King County firefighters argue their mandatory DEI training forced them to compromise deeply held beliefs. The training is now on pause.
These are portions of a presentation titled"Stronger Together: An introduction to anti-racism and gender inclusion" presented to King County firefighters seen in one image.
Critics, including several King County firefighters, challenged the training’s political undertones and its potential infringement on personal beliefs, particularly regarding gender identity. The training’s failure could jeopardize participants’ EMT certifications, demanding acknowledgment of endless genders and an inherent racial bias among white staff.
White staffers are supposed to hold themselves accountable for being racist. They’re told to “read, watch TV shows, and listen to podcasts by people of color” as a way to broaden their views. Non-white staff are not offered any meaningful suggestions because the worldview expressed in the training depicts them as victims of oppression.The training also centers around “gender inclusion” where firefighters and medics must pretend that “gender is assigned at birth.