Boise School District provides training to teachers that includes the “Gender Unicorn” and using the preferred pronouns of students

On August 24, 2023, the Idaho Freedom Foundation reported that it had received public records from the Boise School District that included training for teachers to implement gender ideology into their curricula. The organization explained: “Between March 2022 and April 2023, gender ideology trainings were given to more than 70 teachers on at least two occasions in the BSD.” The Idaho Freedom Foundation then stated:

The first training was given to teachers at Capital High School on March 9, 2022. The presentation titled “LGBTQ+ Identities and Resources” was presented to teachers by Micah Hetherington, Lucy Groves, and Boise State Professor Lisa McClain. The training included instruction on transgenderism, gender identity, and pronoun use, among other things. 

Teachers were reportedly shown the “gender unicorn” and were taught about transgender terminology such as “non-binary.” The “Gender Unicorn” is an image that schools have used in an attempt to teach children that gender exists on a spectrum. Teachers were also reportedly told to have meetings with students “to establish the pronouns they want to use.” If teachers are in doubt, they were told to “use neutral (they/them) pronouns.”

Teachers were additionally provided with resources from the Trevor Project, GLSEN, and Gender Spectrum. These three organizations are known for targeting children with LGBTQ issues.

The Trevor Project is an organization specifically known for providing children with resources such as the “Understanding Gender Identities” guide. This resource states that “gender is actually a social construct.” The organization’s resource also appears to encourage children to question their gender and mentions the possibility of having surgery to transition:

If you decide that your current gender or sex just isn’t right for you, you may want to make your gender identity fit with your ideal gender expression and presentation. This is called transitioning, and can include social (like telling other people about which pronouns you like), legal (like changing your name), or medical (like taking hormones or having surgery).

The organization GLSEN is known for promoting LGBTQ issues to young children. GLSEN states on its website that “while many LGBTQ+-inclusive school supports begin in middle or high school, it is critical for elementary schools to establish a foundation of respect and understanding for all people.” The organization has also appeared to show support for children taking “hormone replacement therapy” to transition to another gender:

Upon birth, we are typically categorized into one of two genders (boy or girl) depending on how our genitals are read. Throughout our lives, however, our many bodily characteristics work together to create a unique path of development, causing some of us to grow really tall, and others to remain short, or some of us to grow hair under our armpits and legs, while others remain bare. While this development often happens on its own during puberty, this change can also be administered through medicine, such as hormone replacement therapy. Since our society often conflates our bodies (or genitalia) with our gender identity, it is critical that we allow space for people to self-identify.

The organization Gender Spectrum offers resources specifically targeting “youth” and even teachers. Gender Spectrum offers resources to educators on a page titled “Integrating Gender Diversity Into Everyday Curriculum.” This page explains that the discussion of gender can be integrated into subjects like history, science, mathematics, and even physical education. In targeting the youth, Gender Spectrum offers online chatrooms for children as young as 10 years old who identify as “trans” or “non-binary.”

The Idaho Freedom Foundation also reported that district staff were trained in gender ideology by AVID. The school district reportedly paid AVID $16,200 for the company’s services. The organization explained:

AVID held an “Induction Seminar” on March 9, 2023, from 4:15-6:30 at the DTEC Training Center on “diversity” and “supporting LGBTQIA+ student [sic].” Teachers and staff were, according to public records, only permitted to leave after the LGBT portion of the training was finished. The training appears to have been part of a course for teachers, counselors, and nurses who were “New to the Profession.”

Teachers were also forced to learn about the “gender unicorn” and using the preferred pronouns of students in this training.