California dad: Why would they show this to my daughter?
A California dad from the Cojevo Unified School District asks why his daughter was exposed to a transgender book at such a young age.
A California dad from the Conejo Valley Unified School District said that he didn't understand why his 8-year-old daughter was taught about being transgender in third grade.
The dad, Steve Schneider, alleged at a board meeting that his daughter, who attended Maple Elementary, was shown a video of a child reading a book about being transgender in January 2022, according to local media. Since then, the dad told Fox News Digital that the exposure had a profoundly negative impact on his daughter. "So every day coming home, there was a big discussion to be had."
"My daughter was forced to watch a video in her third grade classroom regarding being transgender," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I was pretty upset… I didn't understand why they would show this to my daughter. She's 8 years old. She still believes in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus."
A California dad speaks about the negative impacts of the book "Call Me Max," which is about a transgender boy's journey to reveal his identity to his parents. (Fox News Digital )
"My kid came out and said, 'Hey, Dad, what's transgender?' I mean, how do you respond to that? Really, as a parent, it's totally out of left field. I thought she would be talking about a new game she played on her tablet or something else going on. So I didn't expect this conversation at all."
"When you're molding a young mind, and you put the thought of something in their head like this, it's going to go to another place. And clearly that played out over the next few weeks at the playground and after school," he said.
"There were kids on the playground that obviously heard about this, even though this was isolated to one class. Some of my kid's friends were pressuring [my daughter] to shave her head and dress like a boy and do other things," he continued. "It was pretty constant to the point where we took away my daughter's tablet and said, 'We don't want to talk to friends after school right now.'"
The book, "Call Me Max," has received pushback from parents around the country. (YouTube/Fox News Digital)
Schneider said his wife followed up with the school asking exactly what happened. A teacher responded by sending a clip in an email reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to the teacher and the district but did not immediately receive a response.
The video sent by email was of a child reading a book called "Call Me Max." The story is about a transgender boy's "journey as he… reveals… his identity," which has met pushback from parents around the country. Some districts have moved to ban the book from its schools.
"A parent's right to decide what is best for their child must always be a part of any school policy and a fundamental part of our education system. These are our kids, not yours," Schneider said.
The book, "Call Me Max," said that sometimes parents make a "mistake" when saying their child is a boy or girl. (Fox News Digital)
The book begins with a transgender boy asking his teacher to call him "Max."
"Can you call me Max?' I asked. She nodded and wrote it down."
It also explains what transgender means. "Transgender is a long word. But it means something simple. Trans means going across. Like how transportation means going from here to there. Gender means being a boy or girl. Or a little of both," the book states.
The "Call Me Max" child protagonist states, "I still know I'm a boy" because that's how he feels inside. (Fox News Digital)
Schneider said a young child's exposure to a topic like this is "going to play some games in their mind."
One part of "Call Me Max" said, "When a baby is born, a grown up says, 'It's a boy!' or 'It's a girl!' If a brand-new baby could talk, sometimes that baby might say, 'No I'm not.'"
If parents had had the option to opt-out of the book, Schneider said he would have done so.
"If someone wants to teach us their kids, so be it," he said. "I'm not going to get involved in their life, but they're they're now getting involved in my life and my beliefs."
Max also said, "When I went to the girls' bathroom, a girl ran out. She thought I was a boy. I didn't mean to scare her. But I liked that she thought I was a boy."
Fox News Digital (Fox News Digital )
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Later in the year, during pride week, the dad was accused of vandalizing the school. The police showed up at his house and he allowed them to do a walk through. Fox News Digital spoke with the police department who said that an investigation was ongoing and that Schneider was not considered a suspect.
"At the time, I had an Apple Watch, so I was able to track where I was. And I gave them all the information I cleared myself of the crime. But, you know, the stigma is still there. The neighborhood connects the graffiti that happened to me," he said.
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Schneider said he tried having conversations with the school about his concerns but that he was rebuffed.
"This community has mobilized to stand up for parental rights," Schneider said in a school board meeting in June. "When I first came here, I was looking for solutions. But now it's clear, you're not looking for actual solutions. In fact, you did the opposite. You created a false narrative of hate. I don't hate anyone out here. I can honestly say I love everyone in this community, I don't care what sex you are, I don't care what gender you are. This is not about hate, this is about love and inclusion."