A Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, elementary school canceled a reading and discussion about the book I am Jazzabout a transgender girlafter an anti-gay organization, the Liberty Counsel, threatened a federal lawsuit, according to WORT-Radio ( Madison ).
The book was scheduled to be presented Nov. 23 in a primary school in Mount Horeb, about 25 miles from Madison. Parents were notified about the reading Nov. 19.
In a letter dated Nov. 20, Liberty Counsel attorney Richard Mast warned that the organization "will be tracking in which classes the book is read."
Mast added, "If harm results to children, including gender confusion, violations of restroom privacy, or other harms, all options will be explored, including a federal lawsuit against teachers and staff in their official and individual capacities for violation of parental rights."
Liberty Counsel is closely aligned with Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies it as a hate group. It has aided in the legal defenses of, among others, anti-gay crusader Scott Lively and Rowan County ( Kentucky ) Clerk Kim Davis.
Mount Horeb Area School District Director of Student Services Theresa Daane said in a statement that the school is providing additional time for parents to review the material.
The Wisconsin Assembly education committee, on Nov. 20, held hearings on a bill that would prohibit transgender students from using the restroom or locker room facilities designated for the gender with which they identify. The bill has not yet made its way to the floor of either house.
WORT-Radio's story is at bit.ly/1NrwnmG .