A Southern California school district recently spent $12,000 on a six-hour transgender inclusion training for 1,100 employees, conducted by TransFamily Support Services.
This controversial organization, known for its radical leftist stance, focuses on encouraging children to explore gender identities that align with the opposite sex, even against parental wishes. The training comes amid rising concern over “anti-trans rhetoric” in classrooms, with TransFamily Support Services advocating for the use of tools like binders and packers for kids, despite opposition from some families.
Critics, including Erika Sanzi of Parents Defending Education, have slammed the district’s decision, calling it “irresponsible” and claiming the training is rooted in “pseudoscience and ideology.” The group also promotes medical transitions for minors, including irreversible surgeries. Its partnership with the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital’s Center for TransYouth Health has sparked controversy, particularly after one of the center’s directors, Johanna Olson-Kennedy, faced charges of medical negligence related to a breast removal surgery performed on a 14-year-old girl. Olson-Kennedy’s dismissive comments about such surgeries and troubling findings from a study on hormone therapy’s psychological effects have fueled further criticism.
Many parents and critics believe this kind of training crosses the line, viewing it as an unnecessary ideological push in schools. They argue that tax dollars should go toward actual education, not these contentious programs promoting radical gender ideologies.
