A preschool teacher in California disgusted parents when he said children’s innocence is a myth and young kids should be taught about “queerness” and adult themes. William “Willy” Villalpando works at Trapp Preschool in the Rialto Unified School District in San Bernardino County. He describes himself as an expert at helping children develop their “gender identity,” and his social media posts reflect extreme left-wing views.
Villalpando advocates that babies as young as ten months old “begin making gendered association,” and by the age of 3, they “can label what gender they believe they identify with.” The teacher furthermore considers childhood innocence to be a mark of white supremacy, and he believes in, and teaches, the controversial critical race theory – an ideology that purports that all white people are racist and all non-white people are oppressed.
The beliefs of Mr. Villalpando are not unusual in American schools and are endorsed by some of the nation’s largest teaching unions. In 2021, the National Education Association (NEA), representing three million teachers and school employees from across the United States, voted to prioritize critical race theory teaching at the annual meeting of its Representative Assembly.
In a resolution passed at the meeting, attendees agreed to oppose all attempts to prevent the teaching of critical race theory in educational institutions, and crucially, to use schools as spaces for political activism and promotion.
A separate organization, known as Teach For America, says it trains “leaders” of the future. In practical terms, it coaches teachers to advocate and impress left-wing views on kids. It promotes critical race theory and the notion that young children should be well-versed in “queerness.”
While beliefs in radical gender theory and critical race theory have expanded in schools in recent years, some state leaders have reacted with legislation, perhaps most notably Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. DeSantis has banned critical race theory and radical gender ideas from schools in the Sunshine State, describing both as “indoctrination.”
