The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)’s Rainbow Club for LGBTQ+ students in public elementary schools, is raising concerns among Korean-American parents.
The club is open to ‘Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through fifth grade,’ according to LAUSD, meaning students as young as four years old can join the club.
The Korea Daily confirmed that Rainbow Clubs do not currently exist at any elementary schools in Koreatown, including Rise Kohyang, Charles H. Kim, and Larchmont Charter School.
However, parents are concerned that it may only be a matter of time before their child’s school will have one, as LAUSD policy dictates that schools are recommended to offer the Rainbow Club if there is interest.
In the case of Wonderland Avenue Elementary School, a parent of a student asked the district to start the club.
“Korean-American moms are sending their children to more conservative schools because of such issues,” said Hyojung Kim, whose son is a third-grader at Larchmont Charter School. “I often ask my son if there are teachers who stress LGBTQ+ issues because I am worried,” she said.
“I sometimes visit open classes for parents, but I haven’t heard anything yet,” Kim said, “but I can’t keep him out of school just because of such concerns, and other Christian schools are way too expensive.”
Miran Kang, whose fourth-grade son attends Charles H. Kim Elementary School, said, “I was shocked when I first heard about it,” adding, “If there was a club like that at school, I would oppose it, but I don’t know how far it would go.”
Rise Kohyang School, a public charter school in Koreatown that serves grades TK through 12, said it does not yet have such a club in its elementary school. “The last time we had a first-grade sex education class, we got a lot of phone calls from parents complaining about it,” said Maggie Kwon, the school’s coordinator. “As a charter school, we have autonomy to make our own decisions, so if there is a discussion about starting the club, we will be able to take into account the parents’ opinions.”
According to LAUSD, most on-campus rainbow clubs meet during school lunches. Some schools have multiple Rainbow Clubs for all grade levels, it said, adding that clubs can meet anytime outside of school hours.
“The school initially explained vaguely that the club would be a place for students to share their concerns and receive counseling, not only for LGBTQ+ students but also for children with various difficulties,” said a parent at Wonderland School, who asked to remain anonymous. “The easier accessibility also means that ignorant children will be easily misled and inculcated with values that may not belong to them. We will strongly challenge this.”
BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
