East Central Reporter

Rep. Chris Miller (R-Robinson) is speaking out against SB 818, the new sex education standards law.

“I am a strong opponent to SB 818. Senate Bill 818 was approved without a single Republican vote in either chamber," Miller said. "The legislation would require schools to adopt the National Sex Education Standards. Under the latest iteration of the standards, students starting in 6th grade would be taught how to define the meaning of oral and anal sex, and third graders would be taught concepts such as masturbation.”

Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB 818 into law in August 2021, requiring all schools K-12 that teach sexual education to align their curriculum with certain standards, according to a press release. "Modernizing our sex education standards will help keep our children safe and ensure important lessons like consent and internet safety are taught in classrooms," Pritzker said. 

Miller calls the law "perverted."

“This legislation is perverted and wrong," Miller said."We should not be sexualizing our kids. We absolutely should be teaching our kids science and biology, but our textbooks should not read like the transcripts of Harvey Weinstein’s trial.”

“More and more schools are opting out," Miller said. "I strongly support the grassroots movement to opt out of the National Sex Education standards. Hopefully, all of our schools opt out.”

The new sex education curriculum will be based on the National Sex Education Standards (NSES), which include teaching children in kindergarten through second grade to define gender and gender identity, as well as gender-role stereotypes, and teaching the students the medically accurate names for body parts, including genitals, 

According to a report from Breakthrough Ideas, children in grades 3 through 5 will be taught about masturbation, hormonal development and the role of hormone blockers, the differences between cisgender, transgender, and gender nonbinary, and the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Children in grades 6 through 8 will be taught to define oral sex, anal sex, and vaginal sex, and instructed to identify at least 4 methods of contraception that are available without a prescription, such as condoms and emergency contraception. High school students will be taught about "reproductive justice," as well as how to differentiate between sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression.

According to test scores from the most recent Illinois Assessment of Readiness, less than 20% of Chicago third graders can read or do math at grade level proficiency, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. 

Statewide, only 38% of students read at grade level, according to Wirepoints.

Miller is running unopposed in November's general election.