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Education activist Christopher Rufo sounded off on a gender theory training program once offered by Missouri's Springfield Public Schools in a lengthy Twitter thread Wednesday.
The program, which Springfield Public Schools told Fox News Digital hasn't been offered in over two years, reportedly urged teachers to identify their racial and sexual "privilege," promoted identities like "pansexual" and "polyamorous," and warned that "misgendering a trans person is an act of violence."
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Rufo, a Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, shared photos of some slides featured during the training.
One slide featured a "matching game" with a basic glossary for critical theory, explaining that some groups - such as straight, White, cisgender men - have "power" and "privilege" over others based on the categories of "race," "gender," "identity," and "sexual orientation." Teachers are then asked to classify themselves on a "social identities" wheel and account for their race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
In another part of the presentation, administrators shared a video featuring "genderqueer" and "nonbinary" children, titled "Why Gender Pronouns Matter," which claimed that "gender is a universe," that some children "don’t have a gender," and that "misgendering a trans person is an act of violence."
"Thankful @realchrisrufo is shedding light on teacher trainings across America that force teachers to adopt, affirm, and teach woke ideologies - critical race theory and queer theory," Kimberly Hermann, general counsel for The Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), tweeted in response to his thread.
Yorba Linda, CA, Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - The Placentia Yorba Linda School Board discusses a proposed resolution to ban teaching critical race theory in schools. Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Springfield Public Schools responded to Rufo's Twitter thread, saying it was full of "recycled allegations."
"Mr. Rufo’s latest story includes a list of recycled allegations about a training that hasn’t been offered at SPS in more than two years," district spokesperson Stephen D. Hall told Fox News Digital. "One anecdote shared by Mr. Rufo names a staff member who is no longer employed by the district. A story that focuses on details about a training that no longer exists and cites examples about a staff member no longer employed is neither timely nor relevant. It is an inaccurate portrayal of our district."
Residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, have helped make critical race theory a national conversation in 2021. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
SLF filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of Missouri last year against a separate, mandatory equity or "anti-racist" training "to stop Springfield Public Schools (SPS) from violating the First Amendment and requiring as a condition of employment that its educators commit to equity, become anti-racist educators, and affirm divisive and discriminatory programming that promotes treating individuals differently based on skin color," the group explained.
"The lawsuit SLF filed on behalf of educators against SPS challenging its mandatory anti-racist training has inspired hundreds of concerned parents and teachers to reach out to us about potential legal challenges," Hermann told Fox News Digital. "The documents highlighted in Chris Rufo’s story expose another critical area for legal review and may even violate the constitutional rights of the teachers required to take the gender ideology trainings."
Rufo previously reported on Springfield Public Schools’ equity training program, which, among other instructions, required teachers to locate themselves on an "oppression matrix" and watch a video of "George Floyd’s last words." Administrators were accused of promoting critical race theory (CRT) during the training. Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt launched an investigation into Springfield Public Schools regarding the equity program and said that investigation would be expanded following Rufo's revelations about the gender-related training.
"These revelations and disturbing materials will be rolled into our ongoing investigation," Schmitt said Wednesday.
Christopher F. Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @realchrisrufo and sign up for his newsletter. (Christopher F. Rufo)
"The materials that have come to light that were included in teacher trainings in the largest school district in the state of Missouri are shocking to say the least, and they warrant an investigation - to turn a blind eye to these materials would be irresponsible," Schmitt's press secretary Chris Nuelle told Fox News Digital. "The Attorney General’s Office has proudly stood up for students and worked to empower parents, and we will continue that fight."
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