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The New Guard

San Diego School Pushes Transgender Agenda on First Graders During Library Reading Time

By

New Guard Staff

July 19, 2023

By: Negar Jadidi

A book that was read to a San Diego school’s first grade class pushed transgenderism and false narratives on gender identity, according to an anonymous tip submitted through YAF’s Campus Bias Tip Line.

On May 7th, La Jolla Country Day School’s first graders were read a book titled It Feels Good to Be Yourself authored by Theresa Thorn during library reading time.

The book is about the story of “Ruthie,” a biological male who transitioned into a girl, and “Xavier,” her cisgender brother “whom everyone thought correctly that he was a boy.” On the book’s back cover, the author mentions her inspiration for writing the book, “my daughter was five when she told me she wasn’t the gender I’d assumed she was at birth.”

Concerned parents reached out to the school administrators, namely to the head of school, Gray Krahn, not only criticizing the book but also addressing the school’s long-held leftist leanings.

On May 9th, a long list of concerned parents mentioned in an email to the administration that “these sexual identity explorations are often done without the consent of parents,” violating the trust between LJCDS and parents.

Then on May 17th, the Head of School, Dr. Gary Krahn, responded and offered that each parent meet with Jennifer Turner, the school diversity coordinator, and the “Torrey Discovery Panel,” a panel designed by the school to “gather the perspectives and voices of students, faculty, staff, and families.” Krahn’s response rightly did not satisfy parents. One parent then said in a response to Dr. Krahn that “the board did not have the time or energy to actually meet with us” and that “we were simply thanked, and the report was taken under submission.” After back-to-back communication between parents and the administration, parents still felt as if their efforts were useless and “a waste of time.”

The reading of the transgender book to first graders seems to be merely one example in La Jolla’s wide efforts to implement so-called diversity. In fact, on their website, the school published a list of goals they would like to reach, such as establishing a school-wide “Transgender/Non-binary Inclusion Training” and modifying the hiring process to “ensure a more equitable process.”

One of the most troubling goals included in La Jolla’s “inclusion” efforts is conducting a “diversity audit of library materials.” One might wonder what the school is looking to remove from books in this auditing process. YAF has inquired on the criteria the school uses to audit library materials and has not gotten a response.

The school also has created a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board Committee,” a “DEI Alignment Working Group,” and an “Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism Task Force.” The administration claims that their objective with the diversity program is to “foster a culture of dignity,” yet they continue to push exclusively leftist content even today. This is easily seen on the school’s website, which promotes the BLM agenda and has a poster saying “Stacy Abrams leads a fair fight,” among other things.

Parents all around the country are increasingly concerned as similar practices are exposed. Just this past January, YAF reported on the Ames Community School District’s “BLM Week of Action,” which required students to participate in a program to “expand student understanding of the BLM movement.” Very recently, YAF also exposed the reading of another transgender-themed book called I am Jazz to first graders in the Bellingham school district.

It is evident that educational institutions, public and private, are succumbing to the woke agenda of the Left, and YAF will continue to hold these schools accountable.


Negar Jadidi is the chapter chairwoman of University of North Carolina-Greensboro YAF and serves as a William & Berniece Grewcock Intern Scholar at Young America’s Foundation this summer.

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