Republicans on Maine’s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs (ACF) called on Attorney General (AG) Aaron Frey to remove a radical “recruitment video” that promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and radical gender ideology to entice minors to join a Civil Rights Team Project.
“Children are especially sensitive to peer and teacher emotional cues. When emotional manipulation is used to influence their views on complex legal or moral issues, it crosses into indoctrination,” said the Republicans.
“This approach undermines parental authority, especially when emotional frameworks are used to sway students towards opposing viewpoints–contradicting parental consent laws and the rights of guardians to oversee their children’s education. Controversial social issues, including gender identity, should not override parental rights or create unnecessary division,” they added.
The Maine Wire called attention to the video last week after it was shown at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham, Maine.
The video, produced by the AG’s office, used cartoonish imagery to try to recruit children into the Civil Rights Team Project (CRTP), where students are encouraged to discuss issues such as race, gender, and sexual orientation.
The Republicans urged a careful evaluation of the video’s content and requested that it be removed until its content can be assessed.
They raised particular concerns about imagery depicting dramatizations of bigotry and showing a stylized cartoon child being sliced apart by it.
“The dissemination of this video by the Attorney General’s office–rather than the Department of Education–raises questions. Why has the Department of Education not been involved in evaluating its relevance and suitability,” they asked.
They also raised concerns that the video, which celebrates left-wing ideas about gender identity, could hurt Maine’s legal standing, as the state already faces federal legal action based on Gov. Janet Mills’ (D-Maine) and the Maine Principals’ Association’s refusal to bar transgender-identifying males from girls’ sports and spaces.
“As the Republican members of Maine’s Education Committee, we stand united in our call for the removal of this video as a school resource. We prioritize the safety, well-being, and rights of our students and families and believe that educational content must always be appropriate, balanced, and respectful of parental authority,” said the Republicans.
As of Thursday afternoon, the video was still available on the AG’s website.
Brandon Baldwin, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’s husband, served as the director for the AG office’s CRTP from 2008 to 2023. The video first became available during his time as director.
