Prairie State Wire

Awake Illinois is sounding the alarm on a bill that will mandate sexual education standards, including information on alternative lifestyles, to kids in public schools.

“Groomer Bill #5188 arrived with no warning into IL Sen Exec Committee late last night. Some dems are scared — not wanting to be known as exploiters of child innocence perhaps? This would make national sex Ed standards REQ to graduate. Developing…” Awake Illinois said on Twitter.

The group provided a summary of what the bill will do if enacted.

“No later than July 1, 2023, public schools must provide age and developmentally appropriate consent education from kindergarten through 12th grades,” the bill reads.

“These courses must incorporate and align with the "National Sex Education Standards" published by the Future of Sex Education. These standards call for:

"2nd graders to be able to define consent, define gender identity and
stereotypes, define reproduction, and identify different types of families, including cohabitating and same gender.

"5th graders to be able to describe the potential role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender, distinguish between 'sex assigned at birth and gender identity,' define and explain differences between cisgender, transgender, gender nonbinary, gender expansive, and gender identity, explain that gender expression and identity exist along a spectrum.

"8th graders to be able to define sexual identity and explain a range of identities related to sexual orientation (e.g., heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, two-spirit, asexual, pansexual); they should also be able to define vaginal, oral, and anal sex; describe pregnancy options, including abortion.

"All pregnant young people to have decision-making power in their reproductive health decisions.

"The use of a student's self-selected pronouns.

"They also specify that no one, other than the individual, is "qualified to label or judge another person's sexual identity, including their sexual orientation or gender identity."

“Current law (SB 818) provides that a district may either teach to the new national standards or can not teach sex ed period. It appears that many school districts opted out although the reason behind that is unclear.”

”ISBE was not present to testify at Executive committee.”

”Supported by Planned Parenthood, Equality IL, IFT, Nat'l Assoc. of Social Workers, IL NOW.”

“Opposed by Pro Family Alliance, IL Principals Assoc., ED-Red, Catholic Conference, LUDA, IHSDO, IASB, IASA, LEND, SCOPE, IL Right to Life Action Passed Executive RDA 11-6-0 (PRC).”

The legislation comes over a year after Democrats passed mandatory sexual education individual school districts were able to opt out.

In 2021, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a new sex education bill into law, SB 818, requiring all K-12 public schools in the state to align their sexual education curriculum with the National Sex Education Standards (NSES). The bill, which was implemented this August, sparked concern among some parents that their children were being taught gender identity ideology under the guise of sexual health.

Those standards were created by The Future of Sex Education Initiative (FoSE), an organization which endorses the notion that “not only are younger children able to discuss sexuality-related issues but that the early grades may, in fact, be the best time to introduce topics related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, gender equality, and social justice related to the LGBTQ community before hetero- and cisnormative values and assumptions become more deeply ingrained and less mutable.”

The Pantagraph’s Brenden Moore took to Twitter when Illinois lawmakers suddenly began debating the controversial bill.

“Meanwhile, over in #SenExec, they've started debating an amendment to SB5188, which would mandate age-appropriate sex education for all age levels. Currently, school districts can opt out — and most have. #twill,” the Pantagraph’s Brenden Moore said on Twitter.

As Moore reported on Twitter, the bill was included as an amendment to a so-called “shell bill.”

Such a procedure allows for a bill to be completely hollowed out and filled in with whatever legislators choose.

“These ‘shell bills’ are used as vehicles at the end of the legislative session for larger items, like the budget, that often come down to the wire. It gives lawmakers flexibility. Perhaps too much. It's not uncommon for hundred-page amendments to drop at the last minute,” Moore said on Twitter.