Dear Editor:

I attended the Candidate’s Forum in Boothbay on Oct. 3. As noted by this paper in its coverage of the session, Cameron Reny, Democratic candidate for Senate District #13 addressed an education question and stated “…the backlash against themes surrounding race and literature is a manufactured controversary and it makes me furious.”

A recent Rasmussen and Capitol Resource Institute survey of 1,000 likely voters (appropriately sampled across demographic and political beliefs) finds that 77% of voters are concerned that school-age children are being exposed to sexual material that is not age appropriate.

Needless to say, I do not agree with Ms Reny’s statement. The problem is local, real and in our schools under the full support of the Maine Dept of Education and the current Democratic administration. The MOOSE (Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education) video, for pre-k to 2nd grades, teaching our children how “doctors make mistakes” when identifying gender at birth and the subsequent removal of it from the site after a public uproar earlier this summer, is just one of many proof points of the ongoing indoctrination of our children.

We do not need an angry, dismissive and out of touch state senator ignoring the concerns of parents, grandparents and others.

Make no mistake, I support individual freedoms and an adult’s right to self-identify their gender and sexual orientation….be whatever you want to be, but let parents guide their children into adulthood. The Maine Dept of Education and tax payer dollars should have no say in this matter.

Abden Simmons is a no nonsense, practical fisherman who has served as a State Rep, Waldoboro Selectboard member, Dept of Marine Resources Council member and is a lifelong resident of Waldoboro. Abden is grounded in reality and will work tirelessly and pragmatically to defend our way of life and protect our children.

Join me on Nov. 8 and vote Abden Simmons for State Senate, District 13.

Patty Minerich

Boothbay Harbor