Grapevine High School students walk out to protest district’s policies on gender, pronouns

Grapevine High School students walked out of class Friday to protest policies on gender identity, sexuality and race issues approved this week by the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board.

The protest began Friday morning and was scheduled to last through about 4 p.m., according to a flier, but students said it ended early because of the heat.

Around 100 students participated.

In a 4-3 vote at the end of an hourslong meeting early Tuesday morning, the school board adopted policies which will prevent teachers from including materials on gender, equity and other issues and limit what pronouns can be used in schools.

Ensley Carey, a junior at Grapevine High School, said she participated in the protest because she has a lot of friends who are LGBTQ, specifically nonbinary and trans friends.

“This doesn’t show the love GCISD should be showing to the students here,” Carey said.

Carey joined her classmates with a sign that read “Protect Trans Kids.” She wore rainbow Pride buttons and ribbons.

She said that while most students at Grapevine High School seemed to take issue with the new policies, there are some students who support the changes.

Some of those students walked out briefly, too, creating a few shouting matches between the two sides before heading back inside.

Some parents showed up for the walkout, too, Carey said. They stood just off the school’s property line, holding signs and chanting with students.

The policies that were adopted will allow for district employees to use a student’s preferred pronouns other than those for their sex at birth, if the employee wants to, with the written consent of the student’s parent. They will not allow district employees to require anybody to use pronouns other than those for their sex at birth, but students and employees can refer to them with other preferred pronouns if they want to.

The policies also restrict bathroom use based on the gender assigned at birth.

The amendments prohibit district employees from teaching topics of sexual orientation or gender identity unless everybody in the class has completed the fifth grade, and creates a strict review process for library books.

Teaching or discussion about critical race theory or the 1619 Project is prohibited by the policies.

The policies also prohibit requiring employees or students to receive instruction that promotes racial or sexual superiority or suggests or states that “an individual, by virtue of that individual’s race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,” or that a person should face discrimination based on any demographic category into which they might fit.

Students didn’t take issue with parts of the policy that prohibit teaching any sort of superiority, but even some who didn’t take part in the walkout said they wanted the parts of the policy regarding gender and sexuality repealed.

Easton Hockeugos, a junior at the high school, said he couldn’t walk out because he would miss a test he couldn’t make up. But he was at the board meeting Monday night.

“I don’t like seeing the district make decisions that put specific people in a bad light, or that put the district in a bad light,” he said. “This just caused conflict. I want to see them try to reduce conflict.”

Teddy, who goes by they/them pronouns and was one of the students who helped organize the walkout, said they were thrilled at the response from other students.

“The vast majority of students I’ve talked to have said this is a policy that is harmful,” said Teddy, who declined to share their last name. “I hope that people hear us — that’s the biggest thing for me.”

Teddy said the policy is harmful because it limits the rights and recognition of LGBTQ+ people. They said not allowing teachers to discuss LGBTQ+ topics and issues in classrooms ignores the fact that those students exist and are members of the school community.

Amanda, Teddy’s mother, said she was proud of all the students who participated in the walkout.

“I and all the other parents there were so proud of how the students protested in a way that was so powerful but still peaceful,” Amanda said.

Between 20 and 30 parents joined the students when they walked out, handing out water and food to those who needed it. The parents held signs and wore clothes to support the students, she said.

Teddy said they are thankful for the support from students who showed up for the walkout and those who couldn’t be there but still supported the protest in other ways, like helping spread the word.

“We want people, even those not in the district, to know we aren’t going to sit down and be quiet about this,” Teddy said.

Staff writer Elizabeth Campbell contributed to this report.