State Farm Insurance halts its efforts to donate books to Florida public school students supporting LGBTQ inclusivity After conservatives accused him of engaging in “waking up”.
The insurance company was working with the GenderCool Project, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about transgender and non-binary youth, to distribute the books.
But it changed its course this week after an internal email from the company was obtained by the conservative non-profit organization Consumer Research.
Will Hild, executive director of Consumer Research, on Monday accused State Farm of attempting to educate young children by providing LGBTQ-inclusive books to young students in Florida, where the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill was recently enacted into law. was signed in. ,
The new law bans any form of education over sexual orientation and gender identity in most elementary schools, and also allows parents to sue school districts that violate the law.
“Emails leaked to consumers before relevant state farm workers show the company is engaged in the wake-up call of children over the age of 5,” Hild wrote on Twitter. “State Farms partnered with The GenderCool Project – aimed at creating conversations with children about being transgender and non-binary.”
On Tuesday, State Farm told Insider it would no longer work with the GenderCool project, which it said was “the subject of recent news and customer inquiries.”
“The event included books about gender identity, intended to promote inclusivity,” the company said in a statement to Insider. “We support organizations that provide resources for parents to have conversations about gender and identity with their children at home. We do not support the curriculum required in schools on this topic.”
State Farm said they would “no longer be affiliated with the organization.”
“We will continue to explore how we can support our partners, as well as organizations that are consistent with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the LGBTQ+ community,” the company told Insider.
State Farm and The GenderCool Project did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
There has been a concerted effort by conservatives across America to ban books that contain depictions of racism and LGTBQ experiences. According to NBC News, conservative states such as Utah, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana have introduced or signed legislation banning critical race theory—an academic framework that conservatives wrongly claim is pushed on children. Going to – being taught in public schools.
The focus on LGBTQ education has already affected the availability of these materials. A report released in April by the literary organization Pen American found that more than 1,000 books about race and the LGBTQ community are no longer in circulation.
