NEA Conference Focuses on LGBTQ+ Advocacy Amid Declining Student Performance

The largest teachers’ union in the country recently hosted a conference aimed at training educators on “promoting LGBTQ+ justice.” This event took place just months after disturbing reports showed that reading and math scores for students nationwide had reached all-time lows.

At the Awakened National Education Association (NEA) gathering, teachers spent time learning about “new pronouns” and “alternative pronouns,” while also discussing how to confront conservative “bad actors” and address their own “internal oppression.”

Documents from the meeting, obtained by conservatives, included a guideline stating, “If someone calls and tells you they’re transitioning, don’t ask them what they’re doing.”

Another instruction made clear: “Never try to persuade someone to stop transitioning or question their identity decisions.”

The conference also resonated with a broader theme of recognizing and combating oppression, featuring land acknowledgments and sharp critiques of the United States.

The presentation materials included statements like, “The stories of oppressed people are intentionally excluded from telling the story of the United States as we know it.”

Moreover, it was emphasized that “the place we now call the United States of America remains an uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes unsafe place for members of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Participants learned that “terminology related to gender, identity, and sexual orientation changes every two years,” while changes related to race and ethnicity occur every decade.

One workshop slide categorized transgenderism into binary (like “trans men” and “trans women”) and non-binary identities (including terms like “genderqueer,” “genderfluid,” “bigender,” and others).

In addition, instructors highlighted that “people’s gender identity and sexual orientation can change over time.”

Educators were also cautioned about using “dog-whistle” terms like “homosexual,” “biological male/female,” “transsexual,” and “hermaphrodite.”

As part of an illustrative presentation, a video featuring Geoffrey Marsh, a Buddhist LGBTQ activist who uses they/them pronouns, was shown to explain concepts like “neopronouns.”

These new pronouns include non-traditional forms such as “xe/xem/xyr,” “ey/em/eir,” and “ze/zir/zirs.” Some even describe abstract concepts like “star/stars/starself.”

Prior to the event, the NEA shared materials suggesting that Republicans were the “bad actors,” using “an arsenal of racist dog whistles” to rally their supporters.

Speakers were advised on strategies to further the LGBTQ agenda and encouraged to ramp up their initiatives “gradually” to allow the public to become acclimated.

During a practical exercise, teachers were tasked with developing a campaign over 30 minutes, allowing for peer feedback on their strategies.

One example proposal stated, “We require gender-affirming restrooms in all schools because all students need to feel safe and included in school.”

The Post has reached out to the NEA for a comment on the matter.

With over 3 million educators, staff, and administrators in its ranks, the union represents a significant portion of the education workforce.

Paul Ranko, a senior director at Defending Education Strategic Initiatives, voiced concern, stating, “America’s teachers and students deserve more from the nation’s largest teachers union… Shame on the NEA for taking dues from hard-working educators and using them to advance a deeply political agenda that does nothing to help students excel in the classroom.”