Family expert argues against schools introducing gender ideology to children as early as pre-K
A veteran psychoanalyst is warning young children are being "indoctrinated" by schools as the nation’s largest teacher’s union pushes educators to introduce gender ideology before kindergarten.
Erica Komisar, a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst who has been practicing for 35 years, joined "Fox & Friends" Tuesday after penning an op-ed arguing most young children are not "psychologically or emotionally ready" to discuss gender issues.
"It's just too early for them," Komisar said Wednesday. "They're not really equipped developmentally to be thinking about their identity in this way or gender specifically."
People take part in a rally on the occasion of the International Transgender Day of Visibility in the city center of Rome, Italy, on April 1, 2023. (Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Last year, members of the National Education Association (NEA) highlighted strategies to introduce gender pronouns to children starting in pre-K in a webinar titled "Using Pronouns to Create a Safe, Welcoming, and Inclusive Environment." Panelists recommended schools ask students of all ages their preferred pronouns and add LGBTQ+ books to school libraries.
In June, the NEA released a toolkit on sexual orientation and gender identity for teachers containing detailed guidance on ways to "dismantle systems of oppression" and to get out of the habit of "assuming pronouns," along with other LGBTQ+ focused content.
The toolkit included LGBTQ+ trainings, LGBTQ+ book recommendations, links for LGBTQ+ guidance and a pronoun guide which detailed different ways to address people, including the masculine he/him/his and feminine she/her/hers and gender-neutral alternatives.
Komisar advised it is best for parents to be the ones to discuss "difficult" issues with their children like sex, death and gender, adding topics should not be brought up until the child starts asking questions or showing curiosity.
"Even then you only answer very succinctly and wait for more questions," Komisar advised. "So the way that they're teaching it, they're really teaching it in an indoctrinating kind of way."
The family expert also cautioned against transgender treatments for children as they still have a "volatility" and "fluidity" surrounding their identity.
"The idea that their identity is fixed at such a young age, I mean, even when it comes to early adolescence, kids that are 11 years old that they're allowing to take puberty blockers. I mean, those kids' identity [are] still quite fluid and it could change. And so you're making permanent body changes that carry risks to children that are really just very young and whose personalities are really still quite unformed."
Komisar then emphasized the importance of having compassion for children struggling with their identity.
"I think you can explain to individual children who are struggling and, you know, wanting to call themselves ‘Sue’ instead of ‘Jack.’ And that's their nickname. And I think there are ways to do it compassionately without necessarily overwhelming children."
Christopher Rufo, author of "America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything," agreed with Komisar's assessment Wednesday, arguing schools are using impressionable children as a "political tool."
"I have actually a pre-kindergartner in my household and certainly not teaching him any preferred pronouns," Rufo told "Fox & Friends." "The whole ideology is based on a false notion that you can change your sex. It denies the basic reality of the universe, of the cosmos of creation. And they're doing that because they believe that they can soften a child's consciousness. If they can destabilize the child's identity, they can control that child and use that child as a political tool. This is not about sexuality. First and foremost, this is about using sexuality in order to achieve political objectives."
Co-host Steve Doocy noted a recent poll indicating approximately 44% of millennials think it should be a crime if you refer to someone by the wrong gender.
"You cannot affirm someone in their own delusion," Rufo responded. "You cannot affirm someone in their own self-hatred. Actually, that's cruel. You have to tell the truth. You have to be kind about it. Of course, you have to be compassionate. But you cannot yield the truth because someone with different politics or someone with a different sense of reality tells you to do so. This is really dangerous."
"If they can get you to say the pronouns, they can get you to say anything. So don't ever back down from the truth. You don't have to be mean about it, of course, But certainly don't fall victim to the manipulative nature of this ideology."
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Heckman is a digital production assistant with Fox News.
