Transgender bathrooms to be forced on 4-H kids in another state

Exhibitor with cows at 4-H Fair (Photo: Cornell University)

Yet another state in America's conservative heartland, this time Iowa, is about to force 4-H – the popular, century-old, rural agricultural youth organization – to adopt the same LGBTQ transgender bathroom and other policies that have prompted evangelist Franklin Graham to promote a boycott of Target for adopting the same policies.

Earlier this week, WND exclusively reported on a multi-pronged, state-by-state movement to impose radical transgender policies on the nation's 4-H youth organizations.

Although 4-H is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is overseen and guided by "a network of 100 public universities," specifically their extension services. But these universities also comprise the source of a coordinated and, until now, below-the-radar push to impose on 4-H highly controversial LGBTQ policies – including the mandatory use of exotic transgender pronouns (see video below) and the admission of biological males into female restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa.

The policy document, titled "Inclusion Policy: LGBT Youth and Volunteers," is posted on the "Policy and Guidance" section of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website.

The imposition of transgender bathroom policies throughout 4-H in Iowa – a solidly red state which strongly supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election – is imminent.

Indeed, Iowa 4-H's "March 21, 2018 NEWS ITEMS" bulletin leads with an action item headlined, "National 4-H Guidance for Inclusion to be Adopted," and announcing that "Iowa 4-H plans to adopt the USDA NIFA National 4-H Guidance for Inclusion of All Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientations, and Sexes." It notes that the public comment period ends April 13.

However, the statement in the Iowa 4-H bulletin referring to "USDA NIFA National 4-H Guidance for Inclusion" flatly contradicts the official statement given to WND by a top USDA spokesman, who said explicitly: "4-H is controlled at the local level and NIFA would not dictate policy on the national level. This [document] should not have been disseminated to make it appear that it was national policy."

The document the USDA spokesman referred to was titled "4-H Guidance for Inclusion of Individuals of All Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientations, and Sexes," and until local 4-H leaders in northern Idaho discovered it and started asking pointed questions, had been published on the USDA-NIFA official website, directly under the logos of USDA, NIFA and the 4-H National Headquarters. On March 27, the document disappeared from the government's website, but as WND had captured it before then, it was preserved here.

The Iowa draft document, titled "Inclusion Policy: LGBT Youth and Volunteers," is – aside from the inclusion of two extra paragraphs detailing Iowa State University's own nondiscrimination policies – identical in every respect to the disputed national "guidance policy" document, which the Iowa version acknowledges throughout its footnotes (i.e., "Adopted from USDA NIFA 4-H National Headquarters, 4-H Guidance for Inclusion of Individuals of All Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientations, and Sexes. March 2018").

Exactly what sort of "guidance" is about to be forced on 4-H children as young as 5 throughout the state of Iowa?

Iowa's "Inclusion Policy" document, which begins with definitions of terms such as "polysexual" and "intersex," goes on to mandate that "4-H, including all paid and volunteer personnel, as well as youth members, will use pronouns and names consistent with a transgender or intersex individual’s gender identity."

It further stipulates that, at any time during participation in 4-H, both youth members and adult leaders may "assert a gender identity that differs from previous representation." That is, a biological male may claim he's female and vice versa. Such assertion needn't be supported by "medical diagnosis" or legal "identification documents." Nevertheless, once the assertion is made, accommodation – from overnight housing to pronoun usage – must be met.

Accommodation requirements apply to restrooms, locker rooms, overnight lodging and athletic teams, in all of which individuals must be allowed access based on their chosen gender identity. These accommodations must be met even if others experience "discomfort" as a result. Perhaps most controversially, "4-H shall ensure nondiscrimination to provide transgender and intersex individuals equal access to programs and activities," even in circumstances when the youth member's family or guardian "raise objections or concerns" over their child's decision to request such transgender accommodations.

The Iowa 4-H bulletin announcing the imminent adoption of the controversial transgender policies invites public comment for the next few days.

"The comment period on the proposed policy is open until April 13," it says. "Comments or questions may be directed to Marybeth Foster, Organizational Accountability Manager."

In addition to inviting public feedback by email, the 4-H website has a survey form soliciting approval of the new transgender policies.

Watch a demonstration of the proper use of transgender pronouns on "Tucker Carlson Tonight":

Read previous story: 4-H LGBTQ: Transgender revolution in rural America.