State Farm Drops Partnership With LGBTQ Children's Book Program After Backlash

Leading insurance provider State Farm announced it is no longer supporting a program that targets small children as young as five years old for indoctrination on issues related to gender identity.

CBN News reported Monday that the insurer was looking for agents in Florida interested in distributing LGBTQ-themed books to children. The initiative involves a partnership with the Gender Cool Project to promote issues of gender identity in children through advocacy and public awareness programs.

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, State Farm now says its association with Gender Cool has prompted questions from customers and the media.

"State Farm's support of a philanthropic program, GenderCool, has been the subject of news and customer inquiries," the company said late Monday. "This program that included books about gender identity was intended to promote inclusivity. Conversations about gender and identity should happen at home with parents. We don't support required curriculum in schools on this topic. We support organizations providing resources for parents to have these conversations."

The statement continues, "We no longer support the program allowing for distribution of books in schools. We will continue to explore how we can support organizations that provide tools and resources that align with our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We recognize and value the diversity of all people, and support a culture of respect and inclusion in the communities in which we live and work, as well as our workplace."

According to the non-profit organization Consumers' Research, a leaked internal email from Jan. 18 revealed that "the project's goal is to increase representation of LGBTQ+ books and support out communities in having challenging, important and empowering conversations with children Age 5+."

The email was sent by Jose Soto, State Farm's corporate responsibility analyst, explaining that the company was looking for six Florida agents "that would be interested in participating in this unique project, by receiving these books in March, then donating them to their community by the end of April."

He added, "Agents are key to the success of this program. Nationwide, approximately 550 State Farm agents and employees will have the opportunity to donate this 3-book bundle to their local teacher, community center or library of their choice."

The three books, which are part of the Gender Cool Collection, include A Kids Book About Being Transgender, A Kids Book About Being Non-Binary, and A Kids Book About Being Inclusive. 

Each book talks about gender and identity, labeling these issues as "individual" for everyone and their experience.

CBN News reached out to State Farm for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.

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