How many genders does ASU require employees believe in?
As a state university, ASU is committed to ideological neutrality. It does not discriminate based on politics or religion. It is inclusive for liberal as well as conservative students and employees. Except when it isn’t.
ASU has something called “Safezone” training. Below is an image where it describes what it teaches. It purports to teach employees that there are more genders and sexual identities than employees personally believe in. It claims to dismantle homophobia and transphobia. None of that sounds neutral. All of it seems to step over the bounds in requiring employees to subscribe to a specific ideology.
“Homophobia” and “transphobia” are terms used to insult anyone who, for scientific or religious reasons, believes that there are two genders and that persons cannot change from one gender to the other. If you believe, based on the science, that a person is born XX (woman) or XY (man), and that no matter what you do to your body you cannot change from XY to XX, then you are termed a “homophobe” and “transphobe.”
This sounds more like how a private religious university might handle its faith statement. A state university cannot have a faith statement or creed that is required for employment. Why does ASU? If this is just one view at ASU, where is the alternative training about the scientific and religious views on the other side?
Parents and students should be aware that this is what ASU teaches its employees and will be taught in the classroom. Legislators, can you help us?
I personally believe that this is reprehensible., but to clarify - is this part of mandatory training? It says "workshops available upon request". Thank you.
What is the problem with "gender ideology"? We have men and women. And people who don't fit into society's general descriptions of either. And people who feel they fit quite well, just not the one they were born with. So what? How is this a deeply divisive issue? How is this an assault on everything we hold dear? Nevermind that "transgender" people comprise like maybe 1% of the population of the US.
I hold both sides of this debate to the fire. On the one hand, we are making way too much of something, it is being blown out of proportion. We don't need special trainings and we don't need to teach 4th graders about pronouns. On the other, why can't we just let these unique people be who they are and get on with it. They are not destroying the fabric of our society (although the people coming to their defense just might, however inadvertently). Most people will never even meet a transgender person, that's how few of them there actually are.
This has become such a hot button topic and we all just need to chill. Be kind to everyone, that's what we need to teach each other and our children. Everything beyond that is just BS.