The old tale goes that, no matter what angle you look at the Mona Lisa from, its eyes will always be looking right at you.
Apparently, at one school district in Colorado, that lesson got a bit garbled. Instead, students are now being taught that no matter what angle you look at the Mona Lisa from, you can’t tell what gender he/she/they/xir really is.
I’ll say this much: Art history has gotten quite a bit more interesting in the past few decades.
According to a social media thread by Colorado state Rep. Brandi Bradley, a Littleton Republican, her 15-year-old son was taught by their teacher “that Leonardo DaVinci was gender fluid and that the Mona Lisa was a depiction of his feminine side. WTAH?????
“And tonight is back to school night and she has no idea what kind of mama bear is coming for her…..,” she added, according to the New York Post.
Trending:
My 15 year old HISTORY teacher told her students that Leonardo DaVinci was gender fluid and that the Mona Lisa was a depiction of his feminine side. WTAH????? And tonight is back to school night and she has no idea what kind of mama bear is coming for her…..
— Rep Brandi Bradley (@bradleyforco) August 21, 2024
In a series of viral posts in which she recorded the teacher’s explanation, it didn’t sound much better, either.
“The main purpose of [this lesson] was to [show] the difference between the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance,” the teacher said.
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“The Renaissance was self-expression of these artists,” she added.
“They weren’t limited or restricted by the church and what the church was dictating they do. They had the opportunity to create however they wanted and express themselves fully.”
So, why did “gender fluidity” come up? It’s because, according to the teacher, one of the students asked about it and that he content had been approved by the county.
While the Mona Lisa has long been believed to be a commission by the family of subject Lisa Giocondo — something that an unknown man in the audio recordings pointed out — the teacher countered by saying that “recent scholars are saying it was most likely a self portrait.”
I think the recent works are showing and it’s supposed to be like the lore, but the recent scholars are saying that it was most likely a self-portrait and they have actual pictures of him and they can go behind the things to see the structure of the skin, the eyes and actual features now,” she said
Bradley was bit buying it.
“I don’t know that I want my 15 year old knowing what gender fluidity is,” she said in one of the recordings.
“We have a very biblical worldview, and I see a lot of LGBTQ flags [in the classroom], and I wonder how inclusive my Christian conservative child feels in this room.”
The teacher disagreed and said that the presentation was meant to show how individuals have a “more masculine and feminine side.”
“This is a self-portrait of him and how he perceived himself,” she said.
Here’s the tit-for-tat, should you be interested:
Part one: pic.twitter.com/plYCNTk4yB
— Rep Brandi Bradley (@bradleyforco) August 22, 2024
Part 2 pic.twitter.com/e2LzhJaeRJ
— Rep Brandi Bradley (@bradleyforco) August 22, 2024
In a follow-up post, the lawmaker noted that “this was not a stunt” and that she “did not ambush the teacher.”
“For the real people who have decided to follow me, let me tell you why I do what I do. I will not tolerate people in authority, who are supposed to be trusted adults LYING TO CHILDREN,” she wrote.
“Gender fluid does not exist, boys cannot be girls, girls cannot be boys and if you say they can, you are solely responsible for sending CHILDREN down a road of false narratives, fake science, and lies that at best leads THEM to an increased risk of suicide and at worst leads to them to LIFELONG mutilation and sterility.”
“All that said, a line in the sand has been drawn. If YOU want to choose that path for your children, go right ahead, but what YOU will not do is choose that path for MY children or other people’s children. And teachers and counselors certainly won’t choose that path for our children behind our backs… because people like me will continue to fight back, and we will continue to be bold and brave, and your words will never stop me…These are OUR children and WE are the parents and We have been given the authority to raise them, not you.”
A few things for all of the new trolls on my page. My son’s history teacher DID say that Davinci was gender fluid and that the Mona Lisa was a painting of his feminine side.
-this was not a stunt
-I did not ambush the teacher
-unlike many of you, my conviction in life doesn’t…— Rep Brandi Bradley (@bradleyforco) August 23, 2024
Even if you buy this au courant theory in art history (I personally don’t, having done some desultory research on it, but your mileage may vary), this isn’t the sort of thing you should be teaching to impressionable 15-year-olds, especially if it’s not verifiably true.
This isn’t, say, Oscar Wilde, where there’s not a soupçon of doubt regarding the author’s sexuality. (And whether Wilde should be taught in your local school district, as well, but that’s another point entirely.) Instead, it’s a theory that’s controversial at best and not even slightly provable, unless Mr. Da Vinci can be contacted via Ouija board regarding rumors of his “gender fluidity.”
But this is the state of our public schools in 2024. And that’s why it’s time for parents to fight back.
