Activist Erin Friday on Protecting Kids and Fighting ‘Gender’ Ideology
Read part one of the Daily Citizen‘s interview with pro-child activist Erin Friday here.
Child Protective Services knocked on Erin Friday’s door in 2020 after she refused to treat her 13-year-old daughter as a boy. Now, the attorney and activist fights every day to protect the rights of parents who affirm their children’s biological sex.
Not everyone can draft legislation or lobby America’s most powerful leaders, as Friday does. But everyone can contribute to the fight to protect kids and parents from gender ideology.
First and foremost, Friday tells the Daily Citizen, parents must talk to their kids about sex and biology before LGBT activists do.
“Gender ideologues are getting to our kids in preschool, before we think we even have to talk about this,” Friday warns. “We just really need to get out in front of it.”
She suggests parents start teaching their children about their bodies as young as two years old, emphasizing:
- Everyone’s body is beautiful.
- No one can their change sex.
- No one is born in the wrong body.
- There can’t be a mismatch between your brain and body.
Parents can teach these foundational concepts using Focus on the Family-approved children’s books like I Don’t Have to Choose, Elephants are Not Birds and She is She.
You can access the full list of age-appropriate books here.
Parents should also teach their kids to distrust people who encourage them to hide something from their parents, Friday recommends. LGBT activists in schools frequently coach children to hide their sexual identity confusion from their parents.
“If parents don’t think it’s happening at their school, they’re wrong,” she emphasizes. “It’s happening at every school, including Catholic schools [and] private schools.”
Learning about gender ideology and its impact on kids and parental rights can feel overwhelming — but it’s not an impossible task. Friday recommends parents read Miriam Grossman’s Lost in Trans Nation and Erin Brewer’s Parenting in a Transgender World to get the lay of the land.
Focus on the Family offers a wide range of resources to help parents understand and combat gender ideology in their homes, classrooms, churches and communities. You can view the resource list here.
Education is just the first step toward joining Friday in the fight against gender ideology. Change simply does not occur without the courage and sacrifice of ordinary people.
“We need people showing up,” Friday says frankly. “It does us no good if people just complain about this and stay at their kitchen table.”
The easiest way to get involved, says Friday, is to write, call and email your political representatives to show you care about parents’ rights and want to see them protected.
Friday also recommends donating to nonprofits supporting parents and families — particularly those which help parents who do not affirm sexual identity confusion to fight for custody of their children.
If parents run out of ideas, Friday says her organization, Our Duty USA, will put them to work or connect them to local efforts to promoting parents’ rights.
To learn about parental rights issues affecting your state and find ways to get involved, Focus on the Family recommends contacting your local Family Policy Council.
The Daily Citizen appreciates Friday’s courage and clarity in protecting kids from sex-rejecting interventions. We encourage parents and citizens to use the resources above to get involved in the fight.
To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
Additional Articles and Resources
Erin Friday on Family Courts, ‘Transgender’ Sanctuary States and Fighting to Protect Parental Rights
Proposed Executive Order Would Protect Parental Rights
Athletes Rally at Supreme Court to Keep Boys Out of Girls Sports
Indiana Family Loses Custody of Son Over Religious Beliefs; Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case
HHS Finalizes Report Finding Sex-Rejecting Procedures Harm Minors
HHS Releases Report on Harms of ‘Transgender’ Medical Interventions for Minors
