Lewisville Independent School District (ISD) has become the latest public school to come under scrutiny for promoting outside resources for students and families under the banner of LGBT.
On September 23, Libs of TikTok — a social media account that regularly posts content highlighting the so-called sexualization of children by adults — tweeted about worrisome external links provided by Lewisville ISD in the Counseling Services section of its website.
“@LewisvilleISD has resources on their site for students. One link takes students to a page where they can sign up for ‘queer sex ed,’ where they learn how to talk about sex. It also links to the ‘Q chat space,’ which features a ‘quick escape’ button in case a kid wants to hide it from their parents,” the group tweeted.
Screenshots of the referenced materials accompanied the post.
.@LewisvilleISD has resources on their site for students. One link takes students to sign up for "queer sex ed" where they learn how to talk about sex. It also links to the "Q chat space" which features a "quick escape" button in case a kid wants to hide it from their parents. pic.twitter.com/TFPV0AFOLH
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 23, 2022
The outside resources referenced in the tweet, Youth First Texas and PFLAG, were listed under the “LBGTQ – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning” header of the Counseling Services page.
On its website, Youth First Texas claims that it “serves LGBTQIA+ and allied youth, ages 12-18, and equips them with the tools and resources they need to live an authentic life through year-round, free programming that decreases high-risk behaviors, reduces social isolation, and increases self-esteem.”
This organization hosts a once-monthly “Queer Sex Ed” event billed as providing “a safe space to talk about things not always talked about in conventional sex education, like transgender anatomy, consent, healthy relationships, and more.”
“Queer students are virtually invisible in Texas schools’ current sex education programs,” the group’s website read. “This leaves queer youth uninformed about basic anatomy, healthy relationship skills, and safer sex practices. Sex-education materials do not mention sexual orientation or gender identity at all.”
Libby Crank, the Queer Sex Ed program facilitator, said in a June 2021 interview, “For many LGBTQIA+ people, the sex ed that they experience at school or at home (if they receive any education at all) is very heteronormative. So, we created Queer Sex Ed so that we could have a space to talk about things not always talked about in conventional sex ed, like trans anatomy, consent, and more.”
Texas Youth First also features a link to Q Chat Space, a live-chat service aimed at “LGBTQ+ and questioning teens ages 13 to 19.” Q Chat Space claims it is a collaboration of CenterLink, PFLAG, and Planned Parenthood.
“Q Chat Space live chats are facilitated by caring (and verified) facilitators! They are staff and volunteers from youth programs at LGBTQ+ centers across the United States. They are in the live chats to guide group conversations and help if anything comes up,” the website claims.
The Q Chat Space website does feature a prominent “quick escape” button at the bottom, which, when clicked, takes the user to Google.
After Libs of TikTok brought attention to the outside resources being promoted by Lewisville ISD, the school district deleted the hyperlinks to Texas Youth First and PFLAG but left the organizations listed on its website.
The Dallas Express reached out to the Lewisville ISD school board members to inquire whether they felt their students needed access to programs like Queer Sex Ed and Q Chat Space from the school’s website. We also asked why the hyperlinks were removed after attention was brought to this issue.
Lewisville ISD Superintendent Dr. Lori Rapp responded to The Dallas Express’Â inquiry.
“Websites that were listed were information provided on a parent webpage for families who may need help navigating challenging topics. Any representations that these resources were being used in the district curriculum or found in our classrooms is not true, as our curriculum for classrooms is based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills,” Rapp wrote.
Rapp went on to explain that the district removed the links from their website because one of them took visitors who clicked on it to a different page than it had when they originally added it to the Counseling Services webpage.
“We were unaware of the change in this external resource until it was brought to our attention. We reviewed the Resource Center Dallas website, and while it does contain information that could be helpful to our LGBTQ+ families, we agree a portion of the website goes beyond the scope of what LISD believes the district should provide as a resource,” Rapp explained.
“For that reason,” Rapp continued, “the link has been removed from the LISD website. We will continue to seek out and provide resources to ensure we are part of a supportive culture and climate for all our students and their families.”
Kelly Neidert, executive director of Protect Texas Kids, responded to The Dallas Express’ request for comment, stating, “I think it’s highly inappropriate and disturbing for schools to provide links to outside resources like the ones that LISD and other school districts have.”
She added, “There is zero need for there to be such heavy emphasis on LGBTQ social issues.”
Neidert clarified, saying, “Directing students to an online chatroom to secretly talk about ‘Queer Sex Ed’ with strangers is harmful and potentially dangerous, and there is no educational value provided from that.”
“Parents and other LISD taxpayers should be outraged,” Neidert observed. “I hope that they will take their concerns to the upcoming school board meeting.”
