by Mark Makela/Corbis via Getty Images
Last November, the district promoted a “Transgender Remembrance Coffee House & Open Mic Night,” encouraging students, staff, and families to participate by sharing their “poetry, art, & other forms of expression that affirm and acknowledge the transgender experience.”
The district’s website includes a DEI page with a “cultural calendar,” featuring “LGBTQIA+ History Month,” “National Coming Out Day,” “Trans Awareness Month,” “Trans Day of Remembrance,” “Trans Day of Visibility,” “PRIDE Month,” “Pulse Nightclub Remembrance,” and the “Stonewall Riots Anniversary.”
The website also features a “LGBTQIA+ Resources and Policies” webpage, which states that the district “celebrates the diverse experiences and affirms the unique identities of our LGBTQIA+ students.”
“Our policies, such as Policy 252, accommodate name and gender requests, ensuring that our LGBTQIA+ students are respected and valued throughout their educational journey,” it reads.
President Donald Trump issued an order in January to end the “radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling,” which included a threat to pull federal funding to any public institutions pushing the “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.”
The Department of Education and the School District of Philadelphia did not respond to a request for comment.
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