Opposition, Alternatives Voiced For Sex Education in California Public Schools

The Capitol building in Sacramento, Calif. on April 29, 2019. Daniel Holl/The Epoch Times

SACRAMENTO, California—New sexual education curriculum that teaches about gender identity issues and explicit sexual behavior is coming into effect in Californian schools.

But there have been two active voices opposing current sex-education legislation that has led to the roll-out of the new curriculum; Republican Senator Mike Morrell and Stephanie Yates, founder of Informed Parents of California.

Morrell of the 23rd District in Southern California has sponsored a bill titled Senate Bill 673 (SB-673).

Morrell’s bill is an amendment to AB-329, a bill that was passed on Jan. 1, 2016. AB-329 is described as “comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education,” according to the California Department of Education. It mandates sexual education for students from grades seven to 12.

Sex-Ed Amendment

In his bill, Morrell wants to make two alterations to the existing sex-ed laws. He says his changes are aimed at creating transparency, so that all new sex-ed information can be readily available online for parents to review. This would allow parents to be better informed so that they can have a say on whether they want their child participating in sex-ed classes that critics say have gone beyond just informing children.

Senator Mike Morrell of the 23rd district in Southern California, on April 29, 2019. Daniel Holl / The Epoch Times

“The parents that we’ve talked to who have just tried to be able to get the curriculum, [it] has been difficult for them to get the curriculum,” Senator Morrell said. “Then to get their child [to] opt-out is even a tougher step.”

“A lot of this curriculum goes beyond what I believe is acceptable, as again some people have put it, it’s gone from the informative to the explicit.”

Further, Morrell said that the current opt-out choice should be switched to opt-in. That way, children will not be defaulted into the new classes.

“The thing that I see here in Sacramento, it’s becoming a very progressive government, which is just a nice word for the expansion of the bureaucratic state,” Morrell said. “Historically, as government expands, liberty contracts.”

“It’s just a nice word for socialism.”

Morrell had previously spoken at a rally on March 28 about his bill. Parents came from all over California to express their support for the Senator and their opposition to AB-329.

“There was a capitol full of people here that day, of parents, just saying, ‘Hey, we should have control over the rights of what we put in our kids minds,’” Morrell said. “‘We mentor [the kids], we train them up, and try to put the best morals as we can into them, and give them the right direction and best education, and teach them good character qualities and virtues.’”

Grassroots Organization

Stephanie Yates founded Informed Parents of California after learning about the changes in AB-329 to sexual education. Their website describes them as “a statewide resource to inform parents on critical issues that impact our children’s educational well-being, and the role of parents in education.”

Stephanie Yates, founder of Informed Parents of California at a rally on March 28, 2019. Daniel Holl / The Epoch Times

Yates has gathered many of the materials that are set to be used in the new sexual education framework. This framework is a suggested curriculum for teachers to use. How much of it that teachers employ is their decision, Yates explained.

Yates shared a book by Robbie Harris titled “It’s NOT the Stork!” The book contains graphic depictions of fully naked male and female bodies, including those of children, that are used as educational materials for kindergarten students.

Other books include traced images of adult male and female genitalia, which are to be used by children as coloring activities.

Yates also shared from a teacher’s manual a book called, “The ‘What’s Happening To My Body’ Book for Girls,” by Lynda and Area Madaras. One section guides students on coloring a picture of male genitalia.

“Using my best kindergarten-lady voice, I say, ‘The penis has two parts, the shaft and the glans. Find the shaft of the penis and color it with blue and red stripes,’” Yates read.

The same book also gives a list of slang and vulgar words to describe male and female genitalia. The book instructs the teacher to guide the students to shout out as many slang terms that they know to describe the genitalia.

Institutionalized Grooming

“This is institutionalized grooming,” Yates said. “It’s a way to break down their natural modesty.”

Yates said that a book used for high-school sex-ed called “S.E.X., second edition: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties,” by Heather Corinna, actually gave explicit instructions on how to perform various sexual acts, including fisting, anal-oral sex, and bondage.

Yates also commented that Corinna’s book gave instructions on fluid bonding. The same book was suggested to be promoted during AIDS awareness week, according to a syllabus that Yates shared. 

Yates contrasted the content of the new sexual education curriculum with other common-knowledge health behavior.

“We’re teaching our children how to wash their hands after they use the restroom so they don’t spread germs and diseases,” Yates said. “But they’re teaching our children how to put their mouth on somebody’s anus for sexual pleasure.”

“It’s a matter of the parents, they don’t know about it,” Yates said. “They don’t know what’s going on. They hear something, it sounds like some conspiracy thing.”

“I truly believed the safest place for my son was at school. That got shattered when I talked to his school district.”