Elmhurst Activist Fights Gender 'Concepts'

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst conservative activist on Tuesday accused the Elmhurst School District 205 board of backing an ideological agenda on teaching children about gender.

During public comments at a board meeting, resident Tom Chavez spoke about two sex education bills that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed in 2021. The bills require lessons about gender identity.

"It's worth mentioning that D205 board members are in favor of it," he said.

In a text message Wednesday, Patch asked Chavez which members supported the laws in question. He named two members, but Patch could find no evidence that the pair backed the measures.

"The new standards require children to be able to define and explain the differences between cisgender, transgender, nonbinary and explain that gender expression and gender identity exist along a spectrum," Chavez said. "To be clear, these are political and ideological concepts, not academic ones. It's not a scientific fact that gender exists along a spectrum, full stop."

He said such lessons are being taught while gaps between the test scores of low-income students and their higher-income counterparts widen.

Chavez also took exception to a bill by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, a Naperville Democrat. Her bill labels a child as the victim of abuse if the parent or guardian denies gender-affirming services. In such a case, a parent or guardian could face prison time.

The bill, Chavez said, is part of the state's effort to strip away parental rights.

"Children are being groomed at a very young age to accept radical progressive ideas about gender and sexuality and the state is building a hyper-politicized infrastructure to drive a wedge between you and your kids," he said.

The bill and other efforts are not about creating a welcoming, safe environment, Chavez said. Rather, he said, it's about forcing students to conform to a "radical progressive orthodoxy."

Following its policy, the school board did not respond to Chavez's comments.

In 2021, Chavez gained attention locally when he accused the local district of teaching critical race theory. He provided no evidence that the actual theory was being taught.

He ran for school board last year, saying the district's taxes were too high and test scores too low.

Progressive candidates defeated Chavez and his allies by a wide margin.