New Jersey public elementary school students could soon be taught that puberty blockers are an acceptable way to “manage” puberty and that masturbating “a few times a day” is a healthy way to relieve stress, according to sample lesson plans being reviewed by state school districts.
New Jersey public school students as young as second grade will be taught lessons related to gender identity under state sex education guidelines that will take effect in September.
State Sen. Holly Schepisi, a Republican said the materials are “completely overboard with cringy detail for young kids.”
One of the fifth-grade lesson plans titled “It’s All About the Hormones,” requires students to watch an animated video called, “Puberty and Transgender Youth.”
“Whether you identify as male, female, gender queer or something else, you’re perfectly normal, and there are lots of ways to manage puberty so that it can be a fun, exciting time rather than a scary or stressful one,” the video says.
“If you feel you want more time to explore how you feel about your gender before your body starts to change, it’s important to talk with a parent, counselor, therapist or doctor about the feelings you have regarding your gender,” the video continues. “After some discussion and counseling, you may be referred to an endocrinologist. Endocrinologists specialize in hormones, and they’re the most likely to prescribe puberty blockers for someone who wants them. Puberty blockers are medications that will stop your body from changing.”
Another fifth grade lesson includes a video called, “Masturbation: Totally Normal,” that teaches kids that masturbating up to “a few times a day” is a “physically safe way to express sexual feelings.” The animated video shows a boy dropping his pants and writhing under a blanket until he finishes and grabs a tissue. A similar video targeting girls promotes masturbation as “a way to relieve stress” and shows a girl examining herself with a hand-held mirror.
A lesson titled “What is Love Anyway?,” instructs students to watch an AMAZE video about sexual orientation.
“While many people know their sexual orientation at a very young age, it is also common at this age to feel confused about your thoughts and feelings regarding who you find attractive,” the video says. “In fact, you may find yourself thinking about people of the same sex and of the opposite sex and be unsure.”
A spokesperson for Westfield Public Schools said last week that the teaching materials were a “sample list of resources” aligned with state policy.
Republicans like Schepisi say the proposed lessons cross a line.
“I truly think New Jersey has lost its damn mind,” she wrote.
Concerning the broader state plan to teach kids as young as 7 about gender identity, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said it’s “just a further indication of the crazy liberal policies of my successor, Phil Murphy.”
“He’s on the left of the progressive movement, and this kind of stuff just should not be going on,” Christie said on Monday. “But the fact is that the individual school districts in New Jersey feel empowered by the people who are now in charge of education. Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey and his, you know, the people he’s absolutely beholden to the teachers union and the mayor in New Jersey. Those are the people who are running the show now, and it’s just wrong.”
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