NJ gov candidate says stop pushing gay sex in schools; end LGBTQ curricula

Jack Ciattarelli is running as a Republican to become the next governor of New Jersey. He is cementing his conservative bona fides by promising to end a law requiring schools to teach certain LGBTQ history and relative issues. He made the pledge while campaigning at a gun range.

"We're not teaching gender ID (sic) and sexual orientation to kindergarteners," he said. "We're not teaching sodomy in sixth grade."

Garden State Equality, one of the largest LGBTQ advocacy groups in New Jersey fired back.

"He is a fringe crackpot who operates in a galaxy far far away from bipartisan human decency," founder Steven Goldstein said.

The new law which hopes to add to students' desks issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, features basic information about what gender identity and sexual orientation is, the important history makers in that community, and how to respect them as fellow neighbors and contributors to society.

School boards will have the right to figure out how and what to teach using basic guidelines.

Ciattarelli thinks it smacks in the face of religious liberty and is about pushing sex on children.

"All schools should be promoting doversity, inclusivity, tolerance, and respect for others, but that doesn't mean pushing explicit subjects in elementary school classrooms," he said in a statement to local press.

Ciattarelli has a mixed record on LGBTQ issues, having once agreed that transgender people do have the right to identify themselves as such on state documents like birth certificates. But advocates say, he's now running for governor and he needs conservative votes.