In response to Democratic officials in Missouri reading a book promoting transgenderism to children on “National Reading Day,” members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, led by Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin, took a stand by reading Daily Wire host Matt Walsh’s children’s book “Johnny the Walrus.” The move was a pointed response to the reading of “Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story about Gender and Friendship” by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city officials, which depicts a boy teddy bear named Thomas expressing a desire to be a girl teddy named Tilly.
In Walsh’s book, “Johnny the Walrus,” published in April 2022, the story revolves around a boy who believes he is a walrus, and his mother indulges his fanciful identity, emphasizing the theme of accepting one’s biological reality. The book serves as a conservative rebuttal to narratives promoting gender identity ideology to young children, advocating for the affirmation of biological truth over ideological constructs.
Brattin and members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus framed their reading of “Johnny the Walrus” as a response to what they viewed as an attempt by Kansas City officials to groom children with progressive ideologies. By publicly reading Walsh’s book, they sought to counter what they perceived as the normalization of transgenderism in children’s literature, asserting the importance of promoting traditional values and biological reality.
Walsh’s book sparked controversy upon its release, quickly becoming a bestseller in Amazon’s LGBTQ+ category, much to the dismay of LGBTQ activists who called for its removal from the platform. The author defended the book’s message of self-acceptance grounded in biological reality, criticizing what he sees as the Left’s promotion of rejecting one’s true identity in favor of ideological constructs.
The reading of “Johnny the Walrus” by members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus underscores the ongoing cultural and ideological battles surrounding gender identity and children’s literature. Conservatives view such readings as essential in preserving traditional values and resisting what they perceive as the indoctrination of children with progressive ideologies, while progressives advocate for greater inclusivity and representation in children’s literature.
