Matt Bush, FISM News
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Shane Idleman, Pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in California, spoke at a recent Palmdale, California school board meeting where he told members that reading a book pushing transgender ideology to a group of small children was a form of child abuse. You can see the clip here.
The book in question is called “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.” The Amazon description of the book says, “Penelope knows that he’s a boy. (And a ninja.) The problem is getting everyone else to realize it.” Listed along with the description is a targeted age range of 4-8 years.
Penelope is a real person. She is the author’s daughter. She is 5 years old, and the book is presented as a true story.
The Amazon description goes on to say, “Jodie Patterson, activist and Chair of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Board, shares her transgender son’s experience in this important picture book about identity and acceptance.”
Idleman was not just speaking out against a book about LBGTQ issues, it was a book being read as a true story to young children between the ages of 4 and 8 about a 5-year-old girl who “knew” that she was a boy.
“When it comes to you in positions of leadership, you are responsible for this… Just because something is legal, doesn’t mean it’s lawful. Somebody on the board can stand up to the State of California and say, ‘Listen, this is not right.’… You can oppose what California is pushing. I don’t think it’s parental consent. I think it shouldn’t even be allowed in schools. What this is is actually a form of child abuse,” said Idleman at the board meeting.
Westside Union Teachers’ Association First Vice President Erin McCasland spoke up for the inclusion of the book and other LBGTQ resources and teachings. McCasland asserted, “In schools where the contributions of the LGBTQ community are included in educational instruction, bullying declined by over half and LGBTQ students were more likely to feel they have an opportunity to make positive contributions at school.”
She went on to describe the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Representative (FAIR) Education Act and the positive impact she believes the FAIR Act has had in California.
The FAIR Act was signed into law in July 2011, and it amended the California Education Code “to include the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful reference to contributions by people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community in history and social studies curriculum.”
Idleman disagreed with the idea of teaching young children that they can and should decide their own gender and sexual identity, especially, as in the case of this book, without parental knowledge and consent.
“The book promotes mental and emotional child abuse by declaring that girls can become boys. The character in the book is only 5 years old. Unbelievable! This book was read in classrooms at Greg Anderson School without parental consent. Yes, you heard me right,” Idleman reiterated.
Throughout his speech, Idleman made sure to voice his appreciation for the school board and his love and care for the LBGTQ community. He said, “I love all these groups here. I truly do. But I can speak the truth and say, ‘This is not right.’ When did love speech become hate speech?”
With all of the competing ideologies and religions in the world today, it can be easy for people to keep their mouths shut in the face of teachings and books that are morally wrong. Idleman calls people, himself first, to stand up for their beliefs and fight for the hearts and minds of children across America.