NJ congressman rips 'bizarre' gender studies push after Gov. Murphy open to 'entertaining' lesson plans

close

Video

NJ Gov. Murphy open to entertaining Democrats' gender studies curriculum plans

Rep. Jeff Van Drew sounds off on 'bizarre' push in his home state, on 'The Story'.

A New Jersey Republican congressman currently working on a bill to require parental notification in the case of gender identity lessons in classrooms called out his fellow Garden State lawmakers for being open to such changes.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a former Democrat from Cape May who changed parties in support of then-President Donald Trump, told Fox News the reports about his state's potential curriculum adjustments are "awful."

"I don't know what we're doing to America in so many different ways -- if I told you a number of years ago that this was actually going to happen in our public schools, you wouldn't believe it," he said.

Then-State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May. (AP)

"So we're actually going to take little boys and girls that we send to school and start teaching them about gender-ID and gender change and other things that just are not appropriate at that age. It's absurd and it's painful."

REP. JEFF VAN DREW, FORMER DEMOCRAT, URGES SEN. JOE MANCHIN TO RECONSIDER HIS PARTY ID

In contrast, he characterized his forthcoming federal legislation as "my child - my choice," adding that many New Jersey parents from both sides of the aisle are supportive of what he characterized as a common sense bill.

Jeff Van Drew & Donald Trump

As host Martha MacCallum reported, Democratic Gov. Philip Murphy has said he's willing to "entertain" changes called for by proponents of the lessons, adding, however, that parents should have some say in the matter.

NJ GOV MURPHY WILLING TO ‘ENTERTAIN’ GENDER IDENTITY LESSONS FOR SECOND GRADERS

"I would just say emphatically that parents deserve absolutely to have a say in this sort of stuff – along with all other interested parties, but probably none are more interested than parents," Murphy said, adding he does not want to see the issue used as a political football by critics against the LGBT community.

Van Drew said this latest news is another reason he does not recognize the Democratic Party of which he was once part. 

NJ Gov. Phil Murphy (Reuters)

"I didn't leave the Democratic Party, [it] left me," he said.

In response to the news, eight Republican members of the New Jersey State Legislature, led by Senate Minority Leader Steven Oroho, R-Blairstown, issued a letter to Murphy calling for a halt to the implementation of the new sexual education curriculum.