HiTOPS, long a fixture in Princeton, is on the defensive after the release of a video produced by the widely-maligned group Project Veritas, founded by James O’Keefe. In the video (scroll to bottom of article), which currently has 30,000 views, a Project Veritas member, posing as a sympathetic journalist, interviews  HiTOPS Health Educator Hannah Wiers and Executive Director Lisa Shelby who explain how they use “back door” methods to insert lessons about gender identity and LGBTQ issues in classes where parents can’t opt out their children.. 

HiTOPS is a non-profit that has a mission “to empower youth with sex education, social support, and communities that affirm them.” It has contracts with Princeton Public Schools and Trenton Public Schools. 

In the video, entitled “HiTOPS’ Org Sneaks Sexual & LGBTQ+ Curriculum into Schools, Goal to Strip Parental Opt-Out Rights,” Wiers and Shelby explain that in Princeton Public Schools they use a middle-school elective called “Pathway to Racial Literacy,” which the district calls a “linchpin” of its equity initiative, to talk about gender diversity and other LGBTQ.issues. Parents don’t opt their children out of this class.

During the interview, the Veritas representative says if a class is described as about anatomy or gender identity, parents might decide to remove their children from that discussion but “that’s okay, you found a back door.” Wiers smiles and says,“yes, it is really nice.” When Shelby talks about the general goals of HiTOPS, to “get into the nitty-gritty of orientation,” she also confirms this is done in the Pathways to Racial Literacy class. adding, “yes, because parents are not able to opt out of those classes. That’s it. You got it.”

After the video was released last week, Princeton Regional Public Schools issued two statements. The first one, signed by Superintendent Carol Kelly, lauds HiTOPS for its long collaboration with the district and refutes that “that Princeton Public Schools advocates for this work to happen without parent knowledge or consent.” The second statement says the district has a long history of supporting LGBTQ students and “although we recognize the excellent work that HiTOPS has done for many years in our community, our primary obligation is to our students and their families. We intend to meet with HiTOPS leadership early next week and our next steps will be guided by the outcome of that conversation.”

HiTOPS also issued a statement:

 HiTOPS has been targeted by an ultra-rightwing, conservative organization, Project Veritas, a known hate group that uses deceptive, unethical practices to spread misinformation.

Project Veritas’ methods of manipulation are well-documented, and they have targeted numerous organizations and individuals across the country over many years. They have been widely discredited by reputable journalists and have lost multiple legal battles.

“HiTOPS has served young people and their families throughout the state for over 37 years,” stated Lisa Shelby, HiTOPS Executive Director.  “We are the recognized and trusted expert in New Jersey for youth-focused sex education and support. That is exactly why this hate group misrepresented themselves to us, secretly filmed two lengthy conversations, and manipulated our words to vilify our organization, and discredit our work and the delivery of sex education in our state.”

HiTOPS openly and proudly works to empower all young people through sex education, LGBTQ+ support, and creating environments that affirm youth of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Our goal is for all young people to have access to developmentally appropriate, positive, and medically accurate sex education, to have essential social supports, and to live, work and play in affirming communities.

HiTOPS strongly values family involvement in the lives of their children and features education programs for parents, parent support groups, and various opportunities for parent/child engagement in our work in the community and in schools.

“HiTOPS partners with schools throughout the state to deliver curricula that are aligned with the needs of schools and the requirements of the state,” explained Director of Education Dr. Stacy Robustelli.  “We collaborate with educators to develop and facilitate lessons that fulfill the Diversity and Inclusion Instruction Mandate and meet the New Jersey Sex Education Standards. While mandated concepts like acceptance and inclusion may be taught in a variety of classes, sex education content like anatomy and human reproduction are only taught in classes that offer the option for a parent to opt-out their child. We teach in the classes where districts place us and parents are always informed prior to any instruction.”

“The goal of Project Veritas is to wreak havoc and stoke fear and hatred. They target HiTOPS and other organizations to keep us from fulfilling our missions,” stated Shelby. “HiTOPS will not be intimidated or back down from our commitment to youth and their families. We stand by our mission and young people. Always.”

[Disclosure: Twenty years ago one of my children was a peer mentor at HiTOPS.]