California teacher uses 'gender unicorn' in class, claims kids as young as 3 can 'understand gender'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CITC) — A California elementary school teacher uses a "gender unicorn" to teach children about sexual attraction and gender identity.

Danita McCray works as a child development teacher at an elementary school in the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). She hosted a workshop on how to incorporate gender identity into early childhood classrooms during a 2020 California Teachers Association (CTA) conference.

The goal of the workshop was to teach educators and families how to "provide professional development on transgender diversity in preschool programs."

The attitude that you set, the tone in your classroom depicts the classroom," McCray is heard saying in the workshop video obtained by Fox News Digital. "So, in my classroom, I don't -- we don't say 'girl toys,' we don't say 'boy toys.' There's no 'boy bathroom', no 'girl bathroom.'"

The discussion of gender is instead left up to the "age appropriate ... gender unicorn." The worksheet teaches children different terms for gender identity, gender expression and biological sex, while also helping them understand the difference between physical and emotional attraction.

McCray encourages fellow teachers to adopt this worksheet into their own classrooms.

I've done research. I have got my doctorate degree," McCray said. "Children are not too young at five years old. Children understand gender as early as three years old."

McCray published a study looking at transgender and gender non-conforming pre-K students, and whether educators have received the proper professional development to support them.

If a young student suggests a specific gender was assigned to an item, McCray says she will correct them. During the workshop, one educator asked if the practices push children into identifying with a particular sexuality or gender identity. However, McCray defended the way she conducts her classroom.

I don't ask them, you know, 'do you want to play with this doll?' I -- everything is open to everyone," she said.

McCray's classroom practices may stand in contrast to what some parents prefer, including the 70% of parents nationally who oppose sexual orientation and gender identity instruction for elementary schoolers.

We have two different environments. At school, these are the rules, and this is what's gonna happen at school. I need you to respect that," McCray tells concerned SCUSD parents.

McCray likens it to not always agreeing with practices at one's place of employment, and says that if parents are uncomfortable, they have the "option to go to another classroom."

SCUSD's website has a section dedicated to LGBTQ+ support services, including a task force that aims to "place an emphasis on meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ identified youth." The district also has a transgender and gender nonconforming student policy that emphasizes its responsibility to provide students with "an understanding of and respect for differences in the gender identity and gender expression of others."

"The district expects all employees to abide by that policy," SCUSD told The National Desk (TND), "which states in part: 'Schools should avoid assuming the role of gatekeeper and should accept a student's asserted gender identity unless there is a credible basis for believing that the student is asserting a particular gender identity for some improper purpose. In such cases, the decision to deny a student's asserted gender identity will be made in consultation with the district's LGBTQ Support Services program.'"

SCUSD tells TND it will be looking into the comments made by McCray during the conference to see "whether they align with district policies, or were made outside the scope" of her duties.