ATLANTA (Michigan News Source) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is normally tasked with creating protocols for contagious diseases, is now inserting itself into public education classrooms with its LGBTQ self-assessment tool.

The 32-page self-assessment tool can be found here.

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The guide provides sections for teachers, administrators, and school health services providers. In the overview, the guide states its objective: “Creating and sustaining inclusive school environments, policies, programs, and practices that include LGBTQ youth is one strategy for improving the health and academic success of all youth.”

The purpose of the CDC guide is to “assist schools and districts in addressing the health and academic needs of LGBTQ students.” The CDC offers this disclaimer: “…this document includes many resources from non-governmental organizations focused on improving school inclusivity, and the ideas and opinions expressed within them do not represent the official opinion of the [CDC].”

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The guide lists “continuum categories” which attempt to measure inclusivity. Those are labeled as “Commit to Change,” “Beginning to Break Through,” and “Awesome Ally.” Some of the statements on the assessment range from “I cannot assume a student’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation” to “I correct those around me if I hear
them using incorrect, outdated, derogatory, or harmful language or terminology.”  In addition, the assessment probes the individual’s extracurricular activities. “I participate in my schools’ Gay Straight Alliance/Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA).”

For health providers, one of the statements to assess includes, “When/if I deliver sexual health information
and services, I describe anatomy and physiology separate from gender (e.g., “a
body with a penis,” “a body with a vagina”).

Some people on Twitter appeared confused about the CDC’s foray into gender identity.

 

 

 

The CDC guide also lists resources recommended based on an individual’s assessment score including links to a number of gay and transgender advocacy groups including GLAAD, PFLAG, GLSEN, and Harvard University’s “Implicit Bias Test.”