SUPPORT HB 1608: Prevents teaching on sexual and gender identity in grades K-3

Summary

House Bill 1608 prevents schools from teaching children in kindergarten through third grade any content related to sexual orientation or gender identity. This prohibition includes instruction that would be offered by any employee or staff member of a school or any third party service that a school may seek to use. The topics included under this legislation which must not be taught are listed as gender fluidity, gender roles, gender stereotypes, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

Analysis

Schools exist to teach children foundational skills like math, science, reading, and history, not to fill their minds with radical notions of sexuality and gender ideology. Particularly in grades K-3rd, which are the very beginning of a child’s education, the instruction provided by teachers needs to focus on what matters most. It must stay away from political activism or any ideas regarding sex and gender that can so easily confuse children. Unfortunately, this is far from the case in many schools today, where left-wing ideologies have turned classrooms of all grade levels into breeding grounds for radical beliefs. 

HB 1608 addresses this problem directly, declaring that instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should simply not occur for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Especially at this young age, parents bear the responsibility of guiding their children in personal matters and passing on their convictions. Teachers should not interfere in this territory, but should focus on the core subjects that elementary school children need to learn. While IFI would support a prohibition on sexuality and gender instruction all the way up to 12th grade, this legislation is an important step in that direction.

Conclusion

HB 1608 will make clear that Hoosier schools are places where children are safe from political indoctrination. The radical ideologies that harm students and push out traditional subjects will be no more. Children will be able to focus on the foundational curriculum they receive in kindergarten through third grade, properly setting them up for future learning. Parents will not have to worry that their child will come home with dangerous and inappropriate ideas about sex and gender told to them by a teacher. HB 1608 provides much needed clarification on what the classroom is for and will set the stage for further legislation to come that removes harmful topics from education.

IFI supports HB 1608.

IFI also supports SB 413 which would prohibit instruction on sexuality and gender identity up to 12th grade, addresses other matters related to how schools handle these topics, and addresses how schools approach parental rights.

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SUPPORT HB 1569: Restrictions on transgender surgeries and medications for inmates

Summary

House Bill 1569 specifies several ways in which the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC), which runs state prisons, may not aid inmates in receiving medical procedures for the purpose of appearing as the opposite sex. The legislation says that the department may not authorize the payment of any money towards, or use any state resources or federal funds administered by the state, to allow an inmate to receive transgender procedures or medication. This includes hormone therapy and sexual reassignment surgeries that are intended to make one appear or function as the opposite sex.

Analysis

The Indiana Department of Correction is responsible for providing a secure and wisely managed environment for those convicted of crimes. They have a duty not just to the inmates they house, but also to the general public who will eventually live alongside many of the inmates once they are released. Hoosiers should be able to trust that the DOC is actually treating inmates in a way that is most constructive to their overall lifestyle and behavior, not giving into any demands or misconceptions inmates may have that would make circumstances worse. Surrendering to the false promises of transgender ideology by facilitating sex changes for inmates would be a clear instance of the DOC failing to live up to their duty. 

We live in an era where activists are increasingly pushing the notion that trangender surgeries and medications are just a normal form of health care. Medical professionals and government bureaucrats are increasingly adopting this view as well, meaning that even agencies in a conservative state like Indiana are not immune. Indiana residents should be able to expect more out of our state government, trusting that it will not cave to radical ideologies. For the DOC this means affirming truth, not lies, when it comes to inmates who request transgender medication or surgeries. To give in to these demands not only prevents the inmate from getting true help, but also could lead to dangerous situations where a biological male ends up living amongst women in a female prison or visa-versa.

Conclusion

The Department of Correction has a responsibility to Hoosiers to care for offenders in a way that keeps the public safe before and after an inmate’s release. The DOC has no room to play around with false science in a way that only serves to give credence to a radical ideology and worsen the lives of inmates themselves. Furthermore, the DOC has a duty to make prison environments safe, and allowing a male to live, sleep, and shower alongside females in order to not run afoul of modern thinking on gender would be a gross violation of its mission. HB 1569 helps affirm the true purpose of Indiana’s Department of Correction, shielding it and all Hoosiers from another harmful aspect of transgender ideology.

IFI supports HB 1569.

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SUPPORT SB 188: Listing political affiliation for school board candidates

Summary

Senate Bill 188 would require the political affiliation of school board candidates to be listed on ballots. Currently, Indiana school board elections are legally nonpartisan. This bill would make it so that a candidate’s status as a Democrat, Republican, member of a third party, or as an independent would be listed on the ballot, as with any other election. Before a candidate can be listed as a member of their claimed party, they must have voted in the past two primary elections for that party or have their affiliation verified by local party officials. The bill also clarifies and strengthens language regarding school board vacancies. For example, in addition to deaths and resignations, vacancies can also occur if a member misses three consecutive meetings or misses six meetings in a 12-month period for a reason other than chronic illness.

Analysis

Nonpartisan school board elections may seem innocent on the surface, but in reality they do a dangerous disservice to voters and students. School board elections are often small, localized races with numerous candidates. This can often result in a lack of sufficient information for each name on the ballot, therefore allowing candidates to sneak by without their true beliefs and intentions being known. Liberal activists have taken advantage of this to place many of their own in school leadership across the state. Hoosiers are unknowingly electing people who share diametrically opposing values on what children should be taught and who is primarily responsible for raising them.

Political parties matter. It is wishful thinking to believe that school boards are truly nonpartisan just because they are designated that way under law. School board members are at the forefront of the political and cultural battles of our day, and our children bear the consequences of their decisions for good or for ill. Far-left crusaders have hijacked many school boards, giving them great sway over the curriculum our students are taught. This has led to children as young as elementary school being exposed to Critical Race Theory, inappropriate sexual content and ideologies, and the view that we should be ashamed to be American.

Conclusion

The lack of a “Republican” or “Democrat” label next to a one’s name on a ballot means nothing when they are called upon to take actual conservative or liberal positions that affect your children. With school board elections being nonpartisan, even conservative Hoosier voters have not been able to stop individuals with harmful worldviews from obtaining power in education. With SB 188, Indiana can change this. The material our children are taught on a daily basis is no joke, and it is time school board candidates are required to be transparent about what political party they belong to. This is a critical step in ensuring that Indiana’s school will serve the best interests of children by providing activism-free education, not training them up to be tomorrow’s liberal voters.

IFI Supports SB 188.

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SUPPORT HB 1346: Standing against harmful gender ideology in schools

Summary

House Bill 1346 would prohibit Indiana schools from requiring or encouraging the use of pronouns, titles, and names for others that are not consistent with the individual’s biological sex. This applies to teachers, students, and other individuals as well. The bill prevents schools from encouraging the use of a name or nickname for a student that is inconsistent with the student’s biological sex. HB 1346 also prohibits a school from requiring any employee to support gender fluidity. Gender fluidity is defined as any theory or ideology with tenants such as that sex is a social construct, an individual can be any or no gender, or that one’s gender can change. 

Analysis

Schools have become one of the primary battlegrounds for truth in America today. Liberal activists are attempting to push their beliefs on impressionable children, using the classroom as their ideological pulpit. In no area is this more true than with matters of personal identity, something that is already very difficult for children to navigate. Confusion over gender identity specifically has become a major problem, with some schools and teachers promoting radical gender ideologies, even if doing so goes behind parents’ backs. It has become increasingly common for schools to teach that gender is malleable and that each person has a say over their gender. It is therefore no surprise that some schools are encouraging students of all ages to adopt transgender or gender nonconforming identities themselves.

For a teacher to use male pronouns for a girl in their class, or female pronouns for a boy, is a great disservice to the child. This and other so-called gender affirming practices only serve to worsen the confusion of those experiencing identity issues. HB 1346 would help end the harmful distortions of reality being found in too many schools. Children look up to teachers as reliable authorities, and parents should be able to trust that teachers will act in their child’s best interest. It is therefore incumbent upon every educator and school to abide by biological facts. Giving in to gender confusion falls far short of that responsibility, betraying students and parents. 

Conclusion

Indiana needs to be a state where schools are kept safe from political weaponization, and where truth is valued above all else. In order to achieve this, ideologies like gender fluidity must be considered wholly unacceptable in the classroom. Such beliefs only seek to confuse students about the nature of the world and of themselves, the opposite of what students need in their formative years. Furthermore, when students do come to teachers or school staff with questions about their gender, the adults should never add to their confusion, but should instead work with parents to help children feel comfortable with themselves in a healthy way. In order to do this, biologically accurate pronouns, titles, and names must be used for students and teachers at every school. It is time for Indiana schools to leave behind practices that promote the deception of students and to instead always act in accordance with the truth.

IFI supports HB 1346.

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SUPPORT HB 1384: Protecting intellectual freedom at public universities

Summary

House Bill 1384 safeguards applicants, students, and faculty of state educational institutions from discrimination based on their political beliefs. The bill prevents public universities in Indiana from acting against an applicant, student, or faculty member due to their political opinions, such as denying them admission or turning them down for a promotion. The bill also requires public universities to post on their website all material used for training in, or policies relating to, nondiscrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion, race, ethnicity, sex, or bias. Civil remedies are established for individuals who allege violations under the bill’s provisions. The Attorney General is also given the ability to take actions towards a university that is violating the bill.

Analysis

Freedom of thought has traditionally been a well-respected tennant of American life and is a critically important aspect to any quality education. In order for individuals to truly learn or for fields of research to progress, people must not be afraid that pushing the boundaries of “acceptable thought” will get them in trouble. In many colleges and universities, however, the current climate is such that this freedom of thought is greatly stifled due to political bias at every level. Liberals in academia hold to a very strict orthodoxy where there is often no room for dissent. Even mainstream conservative and traditional opinions are viewed as being on the “far-right” and are completely unacceptable. 

This is sadly the state of many of our nation’s once-great public colleges and universities, including in Indiana. Democratic professors outnumber Republicans 9 to 1, and similar imbalances exist among administrators. Liberals have not been afraid to use their power in academia to exert cultural influence over the country and over young people in particular. It is important to remember that these public institutions are supported by Indiana taxpayers’ dollars, and therefore it is only reasonable that they stop fighting against the very values that the majority of Hoosiers hold.

Conclusion

Many public universities have truly become ideological echo chambers. The views of left-wing professors and administrators are treated as unquestionable facts, while the views of conservatives are seen as fringe conspiracy theories that don’t deserve the light of day. Indiana residents deserve better from these universities, institutions that we support with our own tax money and that supposedly exist to educate thousands of Hoosier students. HB 1384 is a common sense and pro-American policy that bolsters freedom of thought at Indiana’s state educational institutions. Every university applicant, student, or faculty member should be free to believe and speak out as their conscience compels them. Far from being a burden that universities have to tolerate, this diversity of opinion is the very lifeblood of true education.

IFI supports HB 1384.

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