Education, Culture & the Family

Alleged assault points up dangers of OEA/NEA ‘gender-neutral’ bathroom push

March 4, 2020

Staff

An 18-year-old student at Rhinelander High School was recently arrested for child enticement, fourth-degree sexual assault, and exposing genitals to a child. The alleged incident occurred in the school’s gender-neutral bathroom. According to a news account, the “school did not send a message to parents as it was an isolated incident and the student was removed from the school.”

The incident occurred in Wisconsin, but if the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) has its way, it may be a preview of things to come in Oklahoma schools.

The OEA is the state’s National Education Association (NEA) affiliate, and at an NEA assembly conducted last summer (which was attended by dozens of OEA leaders), union officials approved a resolution committing its members to “organize and mobilize in support of the Equality Act.” That proposed federal law includes public-accommodation provisions that would mandate that schools and other entities allow individuals to use the bathroom of their choice based on self-proclaimed “gender identity,” rather than biological gender.

The union has also given an F grade to most of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, in part because Republican congressmen have opposed passage of the Equality Act.

At many schools facing such mandates, “gender-neutral” facilities like the one in Wisconsin have become the preferred way to simplify the administration of transgender bathroom regulations. So if the OEA gets its way, the next time you read about a similar “incident” in public schools, it may not be hundreds of miles away, but down the street.

And here’s one more fun fact: Several Republicans members of the Oklahoma Legislature sought and received the OEA’s endorsement in 2018. For parents who care about the future of education, this might be a good time to call your local legislator and find out where he or she stands on OEA issues, including the Equality Act.