Multinational automaker Kia has been removed from the donor page of a program distributing LGBTQ-themed books to children following a Daily Caller News Foundation report on the company’s ties to the nonprofit.
The DCNF exclusively reported Wednesday that Kia was prominently displayed as a co-sponsor of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) Rainbow Library — a nonprofit initiative that provides participating teachers with children’s books pushing transgenderism and homosexuality onto kids as young as five. Kia has since been removed from the Rainbow Library’s sponsors page.
Kia did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment on the removal, and it’s unclear whether the company requested to be erased from the webpage. A spokesperson for Kia denied in a statement Tuesday that the carmaker sponsored Rainbow Library in 2023 or 2024, but did not respond to further inquiries about why it was listed as a sponsor on GLSEN’s website.
The carmaker was listed as a Rainbow Library national sponsor for the 2022-2023 school year, along with General Motors and T.J. Maxx, according to a March 2023 archive of the website.
Kia issued a “proud owners” press release in August highlighting stories of “dynamic LGBTQ+ individuals” who drive cars made by the auto manufacturer. One such “dynamic” individual mentioned in the release is “an entrepreneur, cultural strategist, researcher [and] artist” who “design[s] strategies for a more inclusive, and welcoming business future for all people.”
GLSEN did not respond to requests for comment on Kia’s involvement with the nonprofit.
Screenshot of GLSEN Rainbow Library sponsor page prior to DCNF’s media inquiry (12/17/24).
Screenshot of GLSEN Rainbow Library sponsor page one day after the publication of the DCNF’s article on the ties between Kia and Rainbow Library (12/19/24). Note that Kia has been removed.
The list of books distributed by Rainbow Library includes, “When Aidan Becomes a Brother,” which tells the story of a young child telling her parents she’s “transgender” and “explor[ing] different ways of being a boy.” GLSEN’s recommended lesson plan lists “When Aidan Becomes a Brother” as appropriate for second graders.
The Rainbow Library also distributes a children’s book they claim is meant for first graders called “My Rainbow,” which depicts a mother constructing a rainbow wig for her young transgender child. In addition to transgenderism, the GLSEN lesson plan also touts homosexuality, recommending a book entitled “When We Love Someone, We Sing To Them,” which tells the story of a young boy singing to another young boy in order to confess his love to him.
Over 8,100 schools in 33 states nationwide participate in the Rainbow Library program.
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