As an elementary school teacher who teaches PE to children with disabilities in seven Orange County schools, I want to warn parents there are books in our schools (K-12) teaching kids how to use Adult Sex / Hook-up Apps while instructing them how to perform various sex acts. I first found this book in one of my elementary schools because it was provided through an outside agency, then I discovered the same book is in our Middle School and Highschool District Libraries. Even worse, I realized this book is in public schools across California and the nation because it is endorsed by the National Educators Association, California Educator Unions, the American Library Association, and is on their celebrated “banned book” list.
My school district partners with the city library’s Book Mobile program, which is a portable library that goes into schools, parks and the city zoo. In September 2023, the Knowledge Mobile, as it’s called, was visiting one of my elementary schools. As I browsed the bookshelves, a colorful book caught my eye, so I checked it out. I was shocked at what I found. The book tells readers to upload a picture of yourself to a sex app. It explains that the app can access your location and will locate others so you can chat and meet up. The title of the book is: This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson.
Of course, for the sake of liability, the book says the Sex App, Grindr, has an age minimum of eighteen years old. However, it’s common knowledge that savvy minors easily gain access to content labeled “mature” by lying about their date of birth. Plus, if this information is meant for ages 18 and up, why is it in our publicly funded K-12 schools?
In reading the book This Book is Gay, I found the language immature. For example, to describe human anatomy or sex acts, the book uses words such as: willy, bum, poo, blowie, bumming. The book also describes a disturbing scenario where a 16-year-old boy and an older married man flirt in a guitar shop, and their flirtations advance into foreplay.
I was so upset about the content of this book, that I contacted the city Library Director. He told me he is pressured by politicians to include books like this in the Book Mobile. I sent a letter to the County District Attorney, Todd Spitzer about this, but I never heard back.
Why do politicians want these types of books in a bookmobile for children? Could it be because their campaigns are funded by unions? The teacher unions say they want our schools to be a “safe place” for kids who identify as LGBTQ+, yet they endorse a book that promotes an adult sex app.
In 2021 the National Public Radio (NPR) conducted interviews from users of Grindr and reported, “The dating app Grindr is supposed to be for men seeking men. But many underage boys are using it to hook up with adults, and that can put them at risk of exploitation and trafficking.” Jenifer McKim from Boston Public Radio stated “Grindr is one of many online sites where minors can be stalked. Boys and girls are victimized. But researchers say the number of male victims is vastly underreported, in part because boys are less likely to disclose their abuse” . Users of the app warn that Grindr does not verify identities, including age, which enables predatory behaviors. McKim interviewed a young man German Chavez, who said he was sexually assaulted when he was in middle school by a 60 year old man he met on Grindr. A year later he said he was using the app to sell sex to help his family pay bills. He said he did not see himself as a victim, instead he blamed himself. Reading these stories broke my heart and made me very angry at those responsible for promoting the Grindr App through our school library books.
NBC San Diego reported an incident of a man bragging about how he intentionally infected his Grindr Hookups with HIV. When I became a state delegate for the California Teachers Union in 2022, I learned that my union supported the passage of law SB 239 which says: to intentionally infect someone with the HIV virus is no longer a felony. If the teachers’ union cares so much about the safety of vulnerable kids who identify as LGBTQ+, then why did they support a law that can place naïve kids at the mercy of sophisticated abusive predators?
If parents in California try to get This Book Is Gay out of their children’s schools, good luck, because in September 2023, Governor Newsom passed a law (AB 1078) saying schools cannot censor books due to concerns related to racial or LGBTQ+ themes because it stifles inclusivity and “academic freedom.”
This kind of “academic freedom” could lure minors into a trap of profiteering sex slavery. It’s obvious Newsom prioritizes union politics over student safety. As a public-school teacher who is also a protective mom and grandmother, here is my warning to parents: Don’t be fooled by the political rhetoric, there’s a razor blade in the shiny school apple.
Brenda Lebsack is an Adapted PE Teacher for Santa Ana Unified, former school board member of Orange Unified School District, State Delegate Alternate of California Teachers Union, founder of the Interfaith Statewide Coalition. www.Interfaith4Kids.com