An early education teacher said he “want[ed] to feel safe” while wearing a skirt in front of young students in his classroom during a training video promoted by the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC).
The video is part of a 2021 documentary produced by Anti-Bias Leaders ECE. The documentary gained attention after one Twitter user posted a clip Jan. 24 of a teacher discussing the concept of being “non-binary” with her young students. Another moment in the documentary depicts a teacher discussing how he speaks to children in the classroom.
“Children need to feel safe to be whoever they want to be … In one of my first morning meetings, I bring a skirt that I like to wear. I tell the children that, you know, ‘I want to wear the skirt, but I want to make sure that I feel safe wearing a skirt in the classroom,'” teacher Brian Silveira says roughly 17 minutes into the documentary. “‘And so I’m just a little bit afraid that someone might laugh, or they might feel uncomfortable.'” (RELATED: Biological Male Applies For Medically Assisted Suicide Over Complications From Vaginoplasty)
“‘So I just want you to know that sometimes I wear a skirt, and it’s really comfortable, I like it, I like to spin around in it,'” Silveira continued.
“That is one way to use my own personal things that I like to do, as a model for more dramatic play.” he added.
Another video from the training guide has circulated showing teachers celebrating after a child in their classroom said a doll was “non-binary.”
This was shown to daycare owners in NC.
A teacher used a doll to teach gender identity to 4-5 year olds.
When a child brings up “non-binary,” the teachers say it’s “a huge testament to how much we’ve been talking about it in the classroom” & “it’s constantly in conversation” pic.twitter.com/ufpRTwkXO1
— Jordan Chamberlain (@jordylancaster) January 24, 2023
“Yes, just like me!” the teacher responds to the child, the clip shows. “Nash [the doll], just like me, is non-binary. So they aren’t sure if they are a boy or a girl.”