Book cover via Amazon
An Upper West Side preschool is under scrutiny after a substitute teacher read a book on trans inclusivity to 3- and 4-year-olds.
The school confirmed to Pix11, which first reported the story, that a transgender substitute teacher read It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn to the group of preschoolers.
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“Most of the parents were in shock and clueless of the decision that the school made,” said parent Vivian Cialini, whose 3-year-old son was in the class of sixteen students when the book was read.
When some children came home with questions, parents began raising their own, debating whether the book about gender identity was age-appropriate. “I believe it’s too early for them to understand. They barely have awareness of their body,” Cialini added.
A passage from Theresa Thorn’s book reads: “There are so many ways to be a boy or girl. Not everyone feels like either a boy or a girl.” The entire book can be listened to here.
In a statement to PIX11, New York Kids Club CEO Jennifer Clement said, “We are deeply committed to fostering an environment where children can grow, learn, and explore in a manner that is both age-appropriate and respectful of diverse perspectives.” The statement also noted that the school is working to “ensure that materials utilized align with the developmental needs of our students.”
In a separate email to parents, the administration admitted they should have informed them that the gender-inclusive book would be read, writing, “We all agree that we would rather this have been communicated to our families beforehand and will ensure it takes place in the future.”
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Alaia Daniels, who helped establish Transformative Schools, an afternoon program for trans, queer, and non-binary students starting at age nine, explained, “The message of the book is that it’s okay to be whatever gender you’d like to be.” Daniels also added, “Research says that kids learning about diverse identities helps everyone learn and feel safe.”
An NYC Public Schools spokesperson released the following statement on the matter: “New York City Public Schools greatly values the use of age-appropriate, diverse, and inclusive educational materials that promote language development, social-emotional growth, and foundational literacy skills. We are currently engaging with this specific program to understand how the material was introduced and whether it adhered to the recommended guidelines.”
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Gender issues aside, a substitute teacher isn’t supposed to show up with their own choice of reading material. The fact that they were allowed to bring any non-approved book into a preschool to read is a huge problem.
I cannot believe this is real. Four year olds are too young to remotely understand a thread of this topic, so why have this in the first place in a classroom full of impressionable children? I’m all for people identifying and living their lives however they want to. However, young children — the children of *other parents* for that matter — should not be exposed to this. I usually roll my eyes at critics who call this type of stuff “indoctrination” or whatever, however, I can now understand what they are referring to. Please leave this type of material out of pre-school environments.
Bigots. Those transphobic parents need to allow these trans sub teachers to point out to and tell their kids who they really should be.
Why do I get the sense that if the book were instead about confirming traditional gender conceptions and experiences in society, there would be no moral outrage? Interesting.
I’m not sure what point you are even trying to make. Some books are suitable for 3 year olds. Others are not. The questions here are 1) is this book suitable for 3 year okds? and 2) why is a substitute teacher bringing their own reading material? Mist great literature isn’t suitable for 2l3 year olds. Preschools should only allow subs (and teachers) to read for a list of ore-apprived books.
And this book was written for children. Hope this helps!
Not really. Children covers a wode range.
The only age recommendation I found with a quich search was.Commkn Sense Media which says 4+. So maybe it was.OK for this age group. The favt remains a substitute teacher should NOT be making this decision unilaterally
Anyone who has an issue with this is actually just a transphobic loser.
The book is written for children – it’s only a huge deal if you make it one. Working with kids & having trans coworkers, you see them ask “are you a boy or a girl” all the time, and the trans teacher says, “neither” or “it depends!” And the kid goes right back to playing.
Veiled transphobic concern of “they’re too young to understand” is just your own fear of trans people manifesting. Grow up.
There it is folks: dare to trust a gut instinct about your children, respectfully ask questions, or use critical thinking, and you’ll be labeled a transphobe/bigot. welcome to 2025.
I don’t think it’s a huge deal or that the three-year-olds even understood it, but the book is for first to second graders.
What a ridiculous non-scandal! I think the message that we don’t all conform or have to conform to rigid norms sounds quite lovely for very young children. Anyone labeling this “indoctrination” has been watching too much ooga-booga TV. “They” are not all out to get us!
Teaching preschoolers to be tolerant and accepting? That’s awful. It should be entirely up to the parents to decide which minorities their kids should hate.
“Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the [adult].”
Exactly why I would never put my child in public school. the indoctrination. starts early! Let me teach my child about sexuality not the public school system and certainly not a sub with an obvious agenda.
This is silly. It’s never too early to start teaching inclusivity, and if a child is too young it will just go over their head. Disappointing that this site would propagate the pearl clutching.