Interim State Superintendent Sue C. Carnell was unable to say definitively how many genders exist when asked during a hearing.
The Michigan Board of Education approved a new sexual education curriculum for K-12 students that includes instruction on topics like gender ideology and sexual orientation, the first change to the curriculum since 2007.
The “Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines,” which passed in a 6-2 vote, was met with pushback from parents who are concerned that the guidelines will expose young children to concepts that are better left to parents to discuss in accordance with their own values.
The guidelines promote the notion that gender identity — one’s felt sense of being a man or a woman or neither — can and should be separated from sex. The sex education standards require that by eighth grade students are be able to “define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.”
“What is the hurry? Why now? Why today? Why this? If you really want to address health and the sex ed, let’s take time,” Eileen McNeil, president of Citizens for Traditional Values, said during the public comment period at a board of education meeting announcing the new curriculum.
The state, however, argued that the guidelines were in need of updating, pointing out that new variables such as vaping and legalized marijuana did not exist the last time standards were approved.
Asked about parental concerns, the Michigan Department of Education directed National Review to a press release.
“Much has changed in the world and our students will benefit from the updated health standards given that the previous standards were nearly 20 years old,” Sue C. Carnell, interim State Superintendent, said in a press release.
Carnell was asked during the meeting how many genders there are and was unable to provide a definite answer.
“Different people have different beliefs on that,” Carnell said.
Pamela Pugh, State Board of Education president, characterized the new standards as “age-appropriate.”
“Ensuring that every child in Michigan has the opportunity to succeed begins with equipping them with the knowledge to stay healthy and safe,” Pugh said in a press release. “As a public health scientist and president of the State Board of Education, I am proud that the Michigan Department of Education has used a transparent and inclusive process to review and update these standards—grounded in research and responsive to the voices of parents, educators, and communities.”
Parents seem to disagree: During the public comment portion of the hearing, 1,338 surveys were completed. Out of that number, 924 opposed the new curriculum, the Department of Education told Bridge Michigan.
The state’s civil rights framework, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, was updated in 2023 to include protections against discrimination based on gender identity. Michigan Republican lawmakers have pushed back on the inclusion of gender identity in the act, arguing that it will allow the intrusion of men into women’s spaces.
The act, for examples, conflicts with President Trump’s executive order barring federally funded schools from allowing males to compete in female sports.
The new sex-ed guidelines comply with the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
“Today’s decision came after the board and Michigan Department of Education (MDE) considered public comments by making the standards even clearer about the rights of parents to opt their children out of sex education instruction,” MDE said in a press release. “The standards remain consistent with Michigan law by providing for local school districts to notify parents in advance of any sex ed instruction.”
The state of Michigan allows parents to opt their children out of sexual education, and the new guidelines maintain that privilege. Further, the state still maintains that abortion cannot be taught as a form of family planning, and condoms are not allowed to be distributed at school.