Damakant Jayshi
The Mosinee School District will not adopt an educational consultant’s suggestion to adopt inclusive gender identity-related language in its board policy after a vote last month.
The nine-member board on Nov. 21 voted down using gender-neutral language by an 8-1 margin. The language was suggested by Neola, an educational consultant that develops personalized bylaws, policies, guidelines, and materials for districts in multiple states.
The vote is contrary to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s own guidance, which favors gender neutral language.
“As the state education agency, the DPI strongly advocates for and recommends inclusive policies and inclusive best practices, including using gender neutral language when referring to groups of students, and using the pronouns a student chooses for themselves,” DPI Communications Director Abigail Swetz told Wausau Pilot & Review.
She pointed to online learning modules found on the DPI’s LGBTQ+ Student Resources webpage that she said “further explains and expands upon these best practices.
“These best practices can and do make a difference in young peoples’ lives,” Swetz added.
Research shows a demonstrable impact. The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that trans and nonbinary youth who reported having their pronouns respected by all or most of the people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected.
Swetz, however, said the agency does not have jurisdiction over such decisions made by school boards, and said the board’s decision will have no bearing on state funding.
Advocates say gender identity tied to equality and acceptance
While the use of gender-neutral language has been increasing, it has faced significant resistance, too.
The purpose of gender-neutral language is to “avoid word choices which may be interpreted as biased, discriminatory or demeaning by implying that one sex or social gender is the norm,” the European Parliament guidelines state. “Using gender-fair and inclusive language also helps reduce gender stereotyping, promotes social change and contributes to achieving gender equality.”
School Board President Diane Gorman, Donna Kaiser, Megan Stankowski, Peter Hansen, Kevin Hermening, Jessica Maple, Calandra Zebro and Kelli Zebro all voted against the gender-neutral language. Board Vice-President Amy Baumann cast the sole vote in support of Neola’s recommendations.
Wausau Pilot reached out to all board members and to Interim Superintendent Robert Way for their response. Only Gorman, Kaiser and Baumann replied, but none addressed questions surrounding the impact of the board’s decision.
During the Nov 21 meeting, Maple offered the motion to reject the gender-neutral language as proposed. She said she wanted to ensure the board set the right example by using proper and grammatically correct language.
“There are some instances where it would use the superintendent three times within the same sentence,” Maple said. “That’s a bit of an overkill. I don’t think there is any reason why you cannot use he/she.”
Her motion read that “all of our school district policies should use the singular pronouns and be reflective of his/her rather than the non-singular.”
Hermening, a former board president, left no doubt what the school board’s action meant.
“If I’m correctly interpreting what you are asking, it’s removing the gender discussion and making it vague and non-gender specific, and I think that’s what you are referencing,” Hermening said after the vote, an interpretation with which Maple agreed. “And I agree with that, so I am glad the board voted this way.”
A cross talk soon followed, during which some of the board members referred to the word “themselves” in the draft.
“I would still object to the use of the word ‘themselves’ because we are talking about a boy or a girl. That’s what those two words in pink mean and that is the conversation we just had,” Hermening said.
Critics of the decision told this newspaper they questioned whether board members were truly aware of the importance and impact of the decision on the school’s students, teachers and staff. Removing language considered inclusive can be seen as excluding people who do not identify with traditional genders.
But Gorman, in an email, said she would only speak about her vote. “My vote was based on the motion which was to provide clarity and consistency in our policy language going forward.” She also said she believed the newspaper was “misunderstanding how boards operate” and said boards “will vote on the motion that is presented.”
Baumann, the lone dissenter, told this newspaper that she voted to approve Neola’s recommendations as presented but cannot speculate on the impact to the people of the district.
Advocates for the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, or LGBTQ, and those who consider themselves non-binary have said the use of language should reflect inclusivity and equality. Some rights organizations like GLAAD and the National Center for Transgender Equality have published information to help people in addressing their gender identity.
