State Farm denied reports that it asked agents to donate pro-LGBTQ books to schools and said it had ended a partnership with an advocacy group involved in the program.
The nationwide insurance company released statements to the Daily Caller after facing online backlash over emails sent in January that appeared to call on agents to donate controversial books to local schools and public libraries.
“State Farm is partnering with The GenderCool Project to help diversify classroom, community center and library bookshelves with a collection of books to help bring clarity and understanding to the national conversation about Being Transgender, Inclusive and Non-Binary,” read the email.
“The project’s goal is to increase representation of LGBTQ+ books and support our communities in having challenging, important and empowering conversations with children Age 5+,” it continued.
Some on social media responded by calling for a boycott against State Farm.
On Monday, the company denied the claims in one statement and then issued a second statement saying it had ended its partnership with the advocacy group.
“Our participation in this program evolved quickly, and the decision was made several months ago for participants not to share resources with schools,” said a State Farms spokesperson who added that the program was strictly voluntary.
The Daily Caller documented an incident that appeared to contradict the statement from the company.
State Farm offered further clarification in a second statement.
“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,” read the statement in part.
“We no longer support the program allowing for distribution of books in schools,” they concluded. “We will continue to explore how we can support organizations that provide tools and resources that align with our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Here’s more about the State Farm debacle:
Creepy State Farm Explained
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