Critical race theory (CRT) and radical gender identity theory have been at the forefront of the national classroom conversation for a number of years, but they are now at the forefront of the national political conversation as Senators clash over the confirmation of President Biden’s Supreme Court pick, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Jackson sits on the board of Georgetown Day School, which endorses CRT, and has refused to define the word “woman.” Her heated confirmation hearings have come to symbolize the far-left’s efforts to indoctrinate America’s children into far-left extremism.
But after decades of apathy in the face of radical left-wing activists masquerading as educators, engaged parents and brave politicians are finally taking a stand to protect American children from far-left extremist indoctrination.
The focus of the fight to free America’s youth from left-wing brainwashing has been on two pillars central to the far-left’s current agenda — radical gender identity theory and critical race theory — which have been pushed in the classroom in recent years with increasing frequency and intensity.
But as far-leftist activists are pushing further, parents are pushing back. Terry McAufliffe’s defeat in his campaign for re-election of governor of Virginia last year was widely credited to opposition to the teaching of both CRT and gender identity theory among parents in that state.
During a debate with his Republican opponent, Glen Youngkin, McAuliffe stated, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” The moms and dads of Virginia thought otherwise. McAuliffe’s gaffe resulted in an immediate drop in poll numbers and cost him his re-election. Thankfully, where the concerned and responsible parents of Virginia led, the nation has followed.
Last week, South Dakota passed a law aimed at curbing critical race theory in state universities. A similar law also recently made it through the Tennessee state senate, and last year the same sort of legislation was passed inIdaho,Iowa, andOklahoma. Mississippi also just passed a law banning CRT in all public educational institutions, and Idaho doubled-down on its efforts to curb the malicious ideology.
Efforts to get critical race theory out of schools are also occurring at the local level. Just last week it was reported that the trustees of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District in California are banning CRT. Indeed, local opposition to CRT is so strong it is reported to be fueling GOP recruitment efforts across the country.
Parents and politicians are also finally standing up to radical — and dangerous — gender identity theory, which is putting our girls at risk. This was clearly illustrated recently when the NCAA Women’s Swimming championship was won by Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as female.
A group of parents recently published a letter of protest to the NCAA in the New York Post. Florida Governor Ron Desantis issued an official proclamation recognizing runner-up Emma Weyant, a Florida native, the true winner of the tournament. “By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud,” DeSantis tweeted, along with a copy of the proclamation. He’s right.
Transgender or otherwise, a biological male will almost always be larger, stronger, and faster than his biological female peers. Having transgender girls compete with biological girls not only puts those biological girls at a severe disadvantage but could also be physically dangerous and psychologically traumatic.
DeSantis also signed a bill this week banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity to children in kindergarten through third grade, another major victory in the fight to protect children from radical left-wing indoctrination. The bill also and states that any lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity cannot be taught "in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Controlling the means of education has long been a foundational source of the far-left’s power. Initially unable to sell their ideas to an inherently unsympathetic public, they began an attempt to systematically change that public’s very notions of truth and justice. Those efforts have largely gone unchallenged, until now.
Katie MacFarland is a chapter president of Moms for Liberty.