A Mounds View high school held a professional development training last month about “how we can support our 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities,” which included instruction on how to avoid “misgendering” people, according to a local parents group.
The training took place during the teachers’ “I-Day,” a day that is typically reserved for educator training on Presidents’ Day, a social media post from the Minnesota Parents Alliance shows.
“KQ Quinn (they/them) is the Associate Director of Educational Equity at OutFront Minnesota,” an email sent to Irondale High School staff reads. “They have been able to train multiple sites within Mounds View Public Schools and can’t wait to meet with Irondale Staff to share about how we can support our 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities.”
🔔 Teachers are terrified to speak up and put sunlight on their training. On Monday, while kids have the day off, this is the professional development that Irondale High School educators in Mounds View are required to particpate in. pic.twitter.com/t4JEp8VgO7
— Minnesota Parents Alliance (@MNParentsFTW) February 15, 2025
Quinn works as the school equity manager for OutFront Minnesota, an LGBTQ activist group. In that role, Quinn gives presentations to educators and school staff across the state.
The Minnesota Parents Alliance also published a handout that it said was used in the training. The handout defines the words in the “2SLGBTQIA+” acronym. First, the handout says the term “Two-Spirit” is a term for people who have “both a masculine and feminine spirit” and should only be used by “people indigenous to Turtle Island/North America.”
The handout also discusses concepts like bisexuality, asexuality, and coming out. According to the OutFront handout, “The ‘plus’ is used to signify the ever-growing list of the gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the acronym.”
Definitions of gender identity, gender expression, and gender assigned at birth are included in OutFront’s material as well. It defines gender identity as, “A person’s own sense of if and in what way they are a man, a woman, a mix of multiple genders, no gender, or another gender entirely.”
Furthermore, the handout discusses “misgendering,” using a person’s “deadname,” and pronouns.
“Because of gendered associations with certain sets of pronouns, we need to be mindful of the misuse of one’s pronouns,” the document says. “We can create an inclusive environment by not assuming people’s pronouns and encouraging (not requiring) people to share their pronouns.”
It then instructs readers to “correct yourself briefly,” say “thank you” when corrected, and “get in the habit of interrupting people” in instances of misgendering.
Mounds View Public Schools and Irondale High School did not respond to Alpha News’ request for comment regarding the training.
The Roseville school district reportedly held a similar mandatory training for its educators. Alpha News has previously reported that OutFront Minnesota delivered a presentation during a health course for Stillwater High School students called “LGBTQ+ 101,” which included an “intersex video” and taught students about the “gender unicorn.”
Submitted: An elementary teacher in the Roseville school district is questioning this “mandatory training” entitled 2SLGBTQIA+ Terms & Definitions.
⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aFeeWQyOqu
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) February 25, 2025
Other trainings that the organization offers include “Advocacy 101 for your GSA” (Gender and Sexuality Alliance), “Allyship and Affirming Spaces,” “Coming Out,” and “Unclobbering the Bible.”
“Our mission is to build power within Minnesota’s 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and address inequities through intersectional organizing, advocacy, education, and direct support services,” the organization’s website explains.
OutFront Minnesota has advocated for controversial legislation such as Minnesota’s new “trans refuge” law. The organization recently spoke out against a bill that would ban males from participating in female-only sports.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
