Republicans Propose 'Stop The Sexualization Of Children Act of 2022' What Is It?
House Republicans introduced a bill Tuesday to "stop the sexualization of children" on a national level.
In a press release, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) insisted that teaching children about "radical gender theory" below age 10 is sexualizing them and suggested that tax money should not be spent on such type of education. He and 32 other Republican reps all support the bill.
"The Democrat Party and their cultural allies are on a misguided crusade to immerse young children in sexual imagery and radical gender ideology," Johnson said. "This commonsense bill is straightforward. No federal tax dollars should go to any federal, state, or local government agencies, or private organizations that intentionally expose children under 10 years of age to sexually explicit material."
Republicans seek to prevent children under the age of 10 from "sexually-oriented" materials, which are described as "any depiction, description, or simulation of sexual activity, any lewd or lascivious depiction or description of human genitals, or any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects."
Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Debbie Lesko (Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Burgess Owens (Utah) and Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) are among the other reps sponsoring the bill.
The bill is receiving comparison to Florida's statewide Parental Rights in Education bill, which has also been referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill and blocked similar education in schools for children in kindergarten through third grade.
Critics say that not allowing education at this age is blocking children from education about their gender identity, which could lead to confusion later on.
"For LGBTQ+ youth to experience comparable health benefits to their non-LGBTQ+ peers, sex education programs must be LGBTQ+ inclusive," Planned Parenthood said in a report titled "LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education." "Inclusive programs are those that help young people understand gender identity and sexual orientation with age-appropriate and medically accurate information."
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