Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become one of the most hotly-debated topics in 2021. When it became apparent that progressives were set on injecting the ideology into American institutions like the university, the military, along with federal and state governments, it elicited a pronounced backlash. But the bulk of the conversation has centered on the discovery that some K-12 schools were including concepts related to CRT in their curriculum.
A significant number of news stories detailing how teachers were conducting exercises and lesson plans that labeled students according to their skin color have surfaced over the past year. Educators even segregated students and faculty members by their race, referring to them as “oppressors” and “oppressed” based on their melanin content. In some cases, students were taught about the evils of “whiteness” and other tenets of wokeism.
But it has become apparent that CRT isn’t the only way the far-left is attempting to indoctrinate American’s children. Progressive views on sexuality being incorporated into the classroom have also been a growing concern that has received some attention but has been eclipsed by the CRT conversation. But this particular issue could end up becoming as much of a hot-button issue as race.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that two California teachers reportedly coached a 12-year-old girl into embracing a “trans fluid” identity. They called the female student a different name and referred to her using male pronouns without the parents’ knowledge. The Epoch Times reported:
Jessica Konen has alleged that school staff indoctrinated her then 12-year-old daughter in an LGBTQ club disguised as an “Equality Club.” She told The Epoch Times she plans to speak at the Dec. 15 meeting at Spreckels Union School District (SUSD) during public comments.
Two teachers at Buena Vista Middle School in Salinas were recorded coaching other teachers to conceal the nature of LGTBQ clubs from parents at a sold-out California Teachers Association conference held in Palm Springs, California, from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31. The CTA event was billed as the “2021 LGBTQ+ Issues Conference, Beyond the Binary: Identity & Imagining Possibilities.’
Konen said one of the teachers convinced her daughter to join an “Equality Club” and started grooming her to believe she was transgender. “Near the end of sixth grade, Konen’s daughter told her she might be bisexual, and by the middle of the seventh grade, Konen was called to the school for a meeting with her daughter, a teacher, and the school principal,” according to the report.
Even worse, after Konen protested this grooming during a meeting with the school, police officers showed up at her house to tell her someone had registered a complaint with Child Protective Services (CPS) and questioned both of her children. The agency eventually dropped the case, but the fact that anyone would attempt to use a government entity to intimidate Konen is a serious problem.
Dr. Debra Soh wrote a piece for the Washington Examiner in which she explained why the teachers’ conduct is dangerous. She wrote:
There is zero science supporting the concept of gender fluidity. Science does, however, support the existence of rapid-onset gender dysphoria, an epidemic of adolescent girls and young women who suddenly announce their desire to live as male or “nonbinary” despite having no previous history of gender dysphoria. In most cases, their decision stems from issues unrelated to gender identity, including sexual trauma, having an eating disorder, discomfort with their sexual orientation as a lesbian, or being on the autism spectrum. The idea that educators should “affirm” a child’s gender not only oversteps parental boundaries but is unscientific.
During the meeting, one father spoke of the “predatory tactics” being used to push teachers’ political activism, including seeking out children who are different and don’t fit in, giving them extra attention, and allowing them to “do things […] their parents weren’t particularly supportive of.” As someone who has worked with sexual offenders, these types of tactics sound eerily similar to grooming behaviors.
Soh also noted that some of these educators “will go as far as targeting vulnerable students by reviewing their internet searches and eavesdropping on their conversations.”
This isn’t the only example showing how progressives are trying to condition America’s children to accept their ideology regarding sexuality. A Washington school had a first grade teacher read a book to her students called “I Am Jazz,” which tells the story of a two-year-old boy who transitioned into a girl with his parents’ encouragement. It was based on the story of Jazz Jennings, a transgender reality TV star.
A California elementary school reportedly assigned material teaching children about “experimenting with gender presentation” and the “gender spectrum.”
This isn’t happening only in public schools. Earlier this year, a New York high school came under fire for allowing a teacher to teach sexually explicit material to young children. In one instance, she gave a lesson on masturbation to six-year-old students. At another school, the same teacher put on a seminar about “Pornography Literacy” for unsuspecting high school students. She was later fired after backlash from parents.
As more of these stories see the light over the next year, there can be no doubt that parents, regardless of political affiliation, will push back. Indeed, this issue might even become more prevalent than CRT as it involves state-sponsored grooming of children.
This is one of several reasons why education will be a key political issue during the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. Democrats will do their level best to deny, deflect, and outright lie about the problem – but at this point, they do not have the advantage because these actions are so egregious. They will be forced to defend a practice that very few parents will support. The question is: Will conservatives be able to successfully mount an attack against this ideology or will progressives be able to wait until the country loses interest?
