L.A. Schools Drop Mandatory ‘Affirm and Respect’ Gender Identities Pledge from LGBTQ Training
In a major policy shift, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will no longer require teachers to agree to “affirm and respect” the identities of LGBTQ+ students following a swift legal challenge.
According to the California Department of Education, middle and high school teachers in the district must complete at least one hour of online cultural competency training every year to support LGBTQ+ students. The Liberty Counsel—a self-described Christian ministry that provides legal services for Christian causes—brought the challenge forward.
The initial controversy centered on a mandatory training checkpoint. To complete the course, teachers had to check a box next to a prompt stating: “I am aware that LAUSD policy requires me to affirm and respect the identities of all students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+.” Critics argued this forced teachers with differing religious or moral beliefs to sign on to a specific ideology in the name of inclusivity.
After learning of the requirement, the Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to LAUSD on June 8, arguing that the prompt violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Federal law protects employees from being compelled to choose between their employment and adherence to their faith,” the group stated in its letter to the district.
Just two days after receiving the demand, LAUSD modified the questionnaire. According to the Liberty Counsel, the updated prompt removes the “affirm and respect” mandate entirely. Instead, it simply asks teachers to confirm that they are “aware” of the district’s existing nondiscrimination policies regarding LGBTQ+ students.
In what critics note should come as no surprise, a California Department of Education press release revealed that the state partnered exclusively with left-leaning LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations—such as the Trevor Project and the Human Rights Campaign—to develop the online training course, known as PRISM, while omitting any alternative viewpoints.
Written with the assitance of Google Gemini.
Don Irvine
Donald Irvine is the chairman of of Accuracy in Academia (AIA), a non-profit research group reporting on bias in education. Irvine follows his father’s legacy, Reed Irvine, to critically analyze the liberal media’s bias and brings over thirty years of media analysis experience. He has published countless blog posts and articles on media bias, in context of current events, and he has been interviewed by many news media outlets during his professional career. He currently hosts a livestream weekly show on AIA’s Facebook page which discusses current events.
Irvine graduated from the University of Maryland and rose up the ranks to become chairman of Accuracy in Media until his transition to AIA.
He resides in the suburbs around the nation’s capital and is a proud father and grandfather.
