Parental Notification and the Rights of Children

By now everybody knows about the “culture war” being fought over gender issues relating to minor children in America’s government schools. This battle pits so-called LBGTQ activists against parents.* The activists claim they are defending the “rights” of children to their privacy by banning school officials from notifying parents if their child is claiming a gender change. They claim that parental notification would amount to “outing” the child.**

The people pushing back against the activists are standing on parental rights. 

But I think the issue of rights is confused, on both sides.

Children have rights, like everyone else. But, unlike everyone else, children are not capable of exercising their rights. They have neither the knowledge, rational maturity, judgment, or life experience to make informed choices. That is why parents have ultimate authority to make choices for them. As the child matures, the parent may (and should) allow more choice. But the parent retains ultimate authority. Child rearing is about a gradual process of preparing the child for adulthood, when they gain the full exercise authority over their rights.

In effect, the child’s rights are held “in trust” by the parents. This trust requires parents to have the fullest and most complete knowledge of their children, so they can make fully informed choices for their children, in the child’s best interest.*** LBGTQ activists, who want to bar school officials from notifying the parents of a child on gender issues, claim they are defending children’s rights. But by keeping relevant knowledge from the people responsible for the child’s rights, the parents, they are in actuality violating the child’s rights.

Of course, the activists don’t actually care about the child’s rights, or anyone’s rights. They don’t give a damn about the child. This is evident by their claim that informing the parents amounts to “outing,” even though the child is already outed by the very fact that the teacher, and presumably other students, and school officials, already know the child is claiming some manifestation of LBGTQ identity. Apparently, outing only occurs when the parents know, not when everyone else knows. This is a gross and disgusting disrespect of the parents. 

In fact, The LBGTQ activists’ only concern is with their own political and social agendas. There’s nothing wrong with issue activism. But these LGBTQ activists are ideological bullies who are using the gun power of the government school monopoly to impose their ideas on everyone.

As to the parents, they should realize that, strictly speaking, it is not their parental rights that entitle them to know about their children’s school activities. It is the rights of their own children that they are actually fighting for. The rights of parents to make critical decisions for their children are synonymous with children’s rights. 

This battle is currently raging in New Jersey, where local public school boards’ attempts to impose mandatory parental notification on school officials when they believe that “facts or circumstances that could impact a student’s health or well-being, including sexual orientation and gender identity” are the focal point. The state, siding with the ideological bullies, is attempting—and so far succeeding—to bar such local school board policies.

Personally, I think that neither the state or school board should force or ban teachers from notifying parents on these gender issues. Notification should be a matter between the parent and the teacher. If a parent pointedly asks the teacher to inform her if her child “decides” to change genders, the teacher has a moral obligation to inform the parent. If not specifically addressed, the teacher should use her judgment on whether the issue is important enough to involve the parents. If the teacher has information she thinks the parent should have, she should give it to her. (Likewise, if the teacher suspects child abuse, she should inform the authorities.)

Of course, the ultimate solution to this culture war over school policy is universal school choice, through the privatization of all education and the constitutional imposition of the complete separation of education and state. But that is a long term fight. The bottom line relevant here is that the child has rights, and it is the LBQTQ activists, and their far Left political allies, who are by far most guilty of violating the rights of the child.

* [LGBTQ stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer]

** [“Outing” in this context means the practice of revealing the sexual or gender identity of a person.”]

*** [Of course, parents can abuse that authority. Thart’s why we have child neglect and child abuse laws.]

Related Reading:

On the ‘Transgender’ Phenomenon

Are Parents Capable of Properly Educating Their Children in a Free Market?