The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids

by Logan Lancing, James Lindsay (Contributor)

American children are learning a lot about sex, "gender," and sexuality in their schools. District administrators, teachers, and even librarians are obsessed with pushing inappropriate topics onto kids, all in the name of fostering "inclusion." Children today learn that they were "assigned a sex at birth" and can change their sex or "gender" at will. Kids are no longer learning to read, write, or do math, but they are learning how to be "radical gender" activists. Meanwhile, school districts keep parents in the dark, hiding critical information about the health and well-being of their children from them.

American education wasn't like this forty years ago. The cult of Queer Theory changed everything. Inspired by the religious teachings of Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Queer Activists "queered" American education. Schools are no longer teaching children how to flourish in society—they are initiating children into the cult of Queer Theory. Once initiated, children "experience the queer" as they adopt a new cult identity and embark on the destructive path of social and medical "transition."

In this book, The Queering of the American Child, Logan Lancing and James Lindsay explain what Queer Theory is, where it comes from, how it got into schools, and what it's doing to children nationwide. The cult of Queer Theory preys on children, and it must be understood if we are ever to stop the madness.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Psychology, Sociology, Education, Parenting, Philosophy

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 29, 2024

Reviews

[Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a life long liberal and ally to the lgbtq community, (my dad who came out of the closet in his 40s) and confused concerned parent, This is a must read. I’m giving it out to anyone I know that reads and bringing it up at our PTA meeting next week. Amazing work. Chrystal clear explanation and empathetic informative prose that clearly outlays what’s going on. This is an unbiased extremely well researched and an incredibly important vital work that’s sure to impact conversation and national consciousness around queer theory and the freaky odd stuff happening to our children and in schools.

No bigotry or sexism or homophobia, or anything radical in this book. This aligns with my liberal politics and values idk what that recent 1 star says.

THIS IS A MUST READ

[Merianne Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Queering the American Child" by Logan Lancing and James Lindsay delves into the historical impact of political and ideological movements on American youth. The book emphasizes the need for parents to act as intentional barriers, safeguarding their children from influences that could potentially harm their minds, bodies, and souls. It concludes with a strong call to protect this vulnerable population from radical indoctrination.

[Marcus Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a middle and high school teacher, this book hit me differently. While studying through this book, there were a few moments where I had to stop and just started crying due to the cruelty that ideologies like Queer Theory impose on kids. Here are a few things the authors cover in the book. Logan Lancing and James Lindsay show the ideological roots of Queer Theory stemming back to Marxism using Queer Theorists and Marxist's own literature to do so. After showing the ideological roots of Queer Theory, the authors provide how Herbert Marcuse calls for like-minded Marxists to infiltrate higher education and hijack it. When these followers of Marcuse graduated and were instilled into academic positions in the 1970s-80s, the ideological framework of 'Classical Marxism' (Critical Theory) was applied to several disciplines such as Queer Theory, Critical Race Theory, Critical Legal Studies, Feminism, etc. This book further explains the methodology of Queer Theory in schools and how they try to keep the parents completely blind and their curriculum, which promotes Social Emotional Learning (SEL). To sum up, Queer Theory believes that 'men' and 'women' are social constructs invented by the elites that force people to be 'normal.' The goal of Queer Theory is to 'abnormalize' social constructs such as 'men' and 'women' so that whoever ascribes to Queer Theory will be liberated from the chains of oppression and be freed to identify as whatever they want (abnormal). This is a must-read!

[Tri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to give this book the award of ‘Most Fantastical’ compared to the other anti-trans books I’ve read. Also, surprise, another anti-trans book with direct connections to the Heritage Foundation. The propaganda machine keeps a-churning.

It isn’t a new concept that anti-trans books point out the intersections of trans activism and black/gay/etc activism. It’s either used as a means to say that trans people are ‘infecting’ other legitimate activist movements (as if a trans person can’t also be gay, black, etc) OR used as a means to say that ALL social justice movements are inherently bad. This book takes the latter point and cranks it to 11.

What if I told you that if you used someone’s preferred pronouns, you’re actually participating in communist China propaganda and are joining a secret-but-not-secret cult where Drag is the new Pope Robes and your child is going to public school as a Normal Person and coming out as a QUEER MARXIST??!???!??!

For one, I would assume you would think I’m telling a weird joke. That’s what I was assuming until the metaphor became literal to the author;
“Queer Theory is not merely academic; it is full of religious rituals and observances. The cult distinguishes between in-group and out-group by using “preferred pronouns,” complex jargon, and code words in greeting and writing. Queer Activists dress in the religious garb of the drag queen or drag king, or through highly identifiable patterns of dress, grooming, and presentation. Cultists signal their fealty with a flag that finds itself in constant revolution—“

Hahahahah…oh wait, you’re serious?

Even anti-trans books like ‘Lost in Trans Nation’ or ‘Irreversible Damage’, despite the insufficient data and lack of actual concern for trans people, at least tries to stay on a very surface level understanding of the world. ‘The Queering of the American Child’ just nosedives headfirst into conspiracy, assuming the reader is already heading there.

Buckle up! This is a long review.

—-

People who are not gay or trans may be confused when someone who IS gay or trans may not want to ‘come out’ to their parents or family right away. They may be confused why someone would not want to talk to their parents, or even why someone may estrange themselves. The author takes a strong stance on this;
“Queer Activists are known for saying, “If your parents aren’t accepting of your identity, I’m your mom now.”…redefine the word “family” for initiates as those who accept them for their acceptance of cult doctrine..as opposed to the people who would try to protect them from the cult’s influences…Children learn that evil spirits control their parents.”

To start, not every LGBT person estranges themselves- many even have strong and healthy relationships with family members. What the author fails to understand is that some folks are estranged by force. Sometimes parents kick their kids out, sometimes family members say ‘don’t show up’ during the holidays, some only ever want to talk about converting their family member to a religion to make them ‘stop’ being gay/trans. This is both exhausting as well as traumatizing.
People later finding family (i.e, emotional and social support) in people outside of their family tree isn’t exclusive to LGBT people, nor is it a bad thing; Having a social circle and being able to find happiness and safety alongside others help stave away depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other negative behaviors and spirals. By taking on a disingenuous take on finding family, the author is framing any sense of this human phenomenon among LGBT folks as ‘cultish’.

Like other anti-trans authors, it’s nicer to pretend the old ‘rules’ of how we understand nature, society, ourselves, and culture are immutable;
“Cisheteronormativity refers to the assumption or belief that being “cisgender”…and heterosexual…has been made the norm or standard in society…Children learn that the only reason society considers those things normal is because people with power and privilege have made it so for reasons that are explicitly self-serving and unjust.”

I had to double check- No, the author doesn’t bring up the fact that ‘cross-dressing’ used to be illegal and got you beat and thrown in jail. No, the author doesn’t mention that being gay used to mean you could be fired, kicked out of your apartment, beaten, arrested, or killed.
I could go on and on about the unjust laws and treatment of LGBT people across the globe for the last century alone. To pretend that those who were making these laws and actions weren’t contributing to a ‘being LGBT is NOT normal’ society is ignorant at best and malicious at worst.

After quoting an author discussing how intersex people often can’t easily be labeled as male or female because of their mixed traits, and that by forcing them to be labeled makes it harder to understand the nuances of human biology, the author says this;
“Queer Theory doesn’t care about biology, science, or truth—those things are all controlled by the “normal” Bourgeoisie—the ruling class. This ruling class alienates people, collecting this alienation as material power to impose their worldview and way of life on everyone else under the guise of “being normal.””
But…it is biology. Intersex people have these traits naturally, and it’s not a ‘1 in a billion’ occurrence to be intersex, either. Millions of people have male and female traits, millions of people CAN’T fit into one category or another without making many exceptions. Author doesn’t mention intersex people directly at all, in case you were curious.

The author goes on for a few chapters about Marxism and how all teachers, doctors, and educators are completely down for it and how they’re using it to turn YOUR CHILD into a Marxist;
“Marxist sociopolitical analysis to understand how their cultural identity…are excluded from classrooms and society. In practice, this means telling children that a ruling class (dominant culture) oppresses them because they are poor, black, Hispanic, Native American, a girl, gay, lesbian, “trans,” or fat. After learning that they are oppressed, children are meant to begin practicing critical reflection…from a Marxist standpoint.”

I don’t think a kid needs to learn about identity politics in public school curriculum to know that being called a racial/homophobic slur or being sexually harassed by boys is only happening to some groups of kids and not others. I also don’t think that a kid thinking about how their experiences (or experiences of historical figures) shape their life and their society is…a Marxist thing? There are many activists of the past and present who challenge the status quo who also don’t take a Marxist viewpoint. This just comes across as the author being too uncomfortable with dissecting the topics of race/sexuality/sex/etc and how it affects us. I don’t think the author understands how understaffed and underpaid teachers are to even give the energy making every class fulfilling, let alone a Marxist deep dive.

“The people running our schools today think that they must make schools “diverse,” “equitable,” and “inclusive” to counter the omnipresent forces of racism, sexism, genderism, and transphobia that are said to be lurking in traditional assessments and classroom practices.”
I mean, should we not be ‘inclusive’? What’s the alternative here? The author doesn’t clarify what a substitute would be, aside from pulling your kid out of school.


“that the school outside the classroom especially, and even the classroom itself, isn’t safe without Queer Activism. The message is only places hanging the pride flag have a chance of being safe. Everywhere else…is dragged into question. If these spaces were safe, there wouldn’t be a need to hang a pride flag in the classroom as a symbol of potential safety.”
Having been to public school, no student has ever saw those cheesy ‘Safe Space’ stickers and thought ‘That means everywhere else is unsafe!!!’ it meant that the teacher/counselor wouldn’t be harsh towards you if you were struggling with issues like bullying or were openly gay. A teacher trying to be earnestly supportive of LGBT students by having a rainbow flag in their pen holder doesn’t mean they’re Evil Queer Marxist Communists trying to Teach Your Kid How To Trans. Geez.

The author has an entire section of the book dedicated to talking about communist China (as in, pages of history) and how trans people are basically Chinese communists because…they…are sometimes in curriculum? Because there are words the author doesn’t ‘get’? Because trans people say ‘hey please respect that this is my name’? Because some (but obviously and statically, not most) queer people identify as Marxists? I could get into it but this review is already long.

The lines aren’t drawn by the author, like many anti-trans authors, between what’s considered ‘activism’ and what’s considered ‘just LGBT’, no lines between earnest ally wanting to show support and a ‘cultist’ trying to create an army of child communists, and no lines between curriculum/books with topics that include LGBT people and ‘indoctrination’. There are no examples by the author for what would be appropriate (Not that he’s an educator in the first place, but some forethought about substitutes wouldn’t hurt).

One has to wonder why an author would make so many assumptions and assert beliefs as fact when it comes to how education, transitioning, and understanding oppression works. One has to wonder how someone could so easily miss the histories and lives of LGBT people before and after schools and medical organizations have made the efforts to realize that they, too, are a part of society worth understanding and treating. One has to wonder how an author can spend four years ‘researching’ a topic and delve so hard into metaphor and Red Scare talk, villainizing whole swaths of teachers, medical practitioners, LGBT people, and others.
I can think of nothing better to summarize an answer to these thoughts than from a quote from the author;

“The academy is lost. I couldn’t turn to “the experts” for conversation while researching this book because the experts are frauds who no longer care about truth. Instead, I honed my ideas and arguments in concert with the thousands of strangers who are working tirelessly to expose the cult of Queer Theory (and Marxism). Thank you all for the impact you have had on me and your communities.”

Mhm. Nothing says professionalism, avoiding bias, and true researching quite like hitting up the ol’ Facebook feed.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an important book

Americas children are being brainwashed by an establishment that is hell bent on destroying normalcy and replacing it with a cult. Teachers have been indoctrinated in their colleges of education and academics have combined with administrators to not to build knowledgeable, capable adults, but rather to build activist who will destroy systems that work and replace them with ill conceived methods that create confusion and foster revolution. If you hear Critical Theory do all you can to stop it.

[Christa Petzold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for anyone who looks at public schools, libraries, and healthcare institutions today and asks themselves the question, "What exactly is going on here? Where did all this rainbow/LGBTQ+ stuff come from and why is it showing up in preschools? Who is suggesting that these books, these topics, and these curricula are appropriate for kids? And whoever they are, what is their end game?"

For parents, teachers, and anyone else shaking their head in puzzlement, this book does an excellent job of laying out the history and tenets of Queer Theory, how it made its way into America's educational system, and what it is trying to do there. When dealing with a gnostic mystery religion (which is what Queer Theory is at its core), finding out what exactly is being taught and why is more than half the battle toward neutralizing the threat. This book is helpful in that endeavor.

"The tactic of targeting children isn't just perverse; it's also manipulatively demonic. Most adults, even with their empathy weaponized, are little susceptible to the Queer Gnostic cult. ... Children, however, are much easier to manipulate and, in fact, to break, and adults love their children. Adults who adopt the Queer Gnostic cult very frequently do [sic] either in a desperate attempt to prove their inclusive virtue or, far more often, in allyship with a sexual or 'gender' minority relative or friend, usually a child, niece, nephew, or some other close relation. The initiated child is the gateway to the social-emotional initiation of the adults in their lives, who have their love weaponized into the twisted value called 'inclusion'." (page 215)

. . .

I have a few issues with the book in terms of style and at least one citation I think might be incorrect, but these do not detract from the helpfulness of the overall message. Honestly, I think I might recommend this book for everyone raising kids in America today. It is a quick, straightforward read, and for better or worse, you won't find it boring.

[Lisa Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are confused or concerned about what is being taught in schools right now and new laws about school policy and parental rights, this book might help you make sense of it.
What in the world is Queer Theory? How is it brought into the classroom? What is the point or end game? Are you okay with it once you understand it?
And parents, if your kid tells you they believe in Marxism, what does that mean and who is teaching that philosophy?
This book isn’t an easy read but one I recommend for parents and educators. In a way, it was depressing for me to read because this theory doesn’t seem like a positive direction for our kids and society. But I think we must educate ourselves as to what is happening in schools.

And in the last paragraph before the Afterword, a bit of hope was offered: “In the end, the cult always self-implodes.” Yes, the theory is considered a cult by the author. Read it for yourself and see if you agree or disagree.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been studying this topic for several years now. I cannot recommend this book enough. The first part is so enlightening to help understand what we are battling against. You cannot argue people out of this logic. There is no logic. Only destruction. Everything you think that is normal and good is being destroyed by those who have bought the lie that man is imprisoned by societies rules and order. This cold stands in opposition to everything our country was found it on and God.

I think one of my favorite lines of this book is that traditional values bring order out of chaos. Queer activists bring chaos out of order.

We are not battling academics. We are battling a cold religion. It won’t take much to tablet, but we do have to stand up and say enough is enough. The damage is done in our schools and institutions, but we can still stop it.

[Heather Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I appreciated about this book was that it was less an argument against queer theory and more an explanation of what it is, quoting the actual creators and propagators of it, so that we could see for ourselves that it is a dangerous, manipulative, deadly cult intent on harm.

The creators of queer theory weren't trying to give kids who feel different a place to belong. They are working to subvert the natural order and dismantle absolute truth. It became very clear to me as I read this, even though the book didn't say it (and in fact, it said nothing about Christianity at all), that at its root, queer theory is entirely incompatible with a Christian worldview. The people who made it up sure didn't think it was, believe me - and anyone who thinks otherwise has been unwittingly manipulated.

This is not an apologetics book that will explain how to argue against queer theory. Hopefully anybody with common sense who reads it will see for themselves what the issues are. It helped me to understand that queer theory isn't just some wrong ideas about how to best love people who are different from me, but it is horrendously danger-filled and it is imperative that we do all we can to protect our children and other loved ones from the irrevocable harm it causes.

[alexa joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars is quite generous compared to what I actually think of this book. I'd actually give it a 1.5 but rounded up because it did make me do my own research and note down other books and philosophers I am definitely interested in.

long story short, I think this book takes on a lot of aspects of queer theory and pedagogy and stretches it to extremities to fit a very narrow agenda (that queer activism is essentially a religious cult that preys on children) to make vulnerable and otherwise gullible groups doubt all forms of queer activism. a lot of the language in this book was hypocritical, asserting that queer pedagogy uses violent and disruptive processes and manipulative rhetoric. I would argue that this book uses the same exact processes and rhetoric. from arguing that queer activism is comparable to Mao Zedong's rule of China (who was a bigger mass murderer than Hitler or Stalin) to that their processes involve alchemy and spells, I found no difference in what these authors were warning the reader against versus what was in their own writing.

I also must say that the queer books mentioned as being sexually explicit and inappropriate for children are described as being YA. there are countless heterosexual YA romance books that are very explicit and show similar ideas/dynamics that are being criticized in said queer books. they are available in the same libraries yet those have supposedly never been an issue. this is just a push to infringe upon queer voices by painting them in a negative light with their supposed want to brainwash "children." we can't just generalize a whole genre being inappropriate when similar books in the genre are being exempt from scrutiny.

there are a lot of other points that I'd want to address but don't want to diverge unnecessary energy since I didn't enjoy this read and the hypocrisy of it all. I'll be thinking more critically (ha!) though, thanks.

[Pickett311 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best decision we ever made was to
homeschool our 2 youngest sons with a Bible based/classical curriculum. The woke mind virus has to be stopped. The goal of the queer theorists is not empathy and inclusion, it is to make chaos out of order.
As one reviewer wrote, if you are offended by the title of this book you are exactly the person who should be reading it!

[G.S. Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically, it's Mein Kampf Part 2. Just replace "the Jews" with "the Transeses".

[Jeremy Orbe-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The people who most need to read this book are those who will be put off by the title. But it’s the right one.

The crucial point is this: the authors make it very clear that Queer Theory activists will “tell you that they must create an ‘inclusive’ classroom to support gay and lesbian kids. [But] Queer theory has nothing to do with being gay or lesbian.” (pg. 114)

To the contrary, they quote noted Queer Theorist David Halperin, who teaches that “unlike gay identity, which, though deliberately proclaimed in an act of affirmation, is nonetheless rooted in the positive fact of homosexual object-choice, queer identity need not be grounded in any positive truth or in any stable reality. As the very word implies, ‘queer’ does not name some natural kind or refer to some determinate object; it acquires its meaning from its oppositional relation to the norm. Queer is by definition whatever is at odds with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant. There is nothing in particular to which it necessarily refers. It is an identity without an essence.” (pg. 26)

Just so, this book mainly consists of commentary on a big collection of horrific quotes from the theorists themselves.

The theorists explicitly and routinely deploy the term “queer” as a verb, saying things like “to queer is to destabilize the social, cultural, and political normalizing structures that work to solidify identities.” (pg. 128)

The authors run down the history of the theory, from Foucault, Butler, Rubin, etc., and on to many, many others, showing how it has become — quite literally — a Gnostic, anti-materialist cult religion bent on “liberating” vulnerable individuals from the “prison” of basic physical and biological realities; as the theorists themselves say, they must “co-create spaces” in which they encourage individuals to be “woven into the very fabric of the space, the ritual format, and the magick and ritual performed.” (pg. 190)

The authors show, step-by-step, how the very structure of Queer Theory — which explicitly and repeatedly, in their own words, tries to deconstruct “childhood innocence,” which they describe as “mythical” — is inherently opposed to any limiting principles whatsoever, to the point that it actively defends pedophilia as just another harmless lifestyle choice, as in Gayle Rubin’s infamous 1984 essay, “Thinking Sex,” which became the foundational document of Queer Theory, and which included such passages as: “like communists, […] boylovers are so stigmatized that it is difficult to find defenders […] for their erotic orientation. […] These men have been the victims of a savage and undeserved witch hunt.” (pg. 27)

According to Hannah Dyer’s “Queer futurity and childhood innocence: Beyond the injury of development,” to believe in developmentally-appropriate stages of exposure to adult sexuality is described as a kind of “injury” to a child, which serves to “foreclose careful consideration of the child’s agentic relationship to perverse and queer sexuality.” (pg. 160)

As one Queer Theorist put it: “Fuck the social order and the Child in whose name we’re collectively terrorized; […] fuck the poor, innocent kid on the Net; fuck laws both with capital Ls and with small.” (pg. 161)

The authors trace the historical development of this radical ideology, and show how it grew out of fundamentally Gnostic, Hermetic, and Alchemical ideas as transmitted through Hegel and Marx, and on through Radical Feminism, particularly de Beauvoir, until it finally infected the schools beginning in the late eighties and early nineties.

As Marxist activist Isaac Gottesman wrote in a history of the movement he is a part of: “To the question ‘Where did all the sixties radicals go?’, the most accurate answer […] would be: neither to religious cults nor yuppiedom, but to the classroom.” (pg. 74)

Like the Queer Theorists, many of the “critical” studies departments have similar concerning characteristics; for instance, Critical Race Theorists, in their own words, “question the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.” (pg. 75)

Meanwhile, the hands-on application of Queer Theory is openly Marcusian and Maoist, employing struggle sessions, thought reform, and brainwashing; as Freire freely admits, in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” this is “the fundamental aspect of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.” (pg. 79)

They openly admit that “schools must be reconceived as sites of cultural disjuncture, as convulsions within the operating logic of capitalism, and as counter-hegemonic spheres which generate unprecedented possibilities for social critique and utopian thinking.” (pg. 91)

The authors methodically document (using direct quotes from the theorists themselves) how Queer Theory, as practiced in educational institutions, employs endless motte-and-bailey arguments, exercises cult-like milieu control over vulnerable children, employs manipulative love-bombing, insists on compelled speech and neo-pronoun use, and above all drives wedges between children and parents, because it is fundamentally and explicitly opposed to basic parental rights, in its quest to blur and then collapse the distinction between adult and child.

Indeed, Queer Theory asserts that it is fundamentally not even normal to be heterosexual; heterosexuality itself is part of the oppressive social construct known as “heteronormativity.”

It despises basic evolutionary theory, totally ignores the distinction between gamete size/production which demonstrates conclusively the existence of a biological binary, and claims that biological terms such as “male” and “female” are merely socially-constructed political categories, and sex is “assigned” (rather than observed) at birth.

Furthermore, all this is propagandized using deliberately deceptive methods. For instance, the authors of “Drag pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood” themselves openly admit that though Drag Queen Story Hour “publicly positions its impact in ‘help[ing] children develop empathy, learn about gender diversity and difference […] much of this is strategically done in order to justify its education value.” (pg. 106)

The activist authors of this paper openly admit that although “it may be that [Drag Queen Story Hour] is ‘family friendly,’ in the sense that it is accessible and inviting to families with children, […] it is less a sanitizing force than it is a preparatory introduction to alternate modes of kinship. Here, DQSH is ‘family friendly’ in the sense of ‘family’ as an old-school queer code to identify and connect with other queers on the street.” (pg. 107)

In other words, they openly admit that the claim that it’s about teaching empathy and inclusion is just a marketing ploy. They openly admit they use coded meanings, wordplay, motte-and-bailey, conceptual polysemy, etc., in order to deceive trusting and well-meaning parents.

They openly admit to propagandizing through fiction and blatantly pornographic books in school libraries, and using “generative themes” in the classroom in the hopes of raising up a new generation of radical activists.

They are open about wanting to abolish single-sex spaces, including school locker rooms, restrooms, even sex-segregation during overnight school field trips. (The book includes a disturbing story of a group of 14-year-old girls in a shower with an 18-year-old boy who identified as a girl.)

The theorists themselves admit that Queer Pedagogy “creates chaos out of order.” (pg. 129) In their own words, they “lead students to feel paralyzed with anger, sadness, anxiety, and guilt; it can lead to a form of emotional crisis,” (pg. 134) which is “violent and disruptive” and put children into “an uncomfortable disequilibrium for which they are unprepared.” (pg. 135)

Furthermore, the theorists themselves say that “once in a crisis, a student can go in many directions, some that may lead to anti-oppressive change, others that may lead to more entrenched resistance. Therefore, educators have a responsibility […] to draw students into a possible crisis.” (pg. 136)

And if parents object to their children being deliberately induced into mental crises and propagandized, the theorists write extraordinarily creepy papers about “Navigating Parental Resistance.”

The theorists openly admit, in books such as “Queer Pedagogies: Theory, Praxis, Politics,” the existence of “many code words used to make the political agenda of a course invisible or at least less visible. This has allowed educators to access public resources in order to further the goals of social justice in education.” (pg. 144) Again, that quote is not a critic writing, that’s taken straight from the theorists’ own paper.

Another writes: “For all the criticism teachers receive for ‘indoctrinating’ students, […] not much has been said in defense. At the very least, a shy denial is made. It is time for educators to own this criticism and admit that is exactly what we do.” (pg. 116)

The cult indoctrination is deployed through CASEL, SEL, and UN-sponsored Comprehensive Sexual Education. Meanwhile, the theory has also wormed its way into major medical institutions — including, vehemently, developmental psychology, the DSM, etc. — across the world, not because the evidence demands it (it does not; rather, the opposite) but because it is politically expedient.

Thus, the supposed “experts” have been corrupted (or were frauds to begin with), and those of us who naively trust the authority figures are being fooled by bad actors who are taking advantage of our good faith.

(The main problem being that good people simply have a difficult time believing that anyone sane could actually say such awful things. “There must be a misunderstanding, things can’t really be that bad!”)

Sure they can. The book shows how the medical establishment has moved into a treatment model in which mental disorders are affirmed rather than challenged and healed, claiming that it is possible that children can be “born in the wrong body.”

They administer “puberty blockers” despite knowing that they compromise future sexual function and fertility, leading to sterility (gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists are also used for chemical castrations of sex criminals, after all), and can cause a permanent decrease in bone density and osteoporosis, increased pressure in the skull, mimic the symptoms of a brain tumor, or result in loss of vision and negative consequences for neurological development. Above all, they shut down the activity of the hypothalamus, which controls all the other hormonal structures in the body, including sexual development and emotions.

Cross-sex hormones are pushed and administrated despite the serious risk of developing sleep apnea,
deep-vein or lung blood clots, heart problems, infertility, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

The worst part, of course, is that the logic of Queer Theory leads, almost inevitably, to the outright butchery of children’s bodies:

Double mastectomies of healthy breasts, phalloplasties (in which a girl’s forearm is carved up in order to harvest enough skin to create an artificial and non-functioning “penis”), vaginoplasty (in which a boy’s penis is inverted to create an artificial and non-functioning “vagina”), all of which procedures have extremely high complication rates, and create a lifelong patient for the medical establishment to prey on.

The book documents how whistleblowers in the field have raised the alarm that these are highly dangerous and unproven medical experimentation, often on youth who have serious comorbidities, or are autistic, depressed, suffer from PTSD, OCD, or have histories of trauma. This medical malpractice is feebly justified based on the claim that unless minors are given gender-affirming care, they are more likely to commit suicide — a claim which is itself based on false statistics and data manipulation.

All this despite and over the concerns of many dissenting researchers in the medical field, who have pointed out an alarming lack of evidence or testing for any of these grandiose claims. We’re just supposed to accept it on faith, and not dare to do any independent research.

Meanwhile, the violent threats made to detransitioners who regret the choices pushed on them, who wonder where the actual grownups were, certainly show that we have utterly failed these children.

This is all a result of catastrophically misplaced empathy. These theorists and activists are not victims, they are the oppressive establishment.

If we as a culture manage to regain our moral sanity, this episode of history will be looked back on with as much horror as we now have for, say, the mad scientists performing grotesque medical experiments in Nazi Germany.

Literally and explicitly and 100% in-context, this theory exists (and is being leveraged as a pedagogical tool in elementary and high schools) to deliberately — deliberately — induce personal “crisis,” to “destabilize” “identities.” It is absolutely no wonder that we are facing an unprecedented rise in mental health issues among the rising generations.

As Queer Theorist K.K. Kumashiro put it in “Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice,” “perhaps the most significant way that anti-oppressive teaching is queer is its use of discomfort or crisis. […] Like queer activism, queer teaching always works through crisis. The goal is to continue teaching and learning through crisis — to continue experiencing the queer.”

It is child abuse. They are doing it on purpose. They know they are doing it.

And anyone who gets angry at me for recognizing this fact simply has not read what the theorists themselves have been writing for decades. So you should read all the direct quotes collected in this book and find out. (You’re the one claiming to be open-minded, right?)

[Chantel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is...just wow! You know some crazy things are happening within the school system, but I feel a vast majority of people really have no clue what's REALLY happening. I think this book should be picked up by anyone with a child in the school system. I mean anyone.

I do have a major issue with the fact that the people who really NEED to be reading this book are the ones who will never pick this book up simply because of the title which is incredibly unfortunate. There is so much going on in the school systems that can't continue to be overlooked constantly.

I wish Lancing would have given a little more on how we can work on this issue. There was only a small chapter in the entire book that related to the solution and even then it was just giving the reigns to the parents (which is where they need to be and I understand this), but I wish he had some more ideas on how we can combat the issue together and not just individually.

Not to mention the fact that not once did he mention homeschooling as a solution...that IS the solution. If we want to get our children away from the crazy indoctrination and cultist ideals then we literally have to take them away from those things. We can't just continue to "fight" the school system by leaving our kids in the schools. We can't keep putting up with the crap they are feeding our kids. The fight is pulling them out and showing them that we WILL NOT put up with the behaviors within these schools.

Anyway, I'll step down from my soapbox now. Seriously, don't let the title scare you away. It is worth the read for everyone.

[Jennifer Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wish I would have known. Everyone serving at a school MUST read!

I have a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development. I earned my M. Ed with a certificate in School Counseling in 2009. I worked for non-profits in, yep Social Justice programs (luckily this was mostly working with incarcerated and trafficked youth), throughout college before entering the schools. Social Emotional Learning became my world for the last 15 years. I even ran a group called Change Makers! I had every flag and safe space sticker given to me from all the "trainings" (read brainwashing) conferences I attended. In 2020 I had my daughter, COVID happened, and I started to see the world differently.

After stepping away from "education", I started seeing changes in counselor education, teacher education, and my own family related to separation because of political propaganda.

Beneath Sheep's Clothing changed my life. My blinders that were sadly attached to my eyes through my college education, were removed. I thought I was helping kids. I thought I was advocating for them to their parents. I thought I was doing the right thing but I was just THEIR pawn.

This book shows you exactly how easily adults were tricked into CRT and Queer Theory. How they used those of us with a kind heart to deliver their evil messages. If we were manipulated this easily, imagine these poor kids that are just characters in the game. These youth, who are forever changing their bodies and minds, only to be discarded or worse.

[John Spiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of my friends express the view that Right-wingers and conservatives in general, and Donald Trump and MAGA in particular, pose an existential threat to democracy and indeed society. Since I've come to view that as largely unhinged and lacking evidence, I hesitate to state the exact opposite, that actually America's Left (but not old school liberals) not only pose a serious, immediate threat to democracy and society, but have actually made great progress in infiltrating institutions and poisoning minds with Maoist ideology. This book, The Queering of the American Child, makes a strong case that that is precisely the case, by juxtaposing what the gender (Marxist) ideologues say with the policies they are implementing. This book will greatly help us understand the nature of the problem that manifests in the madness of judges putting male rapists in female prisons, or young girls, under the delusion of being male, having their breasts removed. Books such as Lancing's ought to be read by as many people as possible as we figure out how to move forward and restore sanity and *normalcy*, the state that is bizarrely under attack.

[Sarah Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m giving this book a 5 Star rating to encourage others to read it. As a mother and private educator I think it’s important for parents, teachers… and everyone else who doesn’t have children or anything to do with education… to know what’s happening in education systems in countries like Australia.

This book explains an underlying reason why many students can’t read, spell, write cohesively, or work out simple percentage discounts; why they don’t know what the Pacific Ocean is and haven’t heard of Communism. They aren’t being taught these skills in an honest, straightforward way. They aren’t supposed to know many actual facts or solve problems logically or ask questions; but they are expected to identify victims and criticise oppressors.

Yes, I know my comments don’t apply to all students, teachers, and schools; however, this book has inspired me to publicly express my opinion which is based on tertiary study in the humanities for a few decades; and working with primary, secondary, and tertiary students.

There is something ‘going on’ and this book does a good job of explaining What and Why.

[Chelsea Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent explanation of what’s been going on and why. One of the things I wish more people understood is that much of what we see happening around us culturally is not inevitable progress or random trends. Small groups of people decided they wanted to change things in very specific ways and they wrote books and published papers about it. Using their own words this book shows you what their goals are. They are not just trying to be nice. The unfair private property they want to abolish in this case is your family and the ability of future generations to form families.

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually looked forward to reading this book because i thought it was going to provide a thought-provoking insight into changes - positive and negative - in education.

I rarely feel compelled to leave a review this negative, but The Queering of the American Child by Logan Lancing is a textbook example of a book written not to inform, but to pander to pre-existing biases. From start to finish, this book is riddled with misstatements, inaccuracies, prejudices, hypocrisy, and exaggerations that undermine any semblance of intellectual honesty.

1. Misstatements of Fact
Lancing doesn’t seem interested in presenting facts; rather, he cherry-picks quotes, distorts data, and makes sweeping generalizations without any credible sources to back up his claims. For instance, in Chapter 3, Lancing claims that “studies consistently show that children exposed to LGBTQ+ content in schools experience confusion about their own identities.” However, this is a gross misrepresentation of the research. In reality, studies on LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools, such as those conducted by the American Psychological Association, have consistently found that inclusive curricula actually improve students’ mental health and sense of identity, not the opposite. Lancing’s distortion of such studies is either the result of ignorance or deliberate manipulation to fit his narrative.

2. Inaccuracies
The inaccuracies in this book are staggering. Lancing regularly misrepresents studies, misquotes experts, and takes information out of context to suit his narrative. In Chapter 7, he cites a study about the rise of “gender confusion” among children but fails to note that the study in question was widely criticized for its methodology and lack of peer-reviewed credibility. Furthermore, he takes a quote from Dr. Lisa Littman’s research on “rapid onset gender dysphoria” and uses it out of context to suggest that gender identity issues are largely a social contagion—an idea that has been debunked by other researchers in the field, including Dr. Littman herself, who has clarified that her study should not be used to stigmatize transgender youth. This kind of misleading presentation of research is a clear attempt to push an ideological agenda rather than engage in honest scholarship.

3. Prejudices
The book is dripping with prejudices against the LGBTQ+ community, often veiled under the guise of “protecting children.” Lancing claims that the push for gender-neutral bathrooms in schools is part of a larger agenda to “normalize” LGBTQ+ identities and “destroy family values.” He refers to these initiatives as a “direct assault on the traditional family structure,” and even goes as far as to suggest that “children are being indoctrinated to accept that gender is fluid” as though this is some sort of crisis. In Chapter 5, Lancing compares LGBTQ+ inclusivity programs to “brainwashing” techniques used by cults, which is not only intellectually lazy but deeply offensive. The implication here is that LGBTQ+ acceptance is not a matter of civil rights or basic human decency, but rather a malicious effort to corrupt children. This kind of rhetoric is prejudiced and deeply harmful.

4. Hypocrisy
What truly irked me was the blatant hypocrisy running throughout Lancing’s arguments. He claims to be defending “traditional values” and “family,” yet his criticisms are often aimed at individuals and groups trying to ensure that children can grow up in a world where they are accepted for who they are, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. For example, in Chapter 9, Lancing talks about the importance of parental rights in education, yet he completely ignores the fact that many parents of transgender and gender-nonconforming children advocate for school policies that protect their children’s rights. Lancing’s one-sided view on parental involvement conveniently overlooks the very real concerns of parents whose children are facing discrimination. It’s as though “family values” only apply when it fits his narrow vision of what a family should look like.

5. Exaggerations
This book thrives on hyperbole and exaggerated claims. Lancing’s predictions about the impact of LGBTQ+ rights on children’s well-being are beyond dramatic. He writes in Chapter 4, “If the trend continues, we’ll soon have children as young as five being told they can change genders at will, with no understanding of the long-term consequences.” This statement is not just unfounded, it’s pure alarmist exaggeration. There is no evidence to suggest that schools are teaching young children to change genders or that gender-fluidity is being “forced” on anyone. Lancing has taken a tiny subset of real-world debates and blown them out of proportion to create a sensationalized narrative.

Conclusion:
In the end, The Queering of the American Child is an exercise in fear-mongering, full of inaccuracies and glaring biases. If you’re looking for thoughtful discourse on the subject of gender and sexuality, this book is not it. If you’re looking for something that validates your worst fears and preconceived notions without offering any real evidence, then you might find it more palatable. But for anyone with a genuine interest in the issues at hand, this book is an intellectual dead end.

[Lauren Terwilliger · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is devastatingly fitting that I finished this book the day Charlie Kirk was assassinated. This book thoroughly explains the history, idea progression and practical classroom implementation of the cultural Marxist ideology that has infiltrated our public schools and manifested into the “rainbow cult”, which is implemented in schools via Queer Pedagogy.

This ideology captures young minds through:
1) introducing Marxist ideas (the world has two groups: the “haves” and the “have nots”; the only solution is for the have nots to rise up and overthrow)
2) through a Queer Theory lens (the “haves” are “normal” ideas/behaviors; the “have nots”/oppressed are the ones who reject “normal”)
3) exposing them to trauma (discussing inappropriate sexual topics, establishing “safe spaces” that divide children from their parents)
4) and reinforcing the trauma via SEL (incorporating Marxist ideology into every subject, encouraging group therapy sessions to process things)

The goal of queer pedagogy is to undermine the mental/emotional stability of students by causing them to fight against everything considered “normal” and find a way to view themselves as victims and oppressed where the only way out is to fight. When these ideas collide with the cultural idea of our time that words are violence, so violence can be used against words, we can see the evidence of the impact this “education” has had on America’s youth.

[Rebecca The Files of Mrs. E, · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you care about the American education system or what is happening to children today or just our society in general, this is an important read. I know it's controversial but one thing I appreciate about Lancing's book is that it's not just his words or how he interprets what is going on. He uses direct quotes constantly from the people pushing this agenda, who are not doing it secretly or quietly. It's not some crazy, right wing theory, but what they are describing themselves. Lancing does the research and pulls it together so you don't have to and presents it in an easy, readable manner.

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watched an interview with the author that piqued my interest so I picked up his book. I can't say I got all of it on first read but I got most of it. In short, the author draws connections between queer theory and how it is taught, Marxism, and cult indoctrination. He does so largely by reading queer theory literature and quoting key points back to the reader here in his book. What I gather is fairly disturbing, but I also feel like I need to come back for a re-read in a few years because some of the quoted portions are abstract and difficult for me to parse. However, this is certainly a worthwhile read, particularly if anyone is going into education.

[Suzanne Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read not only for parents of children in the public school system, but for anyone wanting to understand what the real agenda is behind the LGBTQ movement. Lancing does an exhaustive review of the literature on Queer Theory, showing the reader its origins, ideology, and the methods activists use to infiltrate American systems of government, education, media, commerce, technology, etc. Emphasis is placed on the targeting of children and exposing the Marxist nature of the movement. Fascinating and sometimes shocking, this will help the reader see clearly their tactics and compel action to counter the damage.

[Scott Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in Europe prior to the end of the communist foothold in the West (East Berlin), I am all but too familiar with the insidious nature of leftist/socialist ideology and it’s ability to morph and gain new ground, particularly in the minds of the tender youth. If you have been befuddled by this strange and recent rise of those who identify with the neo-alphabet movement, Logan and Lindsey pull the lid off of this cauldron of confusion. Well worth the read.

[David Newlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Gen Z’er who largely escaped MOST of this, it’s saddening to see this happen to those younger than me. This book is a great analysis of Queer Theory and it’s relation to Marxism. It goes into the behind the scenes and explains all of what goes into their ideas and goals. Very well written, and is a great analysis on the current state of education.

[Chris Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in a simple and concise manner, this is a book every parent should read to understand how critical gender theory is being used in schools and society at large to harm children and our society at large.

[John Saul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute trash propaganda book. Full of fear mongering and claims that researched and provable facts are somehow now a "religion". Only reason to read this drivel is to know what talking points hate filled bigots are likely to spew at your next BOE meeting.

[Sanna Ditolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audible. Maybe I should have read it instead. It was a dry listen. There is a lot of researched and great information, just was hard to get through. I think it still is worth a read or listen.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a hard read. Honestly I had to skip parts because it is hard for my mom “heart” to hear what is being done to children.

This book is vital to show the evils of what is happening to children in America but it is not for the faint in heart to read.

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG. This is the most unscientific bigoted book I've read in awhile. I respect oposing views to current liberal ideas, but this was a brain dead unscientific attack on current queer ideas.

I'm was hoping for a book based on scientific facts and this is not it.