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State Farm Drops LGBTQ Kids Books Program After Backlash

“This program that included books about gender identity was intended to promote inclusivity. We will no longer support that program.”

Insurance company State Farm has dropped its support for a program providing LGBTQ-theme children’s books to teachers and libraries after a right-wing uproar. “State Farm’s support of a philanthropic program, GenderCool, has been the subject of news and customer inquiries. This program that included books about gender identity was intended to promote inclusivity,” Victor Terry, State Farm’s chief diversity officer, wrote in an email to staff. “We will no longer support that program,” he said, adding that “conversations about gender and identity should happen at home with parents.” The decision came after a whistleblower report Monday about the company “targeting” children as young as 5 with books about gender identity sparked backlash on the right. The program, which would see agents and staffers distribute books to community centers, libraries, and teachers, aimed to “increase representation of LGBTQ+ books and support our communities in having challenging, important and empowering conversations with children age 5+,” the insurance company said of the project in a January 2022 email obtained by Consumer Research.