Minnesota teacher claims goal is to confuse students on gender

A January video of a Minnesota elementary school music teacher boasting about confusing students about gender is getting fresh scrutiny on social media after a story published online this week named the teacher in question.

Inside the Classroom shared a video on Twitter that had originally been posted on another platform by a music teacher from the St. Paul area.

The teacher describes a conversation that she had with a co-worker, where students had allegedly asked “the other teacher” whether the music teacher was a boy or girl. 

The co-worker responded to the students asking, “Does it matter?”

The students replied stating, “No. I just can’t figure it out. It’s just so hard. I can’t figure it out.”

The music teacher smiles and laughs as she describes the students’ remarks and says, “I was just like, that’s the goal. That’s the goal.”

Twitter users didn’t hesitate to criticize the music teacher for bragging about intentionally confusing the children about her gender. 

“This teacher from Valentine Hills Elementary in Mounds View, MN better not be teaching anymore,” one Twitter user replied. 

“Her goal should be teaching and inspiring students about music. Instead, she says her goal is to confuse as many kids as possible about her sexuality,” another individual responded. 

“That’s the goal,” another user tweeted.

“It’s not to educate. It’s chaos and confusion.” 

The teacher has been identified by parents and former students as Kourtney Ryan, according to Alpha News. 

She works for Valentine Hills Elementary school, part of Mounds View Public Schools in St. Paul.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ryan and the Mounds View Public Schools Public Relations directors but did not receive a response by time of publication.

Mounds View Public Schools are on spring break the week of March 12, but it is unclear whether that is why requests for comment have been unreturned.

Other teachers across the country have been open about their own identities and sexuality with their students and have even encouraged that their students who may be questioning their gender hide that information from their parents. 

One Maryland teacher, Lane Cogdill, claimed that it was district policy to help students withhold information from their parents about wanting to change their gender.

The teacher relayed that over the past seven years, at the start of the school year, she would introduce herself to her students and explain her identity.

If a student was questioning their own identity, the teacher would ask for their name and pronouns, along with helping the student keep those details from the school and parents if asked.

“I always ask a trans or questioning student, as soon as I find out, ‘What is the name you prefer? What pronouns do you prefer? Who else knows? And how would you like me to refer to you when I speak to your family, to the administrators, to other teachers, in front of other students?’

“Some students ask me not to disclose their identity, and that’s a promise I always honor,” Cogdill bragged.