PLEASE READ: I have no clue why there’s a blur in the last ten minutes of the video and unfortunately I’m unable to fix it. FURTHER: Things that will get deleted from this comments section: -fascism -proselytizing -homophobia -transphobia -bad faith arguments No exceptions.

it's crazy how right wingers like that lady love to call LGBT+ people groomers for just existing, but then refuse to teach children about consent as if that's not literally enabling ACTUAL groomers by leaving kids uneducated and without support. god that lady is infuriating.

@Alexandraadftxr7052

9 ай бұрын

I asked a prolifer once that if he is against abortion so much then doas he support sex educetion that contrains teaching about consent, sex, protection, ect, and he said that "sexualising kids is not the way". They think that the only way to teach about sex, is never talk about it.

@Frogface91

9 ай бұрын

​@@Alexandraadftxr7052It's the weird "logic" that being aware of a thing means you'll try to do it, whereas if you're kept ignorant you'll somehow be safe?! It's madness like when Trump said we should stop testing for COVID and the cases will go down.

@nicholasrodinos4701

8 ай бұрын

Right wingers don't like consent, because then they have to pretend to care about consent, hide their disregard for consent, or create a community that disregards consent.

That she doesn't want consent taught to children says everything

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

as a parent i find that and even her "definition" of consent disturbing

@nicholasrodinos4701

9 ай бұрын

@@ReadswithRachel The Republican parent's definition of consent: I can do anything, and everything I want to you, you're not allowed to tell anyone about it. Your opinion or needs will never matter; you will be whatever I want you to be. You can challenge me when you’re 18, but I can throw you on the street, and keep you there until you grovel at my feet like the subservient clone I always wanted.

@sarahmellinger2907

9 ай бұрын

“The language of consent opens up a slippery slope that leads to p3d0phelia.” That is exactly what that woman said about consent. I don’t understand. How does teaching children to say NO, open up a slippery slope to adults doing horrible things? Shouldn’t it be the opposite? That teaching kids to say no means they’ll be able to say no in the moment? This woman is clearly thinking of consent as saying “yes,” but it’s actually about both yes and no. In her backwards logic, she’s thinking that by teaching consent, kids will be more likely to say yes. Actually, teaching consent will do the opposite. It will give them the words to say no. It teaches them that they don’t have to sit back and let horrible things happen to them. When I learned about consent, I was told that if someone doesn’t respect your no, you get the heck out of there asap. This woman would deny that very important information to children. Whoever first commented that her talking about consent in this way says a lot about her as a person is absolutely right. If this is how she views consent, she is not protecting these children. All these kids she claims she’s protecting by keeping This Book is Gay out of their hands, she’s really just throwing them to the wolves. It makes me sick to see this, especially since I work with kids. If someone showed up to my work and tried to say this kind of stuff in relation to the kids I work with, I’d have that person kicked off the property for being a danger to the kids, end of story. I wouldn’t put up with this bullshit. Rachel, every single time I see one of your videos where you talk about the book bans, it makes me wish I lived in an area where book bans was big, just so I could show up to school board meetings and give all the book banners a few choice words. I’m so tired of seeing the book bans. I just want all these people to go back home and never leave their houses again. Then they could never go to another school board meeting and ban another book.

@LexTime89

9 ай бұрын

The current law is that children can’t consent, full stop. I think some people are afraid that if we begin teaching consent, then dangerous people will start to argue that if children understand consent, then they are capable of consenting, and restrictive laws around sexual behavior and children are unnecessary.

@Cakelynn6

9 ай бұрын

Yeah am I living under a rock that my brain doesn’t jump right to sex when I think of “consent”. It can be something as innocent as not wanting a hug. My 3yr old brought a book home from his school library called “Will Ladybug Hug?” And in it, Ladybug is going around asking all of her friends if they want a hug, and Sheep doesn’t want a hug “and that’s ok.” My immediate thought was wow, this book is awesome. Ain’t no sex in that book. Ugh, consent is so important to address early and often - her argument chills me to my core. Thank you for continuing to be so vocal in opposition to this very harmful way of thinking.

Consent is not inherently sexual and that's what makes these pushbacks against educating about it so infuriating. Consent also involves physical contact, medical inspection, social interaction, etc. It's all about controlling their kids and molding them into what the parents want, willingly blinding themselves to the real dangers of this ignorance because they refuse to admit to being wrong.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Yep when I explain consent to my seven year old I explain they have the right to not consent to anything and everything including hugs.

@ishathakor

9 ай бұрын

exactly! i have a bunch of kid cousins and when their parents teach them about consent it's about stuff like people picking them up or giving hugs. these people just have to call it sexual because if they actually represented it accurately there would be WAY less people actually supporting the don;'t teach consent idea

@MissMoontree

9 ай бұрын

"Can I post our groupsfoto on social media?" "Do you want to hug, shake hands or some other greeting?" "Can I borrow your pen?" "May I come in?" Consent isn't hard.

@leew.4987

9 ай бұрын

I greatly suspect that certain kinds of people(/parents) don't care if the consent is for sex or hugs or interactions because they don't want kids learning how to draw their own boundaries on any level

@chargriff123

9 ай бұрын

"if everyone just did what I do as a parent nothing bad will ever happen because everything will be perfect and no one can get to your kids" stupid logic

The consent portion upsets me and also just... baffles me. You can teach consent to a 3 year old! If someone wants to touch you and you don't want that, it's always okay to say no. No one else can tell you they get to touch your body in any way that makes you uncomfortable! Then they get older and you expand it, explain more! Does this woman think we're giving second graders "the talk?"

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

She actually does believe that last line, yes. She thinks we want to sexualize minors when I’m reality we’re trying to use evidence based methods of harm prevention.

@skylarkblue1

9 ай бұрын

I wonder if she's only thinking consent means yes

@cupcakesoup

9 ай бұрын

@@ReadswithRachel Ugh, fair. That says so much about where her mind is going... I bet my example is probably untrue for her as well. She seems like the type who doesn't care if kiddo doesn't want to hug grandma right now

@ida6950

9 ай бұрын

Tbf we had sex Ed in second grade and I don’t see how that is bad in any way (especially considering I got my period in grade 3)

@erraticonteuse

9 ай бұрын

These are definitely the same kind of people who insist that their 3-year-olds hug people they don't want to and don't even make the connection that they're literally telling kids to let adults touch them even if it makes them uncomfortable.

This is so insidious considering the school library was the safe hangout for LGBT+ students at my own and many others’ public schools. To school librarians fighting these fascists: we appreciate you and love you.

@malloryp8341

9 ай бұрын

Also: Julie not understanding what an unreliable narrator or an antihero is does not surprise me. She’s just salty she never aced English class.

@marymac3572

9 ай бұрын

​@@malloryp8341 I bet she wouldn't understand subtext if you read the definition to her.

@ladylazulisystem6766

9 ай бұрын

that was our school too! all the queer kids (who werent in the arts academy part of the school. those kids had other spots to hang out) hung out in the library before school & anime club after school. i didnt know that was super common though! how fascinating!

“Teaching my children what consent means is inherently anti-parents.” Does she not hear herself? Does she not hear how CREEPY that sounds for her to say about an 11-12 y/o?! And they call US the groomers…!

The consent thing really pisses me off; the only time I’ve been sexually assaulted was in middle school by other middle schoolers. Teaching kids boundaries at any age can only help them going forward. I’m so happy people and parents like you exist to fight this bullshit.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

This. One of my best friends kids was assaulted by another kid. Had no idea what to do. We have to talk about these things so we can prevent them from happening to other kids

For some reason, they seem to think everything that references any sexual orientation other than heterosexual, and any gender identity other than cis is "sexual". A kid having a mommy and a daddy isn't sexual, but apparently a kid having two mommies is "sexual content". Says a LOT about their mindset. Also, my heart goes out to you. NO ONE should have to go through what you did. Ever. ❤ Your kids are incredibly fortunate to have you and Carlos as parents, protectors, and supporters. Much love to you.

13:39 Umm?! I HOPE consent is not "a life-altering decision these kids are making!!" She's not aware consent includes saying no??!

@JennyTroutstanding

9 ай бұрын

That's the point. If kids understand that no means no, just imagine the trouble it would cause for all the good Christian dads and uncles and pastors and politicians?

Her comment is so funny. “When have you seen people say they want to ban black books?” To her, I ask: when have you seen people state their ill intentions before carrying them out? If I rob a bank without loudly announcing it beforehand, does it not count??

@felicitypevideos4224

9 ай бұрын

Also: sex is allowed to be taught? But we shouldn’t mention that you have to both agree beforehand? Mind blown. There’s the quiet part out loud.

Consent and bodily autonomy as a general concept should be taught from birth. I teach my students from kindergarten that they always need to ask before hugging, and that they are ALWAYS allowed to say no to someone invading their space. This is so crucial because many kids never get told this, and it's NOT just about sexual activity.

As a someone who is Christian, I don’t understand how people can’t understand that there are horrible people in all religions? People can be awful, regardless of religion.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Her not understanding that some Mormon families could be abusive while the 8 passengers family is standing right there is…fascinating

@chargriff123

9 ай бұрын

I'm Mormon and have had mostly great experiences with other Mormons. And yet obviously that's not the case for everyone, including my own siblings. It's so frustrating when people get all defensive as if there aren't awful horrible predators who take advantage of a close knit religion. Or that people with good intentions can still overlook things and really bad stuff can happen. I am glad when I learn about people's experiences because how can we stop these things from happening if we don't know about them or hide them away? I just want all the kids and vulnerable people to be safe. If that means making people uncomfortable facing the truth of abuse in religion then get uncomfortable.

Why would someone complain about a book that they have never read that's just so pathetic to me

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Because moms for "liberty" tells them what to think/believe/do.

That 2 second clip of Ron Deshamtis gave me the ick. By her own definition, she is spouting propaganda.

@ContextWrench

9 ай бұрын

it's different when SHE does it SMH

TW: COCSA (Child on child SA) I'd like to point out something that I don't think many people think about when talking about consent and assault (though I'm not all the way through the video yet, so maybe you might have mentioned it?). Some kids may KNOW that it's fine to say no to an adult, but not realize that the same goes for a child. As much as many people don't want to think about it, kids can assault other kids and it's important to teach kids that it's fine to tell ANYONE No, regardless of their age. I feel like COCSA (Child on child sexual abuse) doesn't get talked about enough, and ya know, fair. Who wants to think about the possibility of their young kid being a perpetrator? But not talking about it does more harm than good, so I wanted to add my own two cents. This was something I struggled with as a kid and I doubted that it was even abuse because, well, "An adult didn't do it to me, so it can't be abuse." I remember vividly thinking that, "If I don't do it then he won't be my friend anymore." I think that if I had learned that I could have said no, my life would have been drastically different.

@andiman44

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! This is something that people don’t seem to think of and this is why consent is always an important topic of conversation for kids.

@shy2infinity

9 ай бұрын

@@andiman44 You're welcome! I'll never ignore an opportunity to talk about COCSA 😅

I'm only a few minutes in and I keep having to pause and breathe because I can feel my blood pressure rising with each clip of the meetings. Your efforts to fight fascism in Florida are appreciated. Thanks for an important video. 🏳️‍🌈💖🏳️‍⚧️

@brigidbrown6881

9 ай бұрын

Same!!!

Currently working on a paper for college class that covers book banning and the far-right. All inspired by you and your coverage. So thanks for your hard work. 😊

@AngelinaCarolanne

9 ай бұрын

That’s amazing ! Hope your paper goes well 😊

Rachel I am so sorry you HAD to survive assault on top of everything else but I am so glad you did. I recommend the article "Survivor Mom: Teaching Consent" to everyone I know who has or works with kids. Bodily Autonomy is core to consent. No one is entitled to your body. You are not entitled to anyone else's body. 'Pleasure', gender & power dynamic should be irrelevant. You are your own, even in childhood.

TW-Mention of CSA, no details. Knowing that Mandatory Reporters existed was the only way I could report my CSA. I was terrified to tell the police bc he was friends with police officers. A fact which he told me repeatedly. So when I learned in 7th grade about consent and mandatory reporters, I was just brave enough to tell a teacher bc I KNEW she had to report it to the proper authorities. As an adult I don't really understand my 13yo logic, but at the time, something about telling someone I knew had to report it was less scary than telling the authorities myself, and it removed my responsibility once the ball got rolling. I had no control. I just answered questions and adult took care of things. Had anyone demonized/moralized what was happening to me, I probably would've felt so responsible for not hating it enough to make it stop and I would've suffered in silence for many more years.

I'm so furious about them trying to lure you out of your home to do god only knows what to you. These people are violent fanatics.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Her: look at all of these children lured from their home Also her: tries to lure me from my home ????????

I forgot to add in my last comment about a Doc McStuffins episode. One day, I saw the episode of one of the toys who loved to tickle people and kept insisting tickling another toy who kept saying no and got ignored. Doc Mcstuffins had to step in and get the tickling toy to listen to the other toy and not ignore his no. This was about consent in a disney jr. Show. You going to ban that Julie.

Teaching consent and bodily autonomy from the earliest age is so very important. Do NOT force your children to even hug or kiss a relative if they don’t want to. THEY get to choose.

I work at a preschool, and we literally teach consent to the toddlers, and they also teach about consent in pre-k Head Start programs where I live. I can’t imagine a child not understanding that they can & should say “no” to something that makes them uncomfortable by age 11. In my opinion, an adult asserting that children should not be taught about consent in school is one of the reddest of red flags. 😬

I love all your videos, but I need to take breaks while watching the book ban ones because they make me so frustrated. I'm not someone who gets worked up easily, I'm not even american or a parent, so I can't imagine how it must feel for people who are. Also using missing childrens photos to support their homophobic & racist beliefs is disgusting. Thank you for shining a light on what they are doing.

I am starting to think that there is a glaringly obvious reason why some adults do not want to teach children about consent. The call is coming from inside the house.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

It’d be a shame if fundie kids learned they don’t have to consent to even things like going to church

@getgaymin

6 ай бұрын

^ THIS

I really feel bad for the children because they are missing out on books that could help or inspire them this is truly sad

Teaching consent helps children learn to find and set boundaries and teaches them to listen to themselves. It also teaches them which adults respect them and their feelings and boundaries. It's so sad that people have warped it to make it sound so bad.

them trying to avoid kids from learning consent is INSANE.

The public library I work at celebrated banned book week by having our banned book display shut down by head quarters. c= The south is so fun.

@angelaholmes8888

9 ай бұрын

Wow sadly I'm not surprised about this

@bregowego

9 ай бұрын

Californians welcome you with open arms!! ❤️

@kariissmol9172

9 ай бұрын

Germany says: Come to us! We ony ban books by nazis

@LukeSilver-fe7iv

9 ай бұрын

I'm extremely worried for the state of our libraries right now I really hope this doesn't become a library of Alexandria situation but knowing conservatives I wouldn't put it past them

@kariissmol9172

9 ай бұрын

@@bluecannibaleyes yeah I have some problems with understanding things...

My problem with the video about consent doesn't address the fact that in the eyes of the law, children under the age of consent cannot consent, period.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Excellent point. I think that, again, while there are some benefits the video it’s like what I said with this book is gay where we need to be able to decide what’s the best resource but we can’t even have that conversation because we’re having this debate about whether or not kids are allowed to access resources at all. I also think it’s worth pointing out that it’s very hard to tell a 16 and 17-year-old that they are not able to consent because they think that they can. This is why I was so confused about what happened to me because I thought that I chose the position I was in when I ended up assaulted. But I was a kid, and it wasn’t really consent even when I initially thought it was. These are very complex conversations, and we have to work with experts on how to approach the subject with kids of this age. Otherwise they will not listen, or they’ll feel ashamed and simply hide things rather than seek help.

@coreyparson9906

9 ай бұрын

Excellent point about the older teens. The same thing happened to me. It took over 15 years for me to realize that I could not consent, regardless of what I thought as a teen. The adult was completely at fault and should have known, scratch that, KNEW BETTER! Sending you healing thoughts.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

^exavtly my experience. It was 10 years later, after having kids, when I realized “wait a minute… that wasn’t a situation I could’ve even initially consented to and the nearly 30 year old man in the situation KNEW THAT”. I would have benefitted so much from resources by adults who knew what they were doing and how to reach me/educate me.

@coreyparson9906

9 ай бұрын

I have goosebumps. The worst part, for me, was that my parents were anti-sex, period. We were supposed to wait until marriage. Therefore, I never told my parents what happened to me until I was an adult. The worst part is that my dad could have done something about it. He was (and still is) a prosecutor for the state. He dealt with this every day at his work. Yet his own daughter fell victim because of his and my mom's own narrowmindedness. I thought if I told them, I would get in trouble. I have gone through a lot of healing and therapy, and my parents have changed for the better and wish more than anything that they would have been more open-minded so I would have felt comfortable enough to tell them. I have a great relationship with them now and now I know what NOT to do while raising my two daughters. I love your content and thank you for being so vulnerable. ❤

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Holy shit it’s like looking at a mirror. I want to hug you. Thank you for being here.

This is such important work you're doing Rachel, I'm so glad you have the courage to confront and talk about this, especially in a place so divisive as Florida. I know this was super difficult for you to talk about this too, but thank you so much for continuing to address it. This was inspiring ❤❤❤

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

I'm so grateful to hear this

You’re such a good mom. One you didn’t help Julie define is actually what “thinking critically” actually means. It doesn’t mean “jump to conclusions about what makes you uncomfortable “ or “Listen to me!!” I really wish that I grew up in a place where I could see and experience things. Where there was no demonization… it would have made such a difference. Again: if I’d known about Asexuality, I would not have been groomed either.

What's interesting about them saying "think critically" is that from what I remember about when I went to church as a kid, is that the pastors and other leaders always got really mad when you asked questions. Almost like they didn't want us to use our brains.

I'm so sorry that you were assaulted Rachel I totally agree with I'm also a survivor so I totally understand you

I’m not surprised that people like this woman are pushing to ban more books. All her reasons are terrible and, as someone who had access to whatever books, I wanted as a teenager, I can attest to you that I learned a lot from that experience. I think kids should have Access to as many books as possible. To as many ideas as possible. That way, they can learn to critically think. Also, banning books is one of the worst ways of censoring people. You don’t just censor authors when you ban books. You sensor readers, too.

If not for Abeka I would not have learned to educate myself. The 4 year of homeschooling taught me how to learn things my parents didn't want me learn. If not for my public library (90s really didn't have book banning in MI) I would be as close minded as my boomer parents. No book should be banned. Kids should be able to talk, read and learn. It makes me so sad that books are being banned.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

I’m so thankful you got out and abeka didn’t keep you trapped ❤

I found a story with fat mermaids! Its Melie by Justina Ireland, it's in "A Phoenix First Must Burn" which is sff writen by black women and is full of stuff the banners hate! The mermaids aren't in the story much but I think it's part of a larger world.

It pisses me off so much that she doesn't want consent taught to kids. She talks about wanting to prevent trafficking, but she's also against teaching kids how to know that they're being abused. If kids don't know that they are in charge of their bodies, that is how they get abused and how abusers get away with it. My god. Rachel, thank you for all of the awareness you spread, as well as for fighting these bigots. I know you're doing it to protect your kids, but you're also setting an example and that is so incredible and part of why I love your channel. Thank you.

If consent is an adult issue then what do you say when they commit a crime and suddenly you wish they knew about consent.

Not to be a Brené, but your vulnerability is so powerful. Thank you!

I just love the absurd literalism they use. "No one is saying 'We don't want books by Black people'!!!!" It's giving "how can I be a racist if I never say the N word" vibes.

@CBSmith-js9yl

9 ай бұрын

even the 1950s racists just placed desegregation next to communism as a means of defending segregation. These aren’t new arguments.

Im doing a school assignment in English based on book banning. I thought of it thanks to you and I’m happy with what I’m doing so far! I’m currently reading Beloved by Toni Morrison Afro banned books week! Thank you so much for the advocating and having the courage to speak up! Ur awesome!

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you’re reading Toni Morrison!

@theanonymousunknown1949

9 ай бұрын

I’m enjoying it so far ☺@@ReadswithRachel

Those types of parents want their own kids to have zero boundaries so that the parents can control and enmesh their kids that much easier. They don’t see kids as humans.

I bet she would get mad at one of her kids or grandkids refusing a hug.

"i never met a mormon who behaves like this" ma'am, miss Julie, 8 passengers had, until recently, a whole channel showing them playing happy healthy mormon family behaving easily as horribly. Miss Julie there needs to get herself a healthy hobby, like knitting or quilting. Something that will eat up all the free time she apparently has

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

THIS! Wow congrats you’ve never met an abusive Mormon family meanwhile all the kids growing up in abusive Mormon families don’t appreciate being essentially told they don’t exist

@mel4957

9 ай бұрын

Has never met an abusive Mormon family that she knows of* No abuser is going to make it obvious and will phrase things in ways to make it seem like it's for the abused person's own good and that they've "been led astray" or smth like that

I feel you about the consent bit, and I'm sorry for the pain you suffered to talk about your experience. I was a child when I was sexually abused and I know better than anyone because of it how important it is to teach children consent and it makes me so angry that she prefers to ignore the very real dangers of what could happen if you don't teach your child consent. I told my mother when I was a teenager what happened and she supported me wholeheartedly, but the first thing she asked was why I never said anything when it was happening. I didn't know how to answer then, but now I think little kid me just didn't know who I was meant to tell and what to even say was happening. Even just saying that '-person- touched me without my permission' was more than I really knew to say, because a discussion about consent never happened.

She really thinks 11 and 12 year olds don't know or hear about sex? How old does she thinks teenagers are when they start talking about sex?😐 Sure maybe they don't have it at that age but they know about it so it's great if they learn about consent at the time that they have just started to be curious and aware of sex!

As a bottle blonde myself, I don't claim Julie. xD But seriously, people like her are ACTUALLY harming our children, by not allowing them access to education that can HELP THEM. I am seeing this in my home state, in a city 6 hours away from me (the next biggest city in our state, after the one I live in). Some places simply don't even have the infrastructure to allow for kids to have access to certain books, either. You and other KZreadrs like you are really doing great work for people that otherwise would not be able to learn about these things.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Lol I’m so sorry about the bottle blonde comment I got a smidge carried away there 😂

5:09 lmfao assassination classroom😂😭 I know these people don’t read a lot, so they probably aren’t aware, but there are a lot of crazy things in fantasy novels (murder, genocide, racism etc). I don’t get what she thinks the issue is with this book. Like does she think this is somehow encouraging violence towards teachers? The octopus is literally telling them to try to kill him every single day and he’s teaching them how to

@kariissmol9172

9 ай бұрын

It just proves that they havent read it!

@WaffleSalad

9 ай бұрын

@@kariissmol9172 that’s what kills me. At least read the books you’re trying to ban😖You can make so many things look “bad” when you take certain parts out of context

@kariissmol9172

9 ай бұрын

@@WaffleSalad i mean it would also adhere to a lot of other manga I have right behind me. Like acid town, where two kids try to love each other in a world that doesn't care for them. Or Yarichin bitch-bu, but I can understand if people who aren't into Yaoi find it wierd that the boys only boarding school basically has a whore-club. Let me not go on a yaoi tirade, if it were reality it would be incredibly bad, but ffs those are lines of ink on paper, they do not have human rights.

@WaffleSalad

7 ай бұрын

@@kariissmol9172 Fr. And I’ll be honest it’s nothing crazy. In elementary (I will admit I was in the highest reading, so not all the kids my age were reading this) we read a book that mentioned harems and the teacher had to explain what that meant to all all of us lmao. Everyone just said that was weird and moved on. Something being in a book is not an endorsement or promotion of that thing. And even older kids can separate a book from reality. Children don’t know as much as adults, but they aren’t dumb

@kariissmol9172

7 ай бұрын

@@WaffleSalad yet some teenagers are incredibly dumb, if you have seen what happend around the videogame The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. Like... i get that people are disgusted by the incest route, but there is literally a warning before, and before even reaching that route Andy and Leyley KILL and EAT their parents.

Omgggg yes, the way they say “think critically” but mean “Just take my word for it”

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

“Think critically” aka ABSORB MY OPINIONS AND THINK NO FURTHER 🫠

I don't quite know what sex ed is like in other parts of America. But in my district that I attended they taught abstinence. No more then ten girls in my year got pregnant because they weren't taught how to have safe sex. If they continue to ban books on CRT, queerness, and consent. These children are going to get hurt, hurt others. Billy from down the street is going to think he might be gay and not knowing the dangers of hook-up apps could get seriously hurt. Or even worse (If that's possible) will begin to believe he is a mistake, and his possible queerness is wrong, which could lead to depression, anxiety, etc. The banning of books & knowledge is not what protects kids, it is what damages them. Letting the knowledge that has already been curated for age groups, allows them to understand the dangers, or potential dangers of everything they do.

Consistent long time viewer, a rare commentor but Rachel is really out here on the front lines doing THEE FUCKEN WORK for human rights and rights to information . Thank you Rachel, shout out to another regular attendee to local city council and misc board meetings, y’all got comrades across the continent up here in the dakotas as well also advocating for human rights through our local ability to impact…….wishin the best of luck for you!!!!!!!!xoxoxoxoxox

I thought book-banning would be something like banning books that promote the bad things, not the other way around. People like Julie are so despicable for condemning literal victims. And I’m very sorry you went through such a horrible experience, it’s not your fault. It’s never your fault. Lots of power to you! ❤ And thank you for the video!

It’s crazy to me that Ellen Hopkin’s books are being banned in Florida as an adult who read all of her books as a middle schooler in Florida. As an adult, I remember them being written in verse and remember the content was heavy but little beyond that. However, as a kid who came from a broken home with a shit load of trauma, they resonated with me and even then I realized they NEVER glorified the subject matter they portrayed. It’s infuriating that adults are trying to police what kids read because they just don’t see children as people but instead as things they can mold into their a culmination of their twisted ideologies.

Florida almost doesn’t seem real at this point. The headlines about that state get scarier and weirder each day. 😢

Thank you for truly protecting children and fighting for their safety, and also taking the time to educate others on the dangers of book banning. I can tell you are such an amazing and loving mother.

NOT ELLEN HOPKINS Love Her Books 😭 They we’re Great when I was a kid, & Burned has a sequel to the main character.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Oh she HATES Ellen Hopkins books lol

i like all your banned books content as soon as i see it because its so important

I love the consent video! I think it’s very straightforward and clear. I’d show that to my kids.

also like... i'm sorry but i don't think it's actually bad to give kids "unnecessary" information like how to masturbate or whatever during sex ed. i had started masturbating on my own at like 10 or 11 and for a good 5-6 years i thought i was a weird perverted outlier until i googled it and apparently that was an extremely normal experience. and if i HAD known this stuff before i wouldn't have done stuff like not washing my hands before masturbating or not peeing afterwards. and i wouldn't have had any pain from trying to finger myself before i was ready. these things are GOING to happen. kids are GOING to do this. what's important is teaching them how to be safe and sanitary, not pretending that if we never tell them they just won't figure out that it feels good to masturbate or that sex is something they want to have. we had pretty good sex ed in my school (even practiced putting condoms on dildos lol.... that was very weird for all of us) and you know what? it was good. a lot of my peers were having sex but they were also buying condoms and peeing after and using lube.

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Oh my god SO MANY OF US grew up masturbating and thinking we were a perverted outlier. And in fundieland we were told we WERE. That we should be ashamed. Shame-based “education” only seeks to harm kids.

I'm sorry to hear about your trauma. I hope you know that we support you and your fight against people like Julie.

When she said "11 yo appropriate moral BOUNDARIES" basically conflating being CSAed to a moral boundary on the 11yo part. The rage that filled me. I wouldn't let this woman near my children. Horrifying.

I was 15 , he even harassed me when he was in prison. He tried to run my boyfriend down after prison. It went on for over 3 years. I'm not the one that turned him in, from fear of my father's disappointment in me. I appreciate your vulnerability and I praise your strength. I am a lot older than you banned books in my day were mostly about race. I never understood why people feel they have the right to take my rights away. Keep up your good work I will always support the cause, I agree with you that our children are the most important thing in this world. Thank you for all you do at such a young age❤

Julie seems like the type of person who thinks abstinence is the answer

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

That is exactly what she thinks. Evidence shows us that is not what works. I have to wonder over and over why she wants to use a method proven to fail. What kind of person wants kids to fail?

Imagine getting so worked up over a book. People who preach for the banning of books have no idea how they are helping their demise. Thank you for speaking out about this consistently.

My family is downsizing our collection of books, and as my mom and I are going through them, we put them in out little free library. I can’t think of any that I got rid of because of content. My siblings just aren’t able to sit through some books but we know that other kids would love. We also have the little free library because the nearest public library is in a different city.

“These are life-altering decisions” she says. Whose life is being altered? Not really the parents, unless they don’t use protection. Not unless they don’t understand consent or grooming and end up being harmed in that way. But otherwise it is the child’s life. They need to know things that can affect their lives!

As always, thank you for all the time & energy you put into this work 💜💜💜

I hope your little one gets better soon! ❤️

Thank you Rachel! Youre videos really help! Ive tried talking to my mom about some things that happened to me and it always comes back to her getting upset like its an accusation she failed as a mother to protect me. And thats when comminication falls apart. I want kids to learn about consent as soon as possible so that they might have the tools i didnt have. I want more for them than maybe my toolbox at the time had. Its a really confusing snd emotional thing to navigate even decades after the fact. I wish it on no one.

And this is why I keep coming back :) Keep up the great work!

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Thanks friend ❤️

Thank you for speaking up on this

Thank you for doing such a honest and hard video to make

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for being here 💕

it’s a much smaller issue than the ones typically discussed, but I think it’s also worth noting how much book banning pushes kids away from reading in general. not only would I understand the world in a much more limited and harmful way had i not been exposed to the subject matter of the most commonly banned books growing up, I also think I’d care way less about literature as a whole, which would be unfortunate (at a minimum)

"if I was on her side I would use critical thinking and look for evidence" this is why you're not on her side

Once again, Rachel is right about absolutely everything. Particularly about that episode of Bluey. That slaps and my son now refers to the soundtrack as "the Bluey music!" every time it comes on Classic FM.

I'm going to be honest. I teared up a bit when you had to edit in your statement about your experience as an SA survivor because it just shows how real it is and how disconnected from reality these people are, when they take a book about sex education and try to make it that we are encouraging sexual behavior from our children. Also going off of your point about consent, you are 110% right, it's not just about saying yes or no to sex, but about setting boundaries. I don't just think we should teach kids about setting boundaries, we should teach them to respect boundaries set by others so not only do we have less victims of sexual abuse, but less future predators as well. I am deeply sorry you had to go through that Rachel. You didn't deserve it. Nobody does.

Thank you Rachel.❤

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for being here ❤

Wow, I related to this in a big way. This brought me to tears. You spoke beautifully and bravely. That s&$t is so hard to live with, let alone talk about. I’m so sorry for every ill thought and feeling that you’ve struggled with because of the past. But I also want to say that you are really doing good here. I think you have opened people’s minds that maybe were ignorant before. That is a huge help in so many ways. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Thank you for making this. It's really insightful and you really do such a good job explaining the sheer ridiculousness of these people, especially as someone beginning to see book banning in my country (Canada) as well. I'm sure videos like this are difficult and honestly very depressing to film at times, so please take care of yourself! ❤

I just watched the homeschool episode of last week tonight, and I definitely thought of your videos, but I didn’t know you were originally going to be in it!

As a survivor of both childhood SA and human trafficking as an adult I taught my daughter about her bodily autonomy and consent from the minute she could understand. And the reactions from grown people who claim she’s “bad” or “rude” is alarming, sad, and occasionally disgusting

Thank you so much for what you do. I grew up very similarly to you and its still very hard to talk about. It’s helps to feel seen. It helps to not be blamed. It helps to not be asked what I did to cause it and why I stayed as long as I did. Listening to you today reminded me I didn’t make it up and I didn’t do anything to cause or deserve what happened. I’m crying typing this but it’s like a good, someone else is here with me crying. So thank you again.

If I was taught about consent as a child maybe I'd be able to say "no" to every auntie or Grandma's friend who wanted to hug me and grown up into a well-adjusted adult.

Fully agree with you regarding teaching consent and giving children the knowledge to protect themselves.

Hey rachel, you may not see this, but i really wanted to comment something a little gooey and personal. i started watching your channel for the fun and snarky videos youve made, but i'm also a florida native. I went through public school here and some of the teachers who supported my lgbt identity and made me feel welcome in their classrooms were my literal one and only lifeline in high school. our school system in this state was already one of the worst in the country and these people are intent on destroying it even further -- now im a student at uf and ive taken some womens studies courses where my professors feel the need to start discussions with disclaimers about the laws here and literally whisper words like 'privilege' and 'oppression' because even they arent sure how they could be affected. I want to thank you so much for fighting the good fight and send you so much love and encouragement for not only engaging in these battles (which is exhausting enough on its own) but also for being so vulnerable and open about why you know these policies are wrong. Remember that we are fighting against people with broken beliefs, morals, and tactics, and that taking breaks is essential, although i also know the feeling of being unable to look away from the disaster. Solidarity forever❤

I don’t always agree 100% with things you say in your videos but I love watching them anyway because you’re funny and I genuinely adore you. And hearing your voice throughout the statement about your past broken my heart. I had to stop the video otherwise I’d be crying in my car on break. Sending much love to you girl and never stop being you, you amazing mother 🖤🖤🖤

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

I appreciate you 💕

Consent should be taught at all ages. It is an issue. I was sexually harassed/assaulted in elementary school by a kid in my own class and I didn’t even know I could say something about it.

Thank you for what you do and keep going. Thought ill leave this as love your work/videos and sad and annoying to hear you get this much negative sent to you its not okay ❤🙂

Rachel, Thank You. Thank you for being someone who fights for education. Thank you for being someone who consistently fights for other people. Thank you for being someone I can look at and go "I want to be like her" Thank you for caring so so much. Thank you for being so adamant that consent is something that NEEDS to be taught. Thank You so much for using your platform to talk about the things that need to be talked about.

As a sexaul assault survivor, hearing her say that she dosent want kids to learn consent, my heart sank. Major red flag.

Holy shite never had such a literal application as those book snapshots💔💔💔 I wish I could give this video more than one like. Julie will be very happy to know that she was the last straw that has made me mark out school board meetings on my calendar, so I can make sure none of her dopplegangers are there. Nopety nope nope

Well said thank you for doing what you are doing!

@ReadswithRachel

9 ай бұрын

Much appreciated!

'Book banners behaving badly' is a tautology - you can't do it without behaving badly!

I was friends with some kids who were homeschooled in Highschool. The homeschool kids’ parents never taught their kids about any drugs, assumedly because they didn’t want their kids to do drugs. As a result, they didn’t understand that opioids are not just “stronger ibuprofen,” and would often take an OxyContin (which they stole from their mom) before GOING SKIING. That’s SO dangerous, both to you and to everyone else on the mountain. But they “liked the way it made them feel.” This is dangerous. If they had been taught what opioids were, they possibly would’ve not made this choice. Or at least, they would have understood what they were doing.

Wait. She thinks that kids are too young to understand consent? CONSENT?! That's worrying. I'm not a parent but I am an aunt. My husband and I have been teaching our niblings consent since they were old enough to toddle. We ask "can I have a hug?" and if they say no, we say "Okay! maybe later." That teaches them that it's OK to say no when it comes to their own bodies. I grew up being forced to hug family members even if I didn't feel like it. As a result I now feel pressured every time I'm around those family members to disregard my own feelings. I do not want my niblings to grow up thinking that it's OK to feel uncomfortable and being forced into doing things. My niece (4) is thriving and she loves hugs but is confident enough to say no when she doesn't want to hug. My nephew is still very little (1) and had only just started being taught this same thing, but we'll keep on teaching them both consent in this way for the rest of our lives. Learning consent at an early age is important IMO.

I highly appreciate you showing the consent video.

Book banners existing is them behaving badly.

Man, i am so sick of this. Florida needs to learn to chill