State Farm said it will be donating books that promote transgenderism to Florida schools for children as young as five, a leaked internal email from the company shows.
The car insurance company encouraged its Florida agents to volunteer to receive books about gender identity and donate them to their community schools or public libraries by the end of April. The three books — “A Kids Book About Being Transgender,” “A Kids Book About Being Non-Binary,” and “A Kids Book About Being Inclusive” — are intended for kindergarten and above.
“The project’s goal is to increase representation of LGBTQ+ books and support our communities in having challenging, important and empowering conversations with children age 5+,” the internal email reads.
The company has since appeared to backtrack in a statement, saying participating State Farm agents “are not being asked to share with schools,” according to the Washington Examiner.
Concerned State Farm employees leaked the internal email to Consumers’ Research, according to the nonprofit’s Executive Director Will Hild, who reported the story on Twitter. The email is dated January 18 and was sent by Jose Soto, a State Farm corporate responsibility analyst based in Florida.
“This is a fantastic way to give back and an easy project that will help support the LGBTQ+ community and to make the world around us better,” Soto wrote.
State Farm is reportedly partnering with The GenderCool Project for the effort. The goal of the initiative is to “help diversify classroom, community center and library bookshelves with a collection of books to help bring clarity and understanding to the national conversation about Being Transgender, Inclusive, and Non-Binary,” the internal email says.
The insurance giant is deploying the project nationwide, not just in Florida. About 550 State Farm agents and employees will have the opportunity to donate the books to a local teacher, community center, or library, the email said.
However, the company’s efforts to proliferate LGBT books in Florida schools comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which is set to go into effect July 1. The bill prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for kindergarten through third grade, or in a way that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate. Critics have dubbed the bill “Don’t Say Gay” despite the word “gay” not appearing anywhere in the bill text.
Under the new law, books promoting transgenderism such as the ones State Farm is donating would not be allowed in young children’s classrooms.
The email caused a stir on social media, with many Twitter users reacting to the news by saying they would cancel or avoid State Farm insurance policies.
“Shopping 2 homes and 3 cars – scratch State Farm off the list. Spending $$$ in neutral corps or those that share my values. #StateFarmNope,” wrote one Twitter user.
“I’m changing my homeowner’s and auto policies. @StateFarm will not get my business. Groomer freaks,” wrote another.
State Farm responded to criticism in a statement to the Washington Examiner, saying the books initiative is “strictly voluntary” and that the program’s “strategy” has “evolved.”
“Participants are not being asked to share with schools,” State Farm said in the statement. The Daily Wire reached out to the company for clarification but did not receive a response.
“At State Farm, we are committed to diversity and inclusion; they aren’t just words, they are truly part of how we do business and lead our organization. We recognize and value the diversity of all people, and support a culture of respect and inclusion in the communities in which we live and work, as well as our workplace. The LGBTQ+ community is a valued part of the communities we serve and are valued members of our workplace,” State Farm told the outlet.
“Kindness and respect is expected in all our interactions and extended to everyone we do business with across all segments of society. We embrace diversity and inclusion because it’s the right thing to do. We work with a variety of organizations and causes that express their own unique views, and support civil and open dialogue on challenging topics,” the company continued.
Now, Consumers’ Research has launched a multi-million dollar campaign to educate potential customers about State Farm’s partnership with The GenderCool Project.
“There once was a time when State Farm was a pillar of the local community, when the company stood for family values, supported local little league teams, and helped neighbors through a crisis,” reads one of the campaign’s ads titled “Not Your Parents’ State Farm,” which was provided to The Daily Wire.
“Today’s State Farm is something different,” the ad continues. “Is it appropriate for a big corporation like State Farm to use their agents to push politics on our kindergarteners?”
“No. It’s creepy,” the ad concludes, showing the text, “Like a creepy neighbor…,” a reference to State Farm’s familiar slogan, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”
Source: Dailywire
