During a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) discussed proposed legislation aimed at requiring parental consent for student gender changes in the school.
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00:00A now-recognized gentleman from North Carolina, Representative Harris.
00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for your leadership on this legislation.
00:0921,000 schools in America have policies to prevent faculty and staff
00:15from telling a parent about a student's self-imagined gender identity.
00:20Now, if you think that seems crazy, you're correct.
00:24This bill that's before us today merely requires elementary and middle schools
00:28which freely accept federal dollars to ask for parental consent
00:33before changing a child's gender, pronouns, or name on school documents.
00:40Mothers and fathers have the right to parent their children in the way they see fit.
00:45Well, I believe in limited government, especially when it comes to education.
00:49Our federal government was established to protect God-given rights,
00:53so we must ensure that basic parental rights are protected.
00:58School districts in my own district had policies like this.
01:02And thankfully, in 2023, North Carolina has implemented a law similar to the one we're considering today
01:09that requires parental notification for name or pronoun changes.
01:15See, implicit in this encouraged secrecy is the idea that parents will harm or punish their children
01:22if they discover that their son or daughter has questions about who they are.
01:27But this is a faulty premise.
01:29The most appropriate people to care for a child are his or her parents.
01:36This bill sides with parents and children rather than the nanny state
01:41that says the government can manage your family better than you can.
01:44It's never appropriate for school administrators to withhold concerning information about a child from their parents.
01:53The left's gender ideology preys upon adolescents by exploiting the vulnerability of children.
01:59But one truth still remains.
02:02There are only two sexes, male and female.
02:06Teachers should not perpetuate the lie that there are other genders by keeping secrets from parents of confused kids.
02:15I will always stand to protect children and uphold parental rights.
02:20I'm proud to support the Protect Kids Act, and I would urge my colleagues to do the same.
02:25Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
02:27I yield back my time.
02:28I thank the gentlemen.
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