School Trains Staff on “Privilege Status” and “Oppression Status”
August 2, 2023 | Tennessee
A Tennessee school district offered voluntary Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for staff that included a section about how people who are white, male, cisgender, heterosexual or Christian are considered privileged while people of color and those who are nonbinary, polyamorous or pagan are oppressed.
The presentation from the district’s July 19 ENGAGE conference was titled, “The World Needs More Purple People,” and it promoted using Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to connect with students.
A “privilege” and “oppression” chart is included in the slideshow. It states that “Privilege Status” is associated with the labels “white,” “able-bodied,” “men, cisgender,” “heterosexual,” “Christian,” and “middle class.”
Meanwhile, the presentation states that “Oppression Status” is associated with the labels “person of color,” physical, cognitive and mental health disability, “women, grand, nonbinary, genderqueer,” “LGBQ+, polyamorous, asexual, aromantic,” “Muslim, Eastern, Pagan, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,” and “working class.” (Excerpt from Just the News.)
