Chris Lange, FISM News
State Farm has reversed its stance on encouraging agents to donate LGBTQ books to local schools after it received immense backlash over the program.
The Twitter account Libs of TikTok obtained an internal memo from the company’s Chief Diversity Officer telling agents “we no longer support that program” and saying “conversations about gender and identity should happen at home with parents.”
BREAKING: @StateFarm sent out a mass email to their staff today stating “we will no longer support that program” after they were exposed for supporting a project to push LGBTQ books into schools.
A source tells me “the agents were really upset when we found out.” W pic.twitter.com/55P1QJ0oLa— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 23, 2022
The reversal comes after State Farm had asked its employees to donate LGBTQ children’s books to local libraries and schools in a leaked internal document.
In a Jan. 18 email, State Farm asked its Florida agents to select from among three books written for children in grades kindergarten and up. The titles include: “A Kids Book About Being Transgender,” “A Kids Book About Being Non-Binary,” and “A Kids Book About Being Inclusive.”
“This is a fantastic way to give back and an easy project that will help support the LGBTQ+ community and to make the world around us better,” wrote Jose Soto, a Florida-based State Farm corporate responsibility analyst in the leaked document.
Soto had said that the goal of the initiative “is to increase representation of LGBTQ+ books and support our communities in having challenging, important and empowering conversations with children age 5+.”
The internal email was forwarded by concerned employees to Consumers’ Research, according to the nonprofit’s Executive Director Will Hild, who shared the story on Twitter.
“Like a creepy neighbor, @StateFarm is there to indoctrinate your children,” Hild wrote in a separate tweet spoofing the company’s iconic “Like a good neighbor, State Far is there” tagline.
The insurance company had partnered with The GenderCool Project for the initiative.
Soto’s email suggested that the program wasn’t limited to Florida, stating that more than 500 agents and employees had been invited to participate.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, a State Farm spokesperson originally defended the program, saying it is “strictly voluntary.”
“Participants are not being asked to share with schools,” the statement read. “At State Farm, we are committed to diversity and inclusion; they aren’t just words, they are truly part of how we do business and lead our organization.” The insurance giant spokesperson said the company values diversity and inclusion and that “the LGBTQ+ community is a valued part of the communities we serve and are valued members of our workplace.”
In the wake of the leaked email, Consumers’ Research had launched a multi-million dollar campaign to educate potential customers about State Farm’s partnership with The GenderCool Project. The educational nonprofit seeks to inform consumers about political and ideological agendas supported and/or promoted by a multitude of companies and organizations, “and to promote the freedom to act on that knowledge and understanding,” according to its website.