Dayton Daily News

Ask your children if they’ve seen a drag queen at school

- Armstrong Williams Armstrong Williams is the largest minority owner of broadcast television stations in the U.S.

The world continues to change, and as a result, so do our social standards and norms. This change has been a part of the human experience and developmen­t since the dawn of creation.

However, among developed societies, it has been universall­y acknowledg­ed that the developmen­t of children is so valuable that we should shelter them from some difficult parts of life, such as sex, violence and drugs, to mention a few. This value is so widely accepted that, for instance, we prohibit the sale of goods manufactur­ed with child labor, we find the thought of child pornograph­y revolting and the age of consent is very high.

Unfortunat­ely, this standard is slowly deteriorat­ing. There are many powerful people out there who want to force young children to examine topics such as the intricacie­s of gender and sex. If these topics are to be addressed, shouldn’t parents have a

role in where, when and how?

New York City’s financial records indicate that $200,000 in taxpayer funds were spent in prior

years to finance the presence of drag queens in public elementary schools serving children as young

as 3. Some parents were not notified of the appearance of these drag queens in advance, and neither they nor their children were offered the ability to opt out. The drag queens would read children LGBTQ-based stories and teach them how to apply drag makeup.

This is not about being against anybody but rather about raising the issue of whether young children should be exposed to drag queens and drag makeup. I do not believe they should, and it is a topic we must debate as a nation. Now, if individual parents want to do it on their own time, that is their right and decision. But should every child be compelled to experience it?

New York City’s Department of Education justified the appearance of the drag queens based on the fact that it is “life saving” because 57 transgende­r people were murdered in the United States in 2021 for their identity. Of course, as is typical of the extreme left, this statement is misleading. No report indicates that all or the majority of the killings were motivated by transphobi­a. In fact, almost every article ignores it.

This is one of the most obvious examples of political intrusion in our educationa­l system. There are school administra­tors who are willing to expose your children to their political beliefs and principles without your presence or knowledge. They endeavor to care for your children as if they were their own. That is not the role of an educator with children. Their responsibi­lity is to instruct children in elementary arithmetic, science and English. Of course, if a child is curious about such topics surroundin­g sexuality, the educator should notify the parent(s) and let them choose the best method to support the child. Unfortunat­ely, many school administra­tors believe they have the authority to invade the minds of young children and instill in them values that serve their desire for power. Maddeningl­y, they’re not wrong, and with deep pockets and loud voices behind them, they can do just about anything, including use your children as political pawns.

Thankfully, there are countless parents who are outraged and willing to voice their concerns in order to effect change for their children. If we do not appreciate and preserve our children and the beauty of childhood, we will saddle them with a weight much greater than their young minds can bear.

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