Parents Need to Reject Kamala and Tampon Tim

You've seen "Black Women for Kamala" and even "White Dudes for Kamala," but don't expect to see "Parents for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."

Vice President Kamala Harris is squarely against parental control of what young children are taught about sex, gender and homosexuality in school. On Tuesday, she chose a running mate -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz -- a former schoolteacher who shares her extreme, anti-parent views.

Harris and Walz are out of line with what most Americans think. Not just Republicans; a majority of Hispanic and Black Democrats don't want gender ideology in elementary school classrooms, according to Pew Research and You/Gov polls.

On July 25, Harris promised the American Federation of Teachers convention that she opposes the wave of state laws that bar preschool and elementary school teachers from indoctrinating children about sexual orientation and gender choices. Harris also opposes book bans, suggesting she's OK with giving young children books that encourage them to question their own gender identity.

"We want to ban assault weapons. They want to ban books," she railed. At issue are books for the youngest readers, like "I Am Jazz," that tell little girls they can be boys, and little boys that they can be girls. Jazz "had a girl's brain in a boy's body. ... Jazz was transgender."

Parental rights and the innocence of young children are at stake in this election, warns Terry Schillling, president of the American Principles Project, which launched an $18 million ad campaign across seven swing states. Schilling calls Harris an "extremist."

All people, regardless of their sexual orientation, deserve respect. But parents need the final say on what their children are taught.

Harris has a history of bashing lawmakers who side with parents. At a June 23, 2023, pride rally, she called them "extremists."

Who's extreme here? You decide.

An AFT report deplores a Henrico County, Virginia, parent for questioning the appropriateness of "I'm a Gay Wizard," a book in the school library, which depicts two boy characters having oral sex.

Former President Donald Trump vows to cut federal funding for any school or program that tries to push gender ideology and other "inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children."

On June 18, Harris posted a picture of herself hugging a tall man in drag, dressed in a metallic bikini and stilettos, on Facebook, adding the message, "Our LGBTQI+ children should not fear who they are."

Of course they shouldn't. All children deserve respect.

But this battle isn't about inclusion. Inclusion is a good thing. This is about indoctrination. According to the AFT, "Books that normalize sexual identity confusion can help young people realize that they are not alone in their struggle for identity clarity and confirmation." What the AFT goes on to say is that "the lack of candid conversations in families" about "nonheterosexual identity development" must be offset by teachers bringing it up.

Sorry, most parents don't want the AFT -- or local school authorities -- replacing family. Harris apparently does. So does her new running mate.

Minnesota parents who opposed "Call Me Max," a book about a transgender boy, being read aloud in kindergarten asked why they should let a teacher plant seeds of doubt in their kindergarteners about their sexual identity. Several states have banned the book from classrooms, but amazingly, California's state education department recommends it for kindergarteners, first graders and second graders.

On May 22, Walz signed a law barring parental groups from removing books or materials from Minnesota school libraries based on content, calling the parental efforts "regressive." The bill mimics legislation already passed in California and other blue states that leaves educators, not families, in charge

Walz also championed legislation to provide tampons in all boys bathrooms, in case a transgender needs one. That's pushing an agenda.

Meanwhile, Harris mocks parents, exclaiming, "Book bans in this year of our Lord 2024."

The choice in November is between California values -- extremely liberal Harris values -- or the values your family chooses.

Meanwhile, the real emergency in education is being ignored. Fewer than one-third of fourth graders are proficient in reading, and barely one-third are proficient in math.

Blame the AFT. Its website is all about immigration rights, transgender rights, banning firearms, and other political issues. Not a word about pedagogy -- how to teach reading and math effectively.

After Walz's selection Tuesday, both the AFT and National Education Association rushed to applaud the pick.

Parents: If you care about your children's innocence and their future, don't elect AFT toady Harris and her anti-parent running mate in November.

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Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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