The nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association (NEA), has recommended that teachers read “Gender Queer” and “White Fragility” over the summer.
“Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo appear on the NEA’s list of “Great Summer Reads For Educators!” which was published in June.
“Gender Queer” is a graphic memoir about a young person’s journey of self-discovery as they come to terms with their gender identity. It includes pornographic cartoon illustrations of sex between two males with a sex toy, as well as oral sex, masturbation, and other sexually explicit content.
“White Fragility” is a book about how white people can become more aware of their own racial privilege. It “explores why White people are so bad at talking about racism,” the NEA said in a commentary published along with its recommended reading list.
The NEA’s recommendation has sparked controversy, with some people criticizing the union for recommending books that they believe are inappropriate for children.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), who emphasized parental rights in education during his campaign, blasted the teachers union for recommending the titles.
“This is the same NEA that counseled Biden to keep schools shut for an extended period of time. And it’s the same NEA that said that parents, in fact, were on the verge of being terrorists, showing up at school board meetings. This is who is recommending what books to read for our kids [and that educators] should read as well,” Youngkin said Wednesday on Fox News.
“The challenge we’ve got today is that there have been politicians and bureaucrats and the teachers associations and unions who believe that they are more important in kids’ lives than parents,” Youngkin added.
“These books are filled with explicit content that is not appropriate for children,” said one critic. “The NEA should be ashamed of itself for recommending these books.”
The largest #TeachersUnion in the United States is recommending that teachers put a #controversial book on their summer reading lists.
“#Gender Queer” was listed on the NEA’s “Great Summer Reads for Educators!” in the “banned books” section.https://t.co/kLu5c6boTQ pic.twitter.com/5JsFfRq6Je
— NTD Television (@TelevisionNTD) July 5, 2023
