OPINION:
Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, it has. After years of forced remote learning and mask and vaccination mandates, I didn’t think I’d have to stand up for our youth again. Yet the policies and values of the current administration and the impending Harris-Walz administration should frighten American families.
As a Christian, wife, mother and public school teacher for 30 years, I’ve watched public schools become breeding grounds for indoctrination fueled by teachers unions and the federal government. The COVID-19 years only exacerbated this. Schools received funding tied to harmful mandates, leading to significant declines in academic performance and children’s social and emotional well-being. Isolation drove many into depression, with some, like my own brother, ending their lives.
During lockdowns, children turned to social media for connection, where they were targeted by algorithms that led them to question their identity, including their gender. The result was an explosion of the gender identity crisis by design. When children returned to school, new “affirming” rules were imposed, marking the beginning of what I believe will be the most devastating attack on our youth. Parents are told their children will kill themselves if they aren’t affirmed, amplifying the crisis. Some medical professionals are putting children on puberty blockers and hormones without much time or therapy before doing so.
Teachers unions play a significant role in this disaster. These political powerhouses care more about financial and political gain than children’s well-being. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association depend on Democrats staying in power and pushing harmful agendas such as diversity, equity and inclusion in schools. In 2022, the NEA promoted inappropriate materials to K-12 students, such as sexually explicit books for young children and “I’m Safe” badges distributed to K-12 teachers. These badges contained a QR code to sexually explicit websites, such as Scarleteen and Teen Health Source, which have graphic, inappropriate content.
Now we face a multifaceted crisis affecting our youth. Though President Biden’s reelection bid was brought to a halt by his own party, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are in lockstep with progressives’ gender ideology obsession. Mr. Biden’s Title IX rewrite, which was effective Aug. 1, forces schools to accept policies that discriminate against girls, pursuing a dangerous agenda under the guise of inclusion. Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz will continue this indoctrination, teaching children to be silent in the face of discomfort — an invisible mask of deception and lies.
Ms. Harris’ campaign focuses on women, yet her track record shows she doesn’t care about women’s rights; she cares about votes. She is flip-flopping on policy stances to secure victory in November, relying on identity politics rather than genuine concern for Americans’ well-being.
Mr. Walz, meanwhile, has supported legislation to place tampons in boys’ restrooms and promote gender transition for children, even if that means taking custody away from parents who don’t consent. He has supported access to sexually explicit books for elementary-aged children. This perversion, disguised as social justice, is dividing families and harming children.
Public schools are failing, and Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz believe they have greater authority over your child than you do. Twenty-seven states, led by Republican leaders, have banned Mr. Biden’s Title IX rewrite. Yet Democratic-run states are passing laws that divide families, harm children and push dangerous ideologies.
For example, California became a sanctuary for transgender youth, allowing minors access to hormones and puberty blockers without sufficient evidence of long-term safety. Countries such as Britain, Norway and Sweden are rethinking such practices. But in the U.S., we continue to push an ideology that allows children to make irreversible decisions before they have fully developed.
This dangerous ideology has already led to devastating outcomes, including the suicide of Yaeli Galdamez, who was encouraged by her school to transition without her mother’s knowledge. California gave her testosterone instead of the mental health treatment she needed, and she took her own life at 19.
In Rockford, Michigan, a family is suing their child’s school district for attempting to transition their daughter without their knowledge.
In March 2023, Mr. Walz issued an executive order protecting trans patients’ access to “gender-affirming care,” including children. This will not go away, and it will get worse if we do nothing. We must protect our children at all costs.
I have dedicated 30 years to public education, working alongside incredible educators who genuinely care about children. But I’m frightened of what will happen if we don’t act. There is no greater role that God has given me than that of being a mother of my two amazing children. It is for them and the millions of children who will shape our future that I am so passionate about these issues.
This goes beyond LGBTQ fairness and acceptance — it’s about progressives’ attempt to shape the next generation with lies, inappropriate content and divisive teachings.
Other issues, such as illegal immigration, the fentanyl crisis, economic challenges and food and drugs, will profoundly affect our children. We need leaders who believe in education without radical indoctrination, who value parental rights and who will protect our children. Leaders such as former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance are the only ones who can save the future of our great country.
• Jenn Horton is a public school teacher in Michigan.
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