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Poll: Majority of Americans oppose instruction on gender identity for young students


{p}There is a fierce debate raging right now over what can or can’t be discussed in public schools and one of the main topics stirring controversy is gender identity. Politics is playing a central part in this fight. (WKRC){/p}

There is a fierce debate raging right now over what can or can’t be discussed in public schools and one of the main topics stirring controversy is gender identity. Politics is playing a central part in this fight. (WKRC)

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There is a fierce debate raging right now over what can or can’t be discussed in public schools and one of the main topics stirring controversy is gender identity.

Politics is playing a central part in this fight.

Voters are being driven to cast their ballots in the midterms this November by divisive issues from the economy and crime to abortion rights and now, education is top of mind for many — more specifically, a fight over what educators can or should teach young children.

“Education today, sadly is far different than education was 20 or 30 years ago when sex ed was introduced at older ages,” said Nicole Neily, the president and founder of Parents Defending Education. “Now, the kinds of issues and the kinds of lessons that are being pushed are at very, very young ages and often with extremely graphic and sometimes disturbing content.”

A recent New York Times poll shows that when asked if teachers should be able to provide instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary school, an overwhelming majority — 70% — were opposed while only 27% supported the idea.

“The progressive left Democrats are trying to put politicians and bureaucrats between parents and their children,” Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.

That argument helped Youngkin get elected. He’s since signed bills allowing parents to see the school's curriculum.

“It’s a parent's child. Not the state, not the government's child,” Youngkin said.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to promote his ban on lessons about sexual orientation and materials not deemed age appropriate for K-3rd graders.

To critics, it’s discrimination and they say they plan to fight back at the polls, insisting that the need for inclusivity has grown and must be addressed in what they see as a safe space.

President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten wrote a column this week in which she decried “cynical attacks on educators and schools by extremists.”

“As extremist politicians like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis make baseless, politically motivated claims that there is ‘woke indoctrination in our schools’ around race and sexuality, educators are doing everything they can to create safe and welcoming environments for students and to help them recover and thrive—academically, socially and emotionally,” Weingarten wrote.

In the past, the Biden administration has called bans on these in-classroom discussions a dangerous trend but the latest poll shows voters across party lines have broad concerns about what’s being taught.

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