Democratic New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski pushed back Thursday against an elementary school curriculum that could teach young children about gender ideology and human genitalia.
The state of New Jersey adopted sexual education standards in 2020 that included key aspects of left-wing gender ideology. In one county, a proposed curriculum encouraged first graders to “define gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes.” It also instructed second graders on genital anatomy, although it stressed that “being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts.”
Malinowski said on Twitter that concerns about Westfield County’s curriculum are “understandable” because it is “not age appropriate.” The county superintendent later told The Washington Post that the publicized curriculum was “not state-mandated.” (RELATED: New Jersey Kids Could Be Taught Puberty Blockers Are OK, Frequent Masturbation Is ‘Healthy’)
“I’m glad the school district never intended them to be part of any curriculum,” Malinowski added.
In February, some sample lesson plans on gender identity were distributed in Westfield that were not age appropriate. Parents raised understandable concerns and I’m glad the school district never intended them to be part of any curriculum. 2/ https://t.co/gwS0PgJmMo
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) April 21, 2022
Malinowski will face off against former state Sen. Tom Kean in November in a district that the National Republican Congressional Committee has designated a target for a GOP pickup. A new congressional map passed by the New Jersey legislature swung his Seventh District six points to the right. Malinowski was elected by five points in 2018 and one point in 2020, according to Ballotpedia.
Malinowski also called out Kean for an April 14 Fox News appearance in which the Republican asserted that teachers would expose students “to pornography as young as second grade.”
“That’s an outrageous and untrue slur, and he knows it,” the congressman tweeted. “Instead of calming things down as any responsible leader would do, he chose again to stir up anger, mistrust, and fear in hopes he can ride it to power.”
Although Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy claimed that the new standards would “promote inclusivity and respect for every child,” he ordered a review on April 13.
Some parents have argued that the standards go too far in teaching young children about human sexuality.
“You want to teach acceptance, that’s one thing. Teach them that everyone matters and respect and that we should be accepting, 100%. But you’re not going to teach them different sexes and the names of their body parts, and what to do with these body parts,” Nancy Weuste, the mother of an eighth grader, told the New Jersey Monitor. “It’s overwhelming for kids. They just want to be with their friends.”