Jennifer Paquin

I strongly oppose House Bill 1712 - the “Countering Hate And Revolutionary Leftist Indoctrination in Education Act" because it does not attempt to do what it claims. We counter hate by supporting equality and civil rights and by recognizing the mistakes our country has made in the past so we can do better going forward. To try to take away what really happened in history and pretend things like racism and slavery never existed is a boldface lie. To say that teaching LGBTQ+ and gender identity promotes division is absurd when it does the opposite. Instead of dividing, it helps us understand and support one another better. That brings people together and doesn't divide them. Our children need to be taught authentic and accurate history, civics, and social issues so that they understand where we are coming from and how to move forward as one people, united as we are.