Kindergarten curriculum teaches 4-year-olds about HIV/AIDS, gender identity

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – The curriculum at New York City public schools teaches students as young as 4 years old about sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and gender identity, according to the New York Post.

The city’s “Growing Up and Staying Safe: New York City K-12 HIV Education Curriculum” includes material geared toward elementary schoolers such as a book about penises and vulvas, according to the NYC Public Schools website.

The curriculum’s lessons for kindergarteners include a picture book called “These are my EYES, This is my NOSE, This is my VULVA, These are my TOES.” The 21-page picture book shows several illustrations of diverse groups of children, including one page featuring a young boy saying, “This is my penis,” and another page saying “you’ll have hair everywhere” as an adult.

Lexx Brown James was credited as the author of the book on its front page. James has a Ph.D and works as the Director of the Sexual Health Certificate Program at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, according to the university’s website.

The book also delves into gender identity, promoting the idea that penises and vulvas are not exclusive to one sex, the New York Post reported. 

“Some girls wear dresses, some girls won’t, some girls have vulvas and some girls don’t,” the book says.

“Some boys have a penis but not all boys do. To always use your manners, ask ‘What may I call you?,’” it continues.

The detail of lessons increases as children reach higher grades, the New York Post added. First graders learn that HIV is “harder to pass” than COVID-19 because the STD results from contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids. Third graders are expected to be able to “summarize what HIV is” and fourth graders are taught that HIV can also be caught by exchanging compromised needles used for drugs, tattoos or sexual activity.

Outraged parent Natalya Murakhver, who founded the nonprofit “Restore Childhood”, called the program “beyond inappropriate,” according to the New York Post. Another Brooklyn mother, who learned her 5-year-old child will receive the lessons, said that there was no choice to opt out.