Oregon Father Outraged Over School Survey on Gender Identity
An Oregon father, Chuck Gonzalez, is expressing his anger after discovering that his 11-year-old son was scheduled to participate in a state-issued survey about sexual orientation and gender identity. This survey is aimed at children in sixth, eighth, and eleventh grades and includes questions about whether they identify as transgender.
“I found out about this online,” Gonzalez shared regarding his son Maxwell, who attends Minterbridge Elementary School in Hillsboro. He noted that the survey, which he later found on the Oregon Health Authority’s website, contained content that he believes is inappropriate for sixth graders. “It asks a lot of confusing questions about gender and sexual identity,” he added.
Investigation Launched
In light of the uproar, the Department of Education has initiated an investigation into the school district for allegedly mandating these explicit surveys.
Some of the questions included in the survey are “What is your gender identity?” with options like “girl or woman, boy or man, demigirl/demiboy, nonbinary,” among others. There’s also a specific question asking if students identify as transgender, with answers ranging from “Yes” to “I don’t want to answer.”
“It’s infuriating that the state thinks they can invade our children’s privacy and ask them about topics they’re not equipped to understand,” Gonzalez said, emphasizing that his son found the experience unsettling and confusing.
Widespread Parental Concern
The survey also includes questions about sexual orientation, where students could choose from several identities, including heterosexual, gay, bisexual, and more. Gonzalez mentioned that many parents he spoke with were unaware of the survey’s existence. “Most thought it was absurd or made-up until I shared the actual link,” he noted.
Gonzalez sees the survey as a direct violation of parental rights and expresses a sense of urgency for others to stand up against it. “They have no right to impose their values on us,” he said, feeling frustrated both as a parent and a person of faith.
“Parents should become involved and vocal at school meetings,” he urged, stressing the importance of maintaining control over conversations regarding their children’s upbringing.
Official Response
In a statement, a representative from the Hillsboro School District indicated that all parents were informed about the study well in advance. They mentioned that the school did receive an opt-out form for Gonzalez’s son and that he did not participate in the study.
Gonzalez further expressed his concern through social media, stating that the survey is intrusive and inappropriate for young children, questioning the motivations behind it. He implores parents to unite in defending their children’s rights and innocence, urging collective action to protect their families from similar initiatives in the future.
