State Farm Cowers to Right-Wing, Ends LGBTQ+ Support in Fla. Schools
After right-wing backlash, State Farm Insurance discontinued any relationship with a project supporting the acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth.State Farm previously encouraged agents to donate books to Florida schools encouraging acceptance of LGBTQ youth.
As part of a partnership with the LGBTQ+ advocacy group The GenderCool Project, State Farm corporate responsibility analyst Jose Soto states in an email on January 18, that agents across the nation can donate a three-book bundle to local teachers, community centers, or libraries.But the move came to light following the passage of the controversial "don’t say gay" law signed in March by Gov.
Ron DeSantis. The emails about the project were leaked to and first published by Will Hild, executive director of Consumers Research.“We are seeking six agents in Florida that would be interested in participating in this unique project, by receiving these books in March, then donating them to their community by the end of April,” the email reads. “Along with donating the books, we would encourage the agent to highlight our commitment to diversity on their social media pages.“This is a fantastic way to give back and an easy project that will help support the LGBTQ+ community and to make the world around us better.”But that generated a wave of criticism from conservative outlets including Consumers Research, The National Review, and Breitbart.
