Littleton Public Schools LGBTQ club for middle school encourages students to keep secrets from parents; high school LGBTQ club asks students what pronouns to use with parents; one club discussed a fundraiser for chest binders

A concerned community member reached out to Parents Defending Education regarding LGBTQ clubs in Littleton Public Schools. One club specifically pointed out to PDE was “Pride Alliance” at Euclid Middle School. The club has a website with meeting agendas publicly available. The meeting agendas for the 2022-2023 school year tell students who are members: “Confidentiality: Respect not everyone is out at home/school.” The meeting agendas also featured a “Queer of the Day” along with a meeting discussing “microaggressions.” The agenda meetings also stated to “respect pronouns.”

PDE sent a public records request to the district seeking any documents regarding the club. PDE only received two flyers for this specific club.

The concerned community member also told PDE about an LGBTQ club at Powell Middle School with no information available to parents. PDE’s public records request to the district also requested materials from this “SAGA” club. PDE only received a flyer that appeared to show the club was connected to GSA. The district explained to PDE: “The sponsor of the SAGA club for 2022-2023 no longer works at Powell and materials from that year are not available.”

PDE also requested information about Arapahoe High School’s SAGA club. PDE received one document titled “Website Changes” that provided resources that were on the club’s website for the 2022-2023 school year before being removed for the 2023-2024 school year. These removed resources included links to organizations that are known for targeting children with LGBTQ issues, including GSA, Trevor Project, and Gender Spectrum. The website also previously featured books that students had access to in the “SAGA meeting room.” These books included The Gay Revolution and All Boys Aren’t Blue, which is a book known for graphic sexual content.

PDE received the Arapahoe High School SAGA club’s meeting slides for the 2022-2023 school year. These slides show that students heavily discussed LGBTQ topics in each meeting. One slide noticeably has ideas for the club with one idea being a “binder drive/fundraiser.” Chest binders are used for girls who want to identify as male flatten their breasts by binding them.

PDE received the following documents from the Arapahoe High School club for the 2022-2023 school year. Two of the documents are promoting GLSEN’s “Day of Silence.”

The following documents were provided from the Arapahoe High School’s club for the 2023-2024 school year.

Heritage High School within the district has a GSA club with its own website and resources. One resource is the “Transgender Center of the Rockies.” This organization specifically targets individuals on transgender issues. Another resource on the website is the “Gender Unicorn.” The “Gender Unicorn” is an image that schools have used in an attempt to teach children that gender exists on a spectrum.

PDE additionally received over 160 pages of material from Heritage High School’s GSA club. Page 73 of the first group of documents appears to show a Google form for students to complete. This form asks for the preferred pronouns of students. One question specifically asks: “Can I use your pronouns in front of parents?” Other documents include presentations on “neopronouns” and “different types of attraction.”

The second group of documents include resources for “National Coming Out Day,” the “Gender Unicorn,” and the “It Gets Better Project,” which is an organization that provides grants to schools for LGBTQ causes.

The concerned community member also discussed the GSA club at Littleton High School with PDE and how there is not much information about the club available to parents. PDE only received a few flyers back regarding the club from the district.

PDE discovered that Littleton High School also had a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion club for students. PDE requested documents for this club in the public records request to the school district but only received a few flyers back.

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

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.