U.S. Rep. Angie Craig took to the House floor last week to read a children’s book about a young girl who decides she is a boy.
The book, “Calvin,” was produced by the Human Rights Campaign, where Craig’s wife works as the director of the Welcoming Schools program, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
“It is 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.
Craig read the book in recognition of the annual “Jazz & Friends National Day of School and Community Reading,” a trans rights campaign sponsored by her wife’s organization. She marked the occasion on the House floor last year as well.
The book “Calvin” is on the Human Rights Campaign’s recommended reading list for children in grades K-2. Its goal is to “help students understand what it means to be transgender” and increase “student understanding of ally behavior.”
The teaching document for the book suggests pairing it with the “Gender Snowperson” to help students “break down the concepts of … gender identity … sexual orientation … pronoun assigned at birth (sex assigned at birth) and gender expression.”
Also on the Human Rights Campaign’s book list is “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope” and “Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, They,” both intended for preschoolers.
“While everyday Americans are dealing with record-high inflation and violent crime, Angie Craig is using her time on the House floor to promote a program her wife directs,” Tyler Kistner, a Republican running against Craig, told Alpha News. He said that for residents of Craig’s district, “it’s clear they want leaders who look to serve the interests of the people by dealing with the inflation crisis and the violent crime that is damaging our state.”
Left-wing attitudes about gender and sexuality are pervasive in Minnesota’s public schools. At Edina High School, for instance, students recently began a petition to get rid of “heteronormative” homecoming courts, saying this structure excludes “students who don’t identify as a boy or girl.”
Lawmakers in Minnesota have been working for years to include education on “diverse sexual orientations and gender identities” in elementary school settings.
Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.
