Ron DeSantis appoints anti-LGBTQ+ activist to college board to “reconquer” schools

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has appointed far-right anti-LGBTQ+ activist Christopher Rufo to the board of trustees of the New College of Florida – a school with a reputation for being progressive and queer-friendly.

In addition to virulently targeting the LGBTQ+ community, Rufo has spent years helping to build a movement against the teaching of so-called critical race theory – an academic term conservatives have manipulated to essentially mean teaching children anything about the history of racism in the U.S.

My goal this year is for 10+ state legislatures to pass curriculum transparency bills, requiring public schools to make all teaching materials easily available to parents via internet.

It's time to get the political predators out of the shadows—and return power to families.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) January 7, 2022

Rufo – who does not live in Florida – admitted in a 2021 speech that right-wing activists “appropriated” the term critical race theory and that he doesn’t “give a shit” about its actual definition.

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He has also spoken out against diversity and inclusion initiatives at public universities, saying that taxpayers are “funding private political activism with public dollars.” He called universities “patronage systems for left-wing activists” and called for the establishment of a “conservative center” at these schools.

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He has repeatedly spoken out against teaching what he calls “a radical gender curriculum” – which is really just basic instruction on gender and tolerance of their trans peers – to young kids.

SCOOP: The Evanston/Skokie School District has adopted a radical gender curriculum that encourages PK-3 students to celebrate the transgender flag, break the "gender binary" established by white "colonizers," and experiment with neo-pronouns such as "ze," "zir," and "tree."