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Dear Greenfield Community,
As you may have heard, Greenfield is in the process of bringing in Drag Queen Story Time as a way to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our school, while also promoting literacy. A letter was sent to parents in participating lower school classes to give them advance notice of the program, as well as to provide contact information for parents who wished to ask questions, voice concerns, or opt out.
Unfortunately, the letter was sent to an organization that has promoted hate against the LGBTQ+ community, particularly towards trans* children and schools that have taken measures to provide a safe space for trans* children. Since then, the letter that was featured on this site was retweeted by prominent anti-LGBTQ accounts and featured in the national news.
Our hope is that when parents have questions or concerns about things happening at Greenfield, they feel comfortable speaking to us, another member of the HSA, Principal Lazar, our school counselor, or any of the teachers. We are all here to listen and to answer any questions you may have.
This program is not mandatory, or an agenda being pushed by the school or the HSA. If parents are uncomfortable with their child participating, we all fully understand that, and they have a right to opt their child out of these activities.
Ultimately, one of our major goals is to promote a safe environment for our children, and we feel that initiatives such as Drag Queen Story Time do just that. In this case, Drag Queen Story Time is simply an avenue to normalize gender fluidity without explicitly having to teach kids about gender and provide enriched literary experiences with a bit of flair. The idea is to break harmful notions that support the bullying, teasing, and shaming that many trans* students face daily.
Bringing in speakers and guests of a variety of gender presentations, and finding ways to show our children that Greenfield is inclusive and safe for LGBTQ+ students, has a positive impact on safety. According to The Trevor Project, “Fewer than 1 in 3 transgender and nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming and a little more than half (51%) found their school to be affirming. The Trevor Project’s research consistently finds that LGBTQ young people report lower rates of attempting suicide when they have access to LGBTQ-affirming spaces.”
As we think about protecting our students from harm and providing a safe, affirming space, we hope we can work together as a community.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Nagel and Jenny Slobotkin
HSA President & HSA President Elect
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