The amount of students in New Jersey’s public school system who consider themselves to be “non-binary” has skyrocketed over the last four years.
According to state enrollment data from the New Jersey Department of Education, in the 2019-2020 school year, just 16 students identified as such. In the 2022-2023 school year, however, that number ballooned to 675, about a 4,118 percent increase. Among the 675 students, 41 are elementary schoolchildren, the data show.
The rise in students identifying as “non-binary” comes after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows one in four high school students identify as LGBTQ.
Parents Defending Education's Erika Sanzi said the rise in "non-binary" students is expected given how school curriculum and policies are "completely based in gender ideology."
"These numbers aren't surprising to anyone who has been following the massive social contagion of adopting different gender identities, especially among adolescent girls," Sanzi told the Washington Free Beacon.
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In April, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed an executive order declaring New Jersey a “safe haven” for those seeking irreversible surgeries and hormones.
“Across the nation, we are witnessing attacks led by certain states that seek to undermine the equality, dignity, and safety of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially transgender and nonbinary youth,” Murphy said in a statement. “As leaders, our greatest responsibility is ensuring that every person we represent, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression, is entitled to respect, fairness, and freedom."