Citing their Christian principles, trustees of a small Orange County school district are defying a state anti-discrimination law that allows students and school staff to define their own gender.
A refusal by a three-trustee majority of the five-member school board to reverse its position could ultimately jeopardize as much as $40 million in state and federal funding, two-thirds of the budget for a district that serves 10,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
It is a risk, said the defiant trustees of the Westminster School District, that they're willing to take if the alternative is to compromise their morals.
"It's amazing how much we've eroded our society," said trustee Judy Ahrens, who describes herself as a devout Christian. "Everyone always wants to fix things tomorrow. Well, I'm saying the time is ripe now. I might take a lot of heat for it today, but the rewards are going to be great in heaven."
At issue is the wording of a state law that requires schools to protect certain groups from discrimination, including transsexuals and others who embrace unconventional gender roles. The three trustees say the law allows grade-school students and staff to immorally redefine their sexual identity.
By refusing to comply with state law, the three have pitted themselves against fellow board members, parents and school administrators. Their critics accuse them of inappropriately imposing their own beliefs while ignoring their responsibilities to uphold state law.
"We do not see this as a moral issue," said Trish Montgomery, a district spokeswoman, speaking for the superintendent and other administrators. "It is a matter of complying with the law."
The debate over gender definitions has polarized the board like no other issue. It was triggered in January, when district administrators informed trustees that Westminster's policy for handling discrimination complaints was not in compliance with state regulations.
In listing groups that are protected from discrimination, the district makes a nonspecific reference to "gender" and no reference to "sex" and "sexual orientation."
The omissions are significant in light of an anti-discrimination law signed in 2000 by then-Gov. Gray Davis to protect transsexuals and others who do not fall into common gender categories, and gays on school campuses.
