Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig used her most recent House floor speech to read in full a children’s book on gender transition produced by an organization staffed by her wife.
The Washington Free Beacon first reported the account that Craig used her allotted floor time to read “Calvin,” a resource produced by the Human Rights Campaign’s Welcoming Schools and led by her wife Cheryl Greene, Director of Welcoming Schools. The short book is designed for use with kindergarten through second-grade students regarding gender transition.
Democratic congresswoman @RepAngieCraig took to the House floor to read in full a radical children's book on a young girl's gender transition that was put out by her own wife.
Via @StrackHaley https://t.co/YtJVYr2kX3
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) February 9, 2022
“It’s critically important to make sure that transgender and nonbinary youth not only feel supported but valued and affirmed for who they are,” Craig said before reading the book.
“For as long as I can remember, I knew I was a boy,” the reading from the book began.
“I didn’t tell my family until the night before our summer trip to Gigi and Papaw’s. I was scared they wouldn’t believe me but I knew it was time to be me,” she later read from the book.
The House floor reading was not the congresswoman’s first book promotion in the House of Representatives.
“Wednesday marked the third time the congresswoman has promoted the program on the House floor—Craig also delivered book readings in February 2021 and in February 2020 for HRC’s annual day to support transgender youth,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.
“Craig has previously read titles off the Welcoming Schools book list, including When Aidan Became a Brother, a story about a gender confused big sister-turned-brother, and They, She, He Easy as ABC, a children’s guide to inclusive pronouns,” the report added.
The Welcoming Schools project by the Human Rights Campaign provides a resource guide suggested for K-2nd grade classrooms with the goals to:
- To expand students’ perceptions and understandings of gender.
- To help students understand what it means to be transgender using developmentally appropriate language for younger students.
- To increase student understanding of ally behavior.
The resource includes a project option for teachers called the “Gender Snowperson,” explained as “a simple tool to break down the concepts of how you feel and know yourself to be (gender identity), who you love (sexual orientation), pronoun assigned at birth (sex assigned at birth) and gender expression,” the resource description reads.
“Many people do not realize that gender identity and sexual orientation are two very different concepts and that all of us have both a gender identity and sexual orientation. There are lots of different ways to be a boy, girl, both or neither,” it added.
It’s no secret that kids learn more about the world around them through books. Join us on Feb. 25 for #JazzAndFriends Day of Readings and dive into:
📚 I Am Jazz
📕 Calvin
📗 From the Stars in the Sky to the Fishes in the Sea
📖Born ReadyLearn more: https://t.co/8a0DaMF6lB
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 8, 2022
The Human Rights Campaign even includes a national day to read books that affirm “transgender and non-binary youth,” scheduled this year for February 24.
In contrast, some states are working to enact legislation to stop discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary classrooms. The Florida House Education and Employment Committee passed a version of a bill in January that would ban teaching about sexual orientation and gender ideology in the state’s elementary classrooms.
HB 1557, the “Parental Rights in Education Bill,” proposes that, “A school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”
The bill also allows for a parent to pursue “injunctive relief” against a school district for violation of the bill. A similar version in the state Senate passed on Tuesday.