(The Center Square) – Defending Education says it uncovered materials from a presentation the San Francisco Unified School District “Queer Trans Parent Advisory Council” gave at the district’s Board of Education meeting, including several recommendations such as offering an all-gender changing room.
“San Francisco Unified is the poster child for school districts that prioritize the wrong things,” Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education Erika Sanzi told The Center Square.
“They are facing a severe, multi-year enrollment decline and their third grade reading outcomes are getting worse,” Sanzi said.
“Yet, somehow they think a queer trans parent advisory council – including a member who wants to be called ‘meow’ – is advisable,” Sanzi said. “Is it any surprise they are losing so many students?”
According to its website, Defending Education “is a national grassroots organization working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.”
According to San Francisco Unified’s website, the Queer Trans Parent Advisory Council (QTPAC) is intended “to provide a space to listen and take action to create more welcoming, affirming and supportive schools for 2SLGBTQIA+ students and families.”
QTPAC gave a presentation at San Francisco Unified’s Board of Education meeting on April 14 that included a series of recommendations, according to Defending Education’s report.
One of the QTPAC presentation slides stated that “~30% of [San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)] Students are Queer or Questioning” and “~6% of SFUSD Students are Transgender or Gender Questioning,” according to Defending Education’s report.
The queer trans parent council “also explains that ‘more queer and trans people are fleeing to SF’ and that ‘not all families are welcoming to queer and trans people,’” Defending Education’s report showed.
“As a result, QTPAC is asking for ‘continued allocation of resources and focused attention on our community’s needs,’” the report said.
QTPAC’s presentation also contained information that it had “approved and distributed 2 surveys (PE survey for students, Training survey for staff and educators)” and “investigated physical education requirements and options at comprehensive and alternative schools,” according to Defending Education’s report.
The first recommendation QTPAC made to the board includes a request that the district “provide a mid-year [in January] and an end of year report highlighting the progress toward 100% compliance with California Education Code Section 218.3,” according to the report.
This state code requires “all SFUSD certificated staff serving grades 7–12 to receive at least one hour sexual orientation and gender identity training per year starting August 2026,” the report said.
QTPAC’s second recommendation requested that the district “in addition to providing at least one ADA / All-gender restroom in schools per SB760, provide an All-gender, safe changing room/space at every school site that offers physical education courses and currently has binary changing rooms,” Defending Education stated.
The council’s third recommendation to the board is to “define clear district-wide pathways for PE independent study, with varied options, that meet state mandated requirements.”
One member of the district’s QTPAC has “meow” listed as a pronoun and in January 2025 “was described as ‘the parent of a 15-year-old transmasculine 10th grader enrolled in the district,” according to Defending Education.
Additional recommendations made by QTPAC in an appendices section include making “all SFUSD restrooms all-gender” and “cohost an [San Francisco Unified School District] LGBTQ+ community event with QTPAC.”
Another recommendation found in the appendices is to “investigate and create a public report on whether district forms use all-gender language in compliance with the district’s all-gender language policy.”
The San Francisco Unified School District has not yet responded to The Center Square’s media inquiry asking why it established the Queer Trans Parent Advisory Council and how it will respond to the recommendations made by the group.
