EXCLUSIVE – A California early childhood teacher admitted during a presentation that she uses an "age-appropriate" "gender unicorn" in her classroom, which included content on sexuality and gender, according to a video obtained by Fox News Digital.
Danita McCray currently works as a child development teacher at an elementary school in the Sacramento City Unified District. At a 2021 California Teachers Association (CTA) conference, McCray gave a presentation on how to incorporate gender ideology into early childhood. The CTA is the most powerful affiliate of the nation's largest labor union, the National Education Association.
"Now, early childhood is 0 to 8 years old, so that's kind of like from preschool to third grade… And the focus… of this workshop is to provide you with positive strategies to support transgender and gender non-conforming children," McCray said.
During the professional development session, McCray recommended early childhood teachers introduce transgenderism to toddlers. For example, she said they should incorporate a "gender unicorn" worksheet in their classrooms.
The "gender unicorn" discusses sexuality, gender identity, gender expression and romantic attraction. Other terms the educator claimed were "pertinent" to the age group included "sexual orientation" and "agender."
McCray was asked by one of the teachers whether toddlers were too young for these conversations. "I've done research. I have got my doctorate degree. Children are not too young at five years old. Children understand gender as early as three years old."
Fox News Digital reached out to the district, and they said they will look into her comments to determine whether she violated policy.
"The district will look into the comments made at a conference and whether they align with district policies, or were made outside the scope of the employee’s duties," a spokesperson said.
The policy "strongly supports the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming students" in order "to ensure the safe and civil environment," the district said.
"I thought this would be a great tool that you can use with your students," McCray said about the "gender unicorn."
"You can download them, and you can talk to them about it. And of course, it's age appropriate," she said. "And even at five years old, you can ask them, are you a girl or boy?… and you explain that to them. Yes, you were born a girl or boy, but you may not feel that way."
Wenyuan Wu of the Californians for Equal Rights Foundation told Fox News Digital that there was a general issue in the U.S. of "radical teacher-activists" promoting adult concepts at early ages.
"There is a fine line between promoting understanding of transgenderism in older kids and adults and inculcating the cult among young children. The line is between free expression and grooming," she said.
"Instead of being the gatekeeper against toxic fads in education, radical teacher-activists are actively robbing America’s young and vulnerable their childhood innocence by obsessing over the dangerous gender ideology. What is worse is that such activism is encouraged, endorsed and sponsored by teachers unions," she added.
McCray said she includes children's books discussing transgenderism in her classroom such as "I am Jazz" to help kids understand the concept. Another book about gender nonconformity she uses is "Sparkle Boy," and then she described giving the class a project with glitter to make the book tangible.
At one point, McCray was asked whether she was pushing toddlers into identifying with a sexuality or gender identity.
"The attitude that you set the tone in your classroom depicts the classroom. So in my classroom… There's no boy bathroom, no girl bathroom. So I already set the tone and I don't ask them… do you want to play with this doll? Everything is open to everyone and by everyone to be yourself."
However, if children in the classroom say that certain toys are for a specific gender, McCray said she would shut it down.
"I's amazing how the children do that, and they put each other in check about that. If they say something… [that] you learn at home. Boys do that, girls do that. But I shut that down in my classroom. I don't allow the children to do that."
She added that if the parents do not like how she conducts her classroom, they have the "option to go to another classroom."
The district told Fox News Digital that "SCUSD believes parents and families are equal partners in education. We value their contributions and will always work with them to address any issues or concerns they may have with a teacher or other staff member."
