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- New state health education standards include gender identity and expression objectives as part of guidelines for sex education in Michigan public schools.
- State education officials said the updated standards do not change state law, which allows parents to opt their children out of sex education.
Michigan’s State Board of Education approved on a 6-2 vote new state health education standards, which include expanded objectives around LGBTQ+ relationships and gender, after more than two hours of impassioned public comment and deliberation by the board during a meeting in Lansing on Thursday, Nov. 13.
The vote follows an outcry led by conservative groups and state Republican lawmakers over the standards’ updates, particularly the inclusion of gender identity and expression. State academic standards are overarching guidelines for public schools in developing local curricula. The overhaul of the health standards — which hadn’t been updated since 2007 — was presented first in September, and then was subject to a 30-day period of open comment.
Michigan Department of Education (MDE) staff members said on Thursday that, of 1,333 surveys completed during the 30-day period, 924 of the surveys were submitted by those opposed to the standards change. Board members and MDE staff members also received about 2,000 emails, 1,100 of which were supportive, and nearly 900 against. To address feedback, staff members said they separated sex education and general health education objectives, to make it clear they were not trying to blur the lines between sex education in regular school health education classes, an accusation that’s been made by some state Republican lawmakers.
Tiffany Tilley, a Democratic board member from West Bloomfield, said the new standards have been the subject of a campaign of “misinformation.”
“These guidelines do not enforce districts to even have sex education,” she said. “The rumors that have been spun have been very ugly, very inappropriate, very hurtful and has caused a lot of negativity to come towards us.”
Nothing has changed in state law, which stipulates parents may opt their children out of sex education. And the adoption of the standards doesn’t mean parents and caregivers can’t weigh in on the content included in their child’s school’s sex education classes: State law has long required districts offering sex ed to form local sex education advisory boards, made up of parents and other community stakeholders.
Still, the updated standards have drawn controversy, as sex ed issues in Michigan have in the past. Republican lawmakers have accused the Michigan Department of Education of subverting the opt-out law with the new standards, subpoenaing documents from the department around the development of the standards. Nikki Snyder, a conservative member of the board who voted against the standards update along with Tom McMillin, accused the education department of going rogue with the overhaul.
“There is a Department of Education massive overstep that is happening,” she said. Adding later, “When you say there are more than two genders.. you are using the government and government-run schools to push your beliefs in schools — that violates the parental rights of those who disagree.”
Health education topics include sexual health, substance abuse, mental and emotional health, personal health and community health. The refreshed draft of the standards, compared with the older high school standards, are more in-depth and include discussion around sexual orientation, gender identity and online safety, topics not included in the older standards posted by the state online.
Standards vote draws a crowd
The marathon portion of the public comment period was a who’s who of supporters and detractors, with parents, educators, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, clergy members, college professors, doctors, school bus drivers and numerous representatives from organizations across the state stepping up to the podium. Rarely present at the podium to share their thoughts: students. Thursday was a school day for most public schools in Michigan.
Those who came to cheer on the passage of the new standards praised the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity, because they argued that more students who come through health classrooms will feel seen and receive up-to-date information around health. The older standards don’t reflect the world in 2025, they said, particularly with the advent of social media.
One of the few students who spoke, Mike Enstrom, said as a transgender high school freshman, he welcomed the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the standards.
“I believe that it is important for everyone to be represented and included, especially with something as vulnerable as sexual well-being,” he said.
Richard Hellinga — who said during public comment that he once pulled his son, who is transgender, out of health class because his district’s program did not adequately acknowledge issues faced by gay and other students — supports the new standards.
“My son will no longer be excluded, but better seen,” he said.
But the standards’ detractors decried the inclusion of gender identity and sexual orientation. They said the more comprehensive provisions in this update oversteps some parents’ wishes, and some cited religious beliefs. And they said they were disappointed health and sex education continue to be mashed together in state standards.
“If even one child is taught something that contradicts the internal moral sense of right and wrong, an injury has done irreparable damage,” said Seth Spencer, one public commenter.
Eileen McNeil, with a group called Citizens for Traditional Values, urged the board to wait on voting.
“If you really want to address health and sex ed, let’s take time,” she said.
What’s in the new standards?
Sexual health topics by grade include:
- In grades 3-5 the draft standards address puberty-related and personal hygiene issues.
- In grades 6-8, the draft standards address gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, explaining that “they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.”
- The standards also guide educators to explain that emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to individuals of the same or different genders can change over time.
- Standards also recommend explaining the benefits of abstinence, decision-making that aligns with an individual’s family values and strategies for reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI).
- In grades 9-12, the draft includes standards for students to analyze outside influences on a person’s beliefs about sexual behavior and discussion over why it is illegal to coerce or trick someone into sexual activity, the importance of STI treatment and testing.
- They also include discussion over fostering empathy and respect around issues related to sexuality and gender.
Michelle Moustakas, a 71-year-old grandma from Canton, said so much has changed in the two decades since the state has last updated its sex education and health framework.
“The world our kids are living in is very different,” she said. “Young people are asking for broader, honest and more relevant information on sexual health and safety.”
Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.