A book promoting transgenderism has been pulled from an elementary school after parents rose up and protested its indoctrination.
“The book is a transparent attempt to make children comfortable with the idea of changing gender,” said the Family Research Council. “According to the book’s description, it is ‘a sweet and age-appropriate introduction to what it means to be transgender.’
“Some parents, however, saw the book as an attempt to indoctrinate their children into a false view of gender and sex. To their credit, they did something – and their actions have made a difference,” the FRC explained.
The Associated Press reported the book, “Call me Max,” was read by a Murray, Utah, teacher to third graders.
After parents protested, the school district suspended the program, which AP said intended to introduce kids “to more diverse and inclusive literature.”
The uproar developed at Horizon Elementary when a student brought the book and asked the teacher to read it aloud during story time.
The teacher did, and it prompted questions from students, who informed their parents.
“It’s not the first time there’s been concern about Utah schools having LGBTQ books. In 2012, a picture book about a lesbian couple raising a child was removed from the shelves of elementary school libraries in Davis County after a group of parents there raised objections,” the report said.
In Murray, officials now are reviewing all items in an “equity book bundles” program, even though “Call Me Max” is not part of that initiative and is not in any of the district’s libraries.
District spokesman Doug Perry said the book bundle lists that already existed will remain until the review is finished.
“Anything in our libraries is fair game for teachers to use right now, including many books that are in the bundle program,” Perry told the AP. “In fact, the bundle program is by no means an exhaustive list of books on equity. Our libraries have many others.”
The original list of books for elementary students contains 38 books, the picks of Horizon Vice Principal Vanessa Jobe.
On the approved list are books about Harvey Milk, the homosexual San Francisco official who had a lifelong penchant for young boys, and another about “LGBTQ+ People” who made history.
Perry said the district does not support having “Call Me Max” in a classroom because it is not age-appropriate.
Kyle Kukoff, the author, told the Salt Lake Tribune that it’s important for young students – he designated his book for K-3rd grade – are taught about transgender characters. He has written others promoting transgenderism to children.
The FRC said some of the other books on the list, such as one about the life and work of Frederick Douglass, are valuable.
“But when good literature is packaged with bad literature as part of an ‘equity’ curriculum, parents who object to the bad literature are likely to be portrayed as being opposed to the good literature as well. Sadly, in our current culture, being misunderstood is simply part of opposing bad policies and bad ideas,” the group said.
Further, when such indoctrination is characterized as anti-bullying it raises problems.
“For many on the Left, the only way to solve the serious and tragic challenges of children who identify as LGBT is to create a world in which everyone affirms their identities and choices,” the FRC said. “For Christians, that isn’t an option. But there can still be common ground because everyone wants to stop bullying. But even if we have the same goal, conflict will arise if our tactics are different. Some believe the best way to stop bullying is to encourage kindness and develop an atmosphere of respect despite differences. Others, however, believe the best way to stop bullying is to eliminate our differences and require conformity to a single set of beliefs.”
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