201. Sacrificial Lambs: How Queer Theory Infiltrated K-12 Public Schools with Anita Bartholomew

Feb 16, 2026

Anita Bartholomew, magazine journalist and author of Sacrificial Lambs, investigates how gender ideology entered K–12 schools. She recounts examples from curricula and library books, traces queer theory's academic roots, and discusses media influence. The conversation highlights alleged harms of early sexualization and offers steps parents can take to respond.

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ANECDOTE

Second‑Grade Anatomy Shocker

Anita obtained Portland public school curriculum via public records showing second graders memorizing terms like clitoris, vagina, anus and being shown spread-eagled diagrams.
She describes that material as reducing children to genitals and shocking in its early-age sexualization.

INSIGHT

Academics Reframe Children As Sexual

Some academic sex-education materials portray children as sexual beings and even promote masturbation discussion to 'prevent abuse'.
Anita links these ideas directly back to Gail Rubin's radical 1980s work that reframed sexual norms.

ANECDOTE

Explicit Passages In School Libraries

Anita reads explicit excerpts from promoted middle‑school books such as All Boys Aren't Blue and Genderqueer to show sexual content in school libraries.
She presents graphic passages to illustrate that some library material functions as pornographic for minors.

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Today I sit down with my friend Anita Bartholomew, a magazine journalist and author, to discuss her new book Sacrificial Lambs: Liberal Reporter Exposes How the Progressive Left Harms Children in the Name of Gender Ideology. This is Anita's second appearance on the show, and this time she walks us through the findings of her thorough investigation into how gender ideology functions as a predatory movement targeting today's youth.

We dig into the disturbing reality of what's being taught in K-12 public schools under the banner of "comprehensive sexuality education" — from second-grade anatomy lessons designed around queer theory to explicitly sexual library books being promoted to middle schoolers. Anita reads excerpts from books like "All Boys Aren't Blue," "Beyond Magenta," and "Gender Queer" that are sitting on school library shelves, and we explore how this curriculum systematically breaks down children's natural psychological boundaries.

We also examine the mainstream media's role in propping up the gender ideology narrative, looking at how outlets like the New York Times dismissed the Cass Report and continue to misrepresent reality. I share my perspective as a psychotherapist on how premature exposure to sexual content can confuse children's developing sense of sexuality and identity. We discuss what parents can do to protect their kids, why pressuring media for accurate reporting may be the most powerful long-term strategy, and why Anita believes the evidence overwhelmingly shows that there is no such thing as a "trans kid." Follow her on X @AnitaBart.
Anita Bartholomew's Substack
Anitabartholomew.com

[00:00:00] Start
[00:04:17] Why Anita Wrote Sacrificial Lambs
[00:06:22] What K-12 Schools Are Teaching Children
[00:12:15] Queer Theory Origins and Gayle Rubin
[00:14:44] Pornographic Books in School Libraries
[00:21:39] Academics Calling Children Sexual Beings
[00:24:53] Psychological Harm of Premature Sexual Content
[00:32:26] Comprehensive Sex Ed as Indoctrination
[00:35:04] How Media Indoctrinated Adults First
[00:37:46] NYT, Vox, and AP Headlines Exposed
[00:44:33] Sunk Cost, Money, and Who Pulls the Strings
[00:54:16] Advice for Parents in Captured Schools
[00:59:15] A Letter Writing Campaign for Change
[01:05:15] What Else Is in the Book
[01:12:00] Families Torn Apart by Gender Ideology

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

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