Minneapolis Public Schools is holding a "gender resource fair" at an elementary school that will feature a drag queen story hour and an activist doctor speaking about "supporting young transgender children."
Loring Elementary, a pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade school, will host the April 13 event, which is advertised for families and their "gender creative young ones," according to a promotional image for the event shared by the district.
The fair is the latest example of children receiving gender and sexual identity content in schools, and it comes as Minnesota is poised to enact "trans refuge" legislation that critics say could infringe on parental custody rights.
The event will feature a talk "for adults" by Angela Goepferd, a transgender activist and pediatrician in "gender health" who uses "they/them" pronouns. While Goepferd is speaking, the school will host a drag story hour "for kids."
Goepferd has been a vocal supporter of Minnesota’s proposed "trans refuge" bill, which the Minnesota House passed last week and would allow children from other states to receive sex-change surgeries and puberty blockers in the state. The activist in January testified in support of the bill at a Minnesota House hearing.
State representative Walter Hudson (R.) on Friday slammed the bill, saying it is for the "purpose of canceling the parental rights of the citizens of the United States."
"You no longer have access to your child," Hudson said. "As soon as they say the magic words ‘I'm looking for gender-affirming care,' just like that—parental rights canceled."
Goepferd also praised USA Today’s selection of a biological man, Minnesota transgender legislator Leigh Finke (D.), as "Woman of the Year," saying it "could not be more well deserved."
While Loring Elementary hosts drag performances, statistics show it has performed poorly in academics. It ranks in the bottom 50 percent of schools in Minnesota for test scores, receiving a 1 out of 10 ranking by the Public School Review, which provides data analysis of U.S. public schools. Only 42 percent of students at the school are proficient in math and reading for their grade levels, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Loring is not alone in its prioritization of sexual and gender content for children. Earlier this month, a private Northern Virginia school recommended fourth-graders read a book about a trans child that discusses genitalia and sexual encounters. A Boston public school elicited outrage from parents this month when it distributed a survey to sixth- and seventh-grade students asking whether they are transgender and have "ever participated in oral sex."
The event’s organizer and Minneapolis Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment before press time.