TRENTON, N.J. – During the public comment period of the New Jersey State Board of Education’s monthly meeting Wednesday afternoon, Assemblyman Christian Barranco espoused the importance of parental rights as the board attempts to backpedal recent changes to the equity code.
The public testimony portion of the meeting at 2 p.m. was not broadcast like the 10 a.m. session, but lawmakers and the public spoke on the educational topic of their choice on record. Barranco spoke on the board’s amendments to Chapter 7, rules that school districts must follow to ensure equal access to educational activities and services.
“Many of us who take objection to the changes that this board creates within public education know the cause of all this. This is quite simply the long, arrogant arm of a certain faction of academia that has for generations insisted on trying to convince all of us that human society in its present form is all wrong and that we need to conform to a society that they’ve designed for us,” Barranco said.
In August, the board narrowly adopted changes to its equity code that eliminated gender-specific language and mandated schools solely recognize a student’s gender identity when separating sex education classes. In light of the backlash the board has received since, Andrew Mulvihill, the board’s vice president, noted Wednesday they have contacted the Attorney General’s Office to discuss possibly reexamining the changes it made to the code.
“Thankfully, for us, there is another arm of academia that does have the courage to oppose the actions of this board, Barranco said of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons’ stance against gender-affirming care for minors, because of the lack of informed consent, and the unknown and irreversible consequences.”
“I’ll challenge this board and the administration to produce a paragraph in support of gender fluidity, in support of the elimination of the words male and female, in support of the expansion of sex education to include pornography in our schools and in support of keeping secrets from parents,” Barranco said. “Take that paragraph and put it on the ballot in November in the form of a referendum and let the voters of New Jersey tell you how they feel about what you’re doing.”