Vice President Kamala Harris's recent address to the American Federation of Teachers' convention has reignited debates over education policies and content in schools. In her speech, Harris leveled criticisms at Republican policies, touching on contentious issues such as gun control, book bans, and LGBTQ+ rights in education.

Harris drew a contrast between Democratic and Republican priorities, stating, "Our administration seeks to restrict access to certain firearms, while our opponents focus on limiting access to literature." She accused Republicans of having "the nerve to tell teachers to strap on a gun in the classroom, while they refused to pass common sense gun safety laws."

“We want to ban assault weapons and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?”

VP Harris calls out the GOP’s extremist agenda while speaking at the American Federation of Teachers’ convention. pic.twitter.com/ECcru1whSu

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 25, 2024

The Vice President's comments on literature appear to reference recent controversies surrounding books like "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe and "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison. These books have been at the center of heated debates due to their content, which are inappropriate for young readers. "Gender Queer," in particular, has drawn criticism for its graphic depictions of sexual acts.

Harris characterized efforts to remove such books from school libraries as "attacks on the freedom to learn," stating, "These extremists attack the freedom to learn and acknowledge our nation's true and full history, including book bans – book bans in this year of Our Lord 2024."

The speech also touched on LGBTQ+ rights in education, with Harris criticizing what she termed "so-called 'don't say gay' laws." This appears to be a reference to Florida's Senate Bill 1834, officially titled "Parental Rights in Education," which passed in early 2022.

Supporters of the Florida bill, like Rep. Joe Harding, defend it as establishing necessary boundaries in schools. "Creating boundaries at an early age of what is appropriate in our schools, when we are funding our schools, is not hate," Harding stated. "It's actually providing boundaries, and it's fair to our teachers and our school districts to know what we expect."

Ron DeSantis puts the lying press in its place about Florida's anti-grooming bill. pic.twitter.com/3dCkPMzpv7

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 7, 2022