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--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief. It's Tuesday, March 15th.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new Florida parental rights law dubbed Don't Say Gay by critics limits instruction on sex and gender theory in elementary grades. The law has sparked fierce debate across the country and a strong defense from Florida's governor.
--:-- John Bickley: And we're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum. So what do Americans think about the new law?
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new exclusive poll for Daily Wire found some surprising common ground. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right, Georgia. We're going to dive into the details of this poll and what it means for the national conversation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Russia continues its deadly invasion of Ukraine. But no matter how the war ends, experts say it's China who will emerge as the winner.
--:-- John Bickley: As discussion of sex and gender in schools takes center stage in the national dialogue, a sex and gender summer camp is making headlines in the Midwest. We'll discuss what's stirring up the controversy.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: This show is sponsored by the Claremont Review of Books, America's premier journal on political thought and statesmanship.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Each issue presents a collection of thoughtful essays and book reviews by America's top thinkers, including some of your Daily Wire favorites.
--:-- John Bickley: Morning Wire listeners will receive a bonus issue with a new subscription that's five issues for the price of four, beginning with the recently released Winter 2022 issue.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Visit www.claremontreviewofbooks.com slash Morning Wire to claim this special offer.
--:-- John Bickley: Last week, Florida passed HB 1557, a law that bans lessons on sex and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Passage of the law set off a firestorm, with critics calling it the Don't Say Gay Bill.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, I read the entire thing. And first, what really jumped out is that the word gay isn't actually in the legislation.
--:-- John Bickley: The bill really centers on two things. Transparency for parents when it comes to sexual education in schools and prevention of teachers from discussing sexual topics with the youngest of elementary schoolers.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: More specifically, the bill outlaws, quote, classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age appropriate.
--:-- John Bickley: That's the official bill text. And on the transparency front, the bill makes sure parents have access to basically any and all records about their child.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, I want to drill down on the bit about transparency. LGBT activists have criticized this bill because they're concerned that students won't be able to keep their gender identities confidential from their parents.
--:-- John Bickley: Is that accurate?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The bill prevents teachers from encouraging a student to withhold information from their parents regarding their gender identity or other sexual topics.
--:-- John Bickley: It also requires the school to notify parents, quote, if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical well-being.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So it could be interpreted to mean that schools must notify parents if the child is demonstrating a major emotional change, like a gender change, for example.
--:-- John Bickley: That said the bill does offer some scenarios where students and teachers would be able to withhold information from parents specifically in cases where there reason to suspect that the student would face abuse abandonment or neglect as a result of that disclosure.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now I want to talk about the popular support for this bill Daily Wire commissioned an exclusive poll on how Americans view this legislation.
--:-- John Bickley: Can you tell us about the results?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, if you were to judge the bill's popularity off media coverage, you'd think it was quite unpopular. But it was interesting, this survey quoted entire portions of the bill word for word to a sample of 1,000 Americans nationwide.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: By the way, the sample skewed Democrat by about four percentage points.
--:-- John Bickley: And of the 1,000 respondents, 64% supported the ban on sexual education for K through third grade.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: That's the main portion of the bill. And it's worth pointing out there wasn't a huge disparity along party lines either.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: 69% of Republicans were in favor, as were 62% of Democrats.
--:-- John Bickley: And on that core question of whether it should be teachers or parents talking to their kids about sex and gender, 79% of those surveyed agreed that it should be up to parents.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Another supposedly controversial part of the bill was whether schools should notify parents if a child wants to change their gender pronouns in the classroom.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, that part was not controversial for most Americans. Just 18% said that information should be kept from parents.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. And now tell us about the political battle over this.
--:-- John Bickley: Governor DeSantis has taken a lot of heat for this legislation.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: He has. This really became quite the flashpoint over the last month.
--:-- John Bickley: In one tweet last month, for example, President Biden called the bill, quote, hateful and said his administration would continue to fight against it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Governor DeSantis and Republicans nationwide obviously view it differently.
--:-- John Bickley: They say this is all about the right of parents to have a say over what their kids are learning about deeply personal and controversial issues.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: They say kids who are barely old enough to read shouldn't be learning about sex in the first place.
--:-- John Bickley: And if they are, it should be up to parents to initiate those conversations.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, Cabot, thanks for breaking it all down for us.
--:-- John Bickley: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Coming up, how China could benefit from the war in Ukraine.
--:-- John Bickley: The Daily Wire is proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Good Ranchers, the 100% American meat company.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Did you know 85% of the grass-fed beef sold in stores and online is imported from overseas?
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--:-- Georgia Howe: Head on over to GoodRanchers.com slash wire or use code wire at checkout to get their biggest offer ever.
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--:-- John Bickley: The Russian invasion of Ukraine is strengthening the alliance between China and Russia, causing further concern that the war in Eastern Europe might just be the start.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, we've spoken a few times about the potential role China will play in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
--:-- John Bickley: But in the last few days, it's become clear that not only is China likely involved, its role is going to be significant.
--:-- Ian Howarth: First off, according to U.S. officials, Russia has asked China for military support, in addition to economic support beyond gold and foreign currency access we've discussed before on Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart soon after this news broke on Monday.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Yeah, so what is the Biden administration saying about China's involvement?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, on Sunday, Jake Sullivan said that the notion that China could support Russia and effectively bail them out from the impact of Western sanctions is concerning.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But he also implied that there is no clear plan to impose consequences if China continues to back up Russia.
--:-- John Bickley: We also are watching closely to see the extent to which China actually does provide any form of support material support or economic support to Russia.
--:-- Ian Howarth: It is a concern of ours And we have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses.
--:-- John Bickley: And so the concern here is that there is no real response being presented beyond economic isolation if China does ratchet up support for Russia.
--:-- Ian Howarth: But unlike Russia, a huge amount of world trade relies on China.
--:-- John Bickley: And so it would be far more difficult to impose economic consequences on China if they did help Russia in its invasion, especially if the Biden administration wants to avoid an impact on Western markets.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And after reports that China asked Russia to delay the invasion of Ukraine until after the Winter Olympics, Sullivan downplayed the idea that they were fully aware of the extent of what Putin was planning.
--:-- John Bickley: And now China has denied being asked by Russia for assistance, but it wouldn't be surprising if they were lying given their shared celebration of a developing relationship between the two nations.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And this is all of some expressed fears that China would benefit from the geopolitical shifts that continue to take place.
--:-- John Bickley: China increasingly sees itself as a superpower that will soon eclipse the US, which it believes is in rapid decline.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Another issue we've discussed when it comes to Ukraine is what this could mean for China and Taiwan.
--:-- John Bickley: Does China's support of Russia change the logic there?
--:-- Ian Howarth: Well, this will all be sparking alarm bells for Taiwan on so many levels.
--:-- John Bickley: First, the fact that the Biden administration's strategy did nothing to prevent the invasion of Ukraine could spur Chinese forces on as they loom over Taiwan.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And then there's also the problem that China is watching the Western response to Ukraine very closely and taking notes in real time.
--:-- John Bickley: This was a worry expressed by Dean Cheng, a Heritage Senior Research Fellow.
--:-- Ian Howarth: The Chinese are absolutely going to try and create their own network to bypass economic and financial sanctions, even if it doesn't work, if it simply just impacts the Russians.
--:-- John Bickley: The Chinese are watching this eagerly to learn lessons at somebody else's expense.
--:-- Ian Howarth: And the Russian success against Ukraine, they'll apply against Taiwan.
--:-- John Bickley: So not only are we having to deal with the long-term concern that the alliance between China and Russia is developing faster than we can control, there's the short-term threat of another invasion of a sovereign nation on the horizon with no apparent plan to deal with the fallout.
--:-- Ian Howarth: There's definitely a lot to be concerned about right now.
--:-- John Bickley: Ian, thanks for the update.
--:-- Ian Howarth: Thanks, John.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Florida's new parental rights law raises the question, how young is too young to learn about sex and gender identity?
--:-- John Bickley: A sex ed summer camp in Indiana teaches third through fifth graders how to use a condom and will teach kids that gender is a spectrum.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The camp, which is part of a nationwide push to incorporate sex education at younger ages, is set to launch in Indianapolis this June.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire investigative reporter Mairead Elordi did some digging on this, and she's here to tell us more.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: So, Mairead, a sex ed camp for third graders. Yeah, it's quite a concept.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And just to confirm, the entire theme of the camp is sex and gender.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Yes. So what does that look like in terms of structure and activities?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, it's scheduled to run for five days in early June from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. out of a barbecue restaurant in northern Indianapolis.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: The camp says it's for kids in third to fifth grade, so seven to 11-year-olds.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In terms of activities, it sounds like the kids will learn about anatomy, changing bodies, and consent.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: They will also learn about different sexualities and various gender identities.
--:-- John Bickley: There will also be a condom demonstration.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: The camp explicitly states they want kids to think of condoms the same way they think about Band without embarrassment or shame.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Notably the activities won't be gender-specific because the founder philosophy is that gender is a spectrum.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: And what do we know about the person who's running this camp?
--:-- John Bickley: So the organizer of the camp is a woman named Ashley Robertson.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Robertson calls herself a sexuality educator and has taught several other sex ed classes.
--:-- Georgia Howe: For example, in November, she ran a workshop for parents called Shame-Free Potty Training in Early Sex Ed.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: She didn't respond to the Daily Wire for comments, but her public Facebook page gives some insight.
--:-- John Bickley: There, she advocates that adults talk openly with kids about sex, up to and including things like sex kinks.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: That Facebook group has a modest following, about 900 members, but it does include some notable education figures, including an assistant professor of education from Eastern Michigan University, a Pearson diversity reviewer, as well as multiple elementary school teachers and counselors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So she has some degree of influence with educators, but as of now, this is just one camp in one state.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Well, it's not entirely unprecedented. For example, one camp called Sexy Sex Ed was reported in 2019 in Kentucky.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But as of now, these camps are few and far between.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: That said, it is part of a larger trend of extending comprehensive sex ed into younger grades.
--:-- John Bickley: The concept of very early sex ed and gender theory in classrooms has become a major culture war issue over the past year in particular.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what are parents in Indiana saying about it?
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Well, as of now, we don't know how many parents have signed their children up.
--:-- John Bickley: At least one parent expressed their support for the camp on Robertson's Facebook page.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: That mom posted, quote, Other parents are very upset.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A parent group called Purple for Parents Indiana told the Daily Wire that the camp seems like child sexual grooming.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: They believe Robertson should be investigated. For her part, Robertson actually pushed back on them on her Facebook page, calling the parent group a hate group.
--:-- John Bickley: Although I imagine Robertson would argue that those parents are free not to enroll their own kids in this program.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The camp also has a mandatory orientation day for parents in order to establish trust.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: More broadly, though, a lot of parents are concerned about the cultural encroachment of sex and radical gender theory into children's spheres.
--:-- John Bickley: They worry similar messages are percolating in public schools and school libraries.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Parents I've spoken to point to various high-profile scandals involving explicit texts being taught in classrooms, particularly in Texas and Virginia.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: They also point to states like Florida, which have taken steps to limit discussion of sex in early elementary grades.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it's definitely becoming a recurring theme in the headlines.
--:-- Mairead Elordi: Maraid, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- John Bickley: We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you love our show and you stand with our mission, please consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all for now. Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us.
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