Automaker Kia has been removed from the list of sponsors for a program that distributes LGBTQ-themed books to children after a report by the Daily Caller drew attention to the company’s ties to the initiative.
The Daily Caller previously reported that Kia was listed as a co-sponsor of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) Rainbow Library. This nonprofit program provides teachers with children’s books promoting narratives about transgender ideology and homosexuality, targeting children as young as five years old.
Following the report, Kia’s name no longer appears among the sponsors on the Rainbow Library’s webpage. Kia had been listed as a national sponsor of GLSEN for the 2022-2023 school year, alongside other major companies such as General Motors and T.J. Maxx.
Among the books distributed through the Rainbow Library are titles like “When Aidan Becomes a Brother,” which tells the story of a child who comes out as transgender and explores “different ways of being a boy.” Another, “My Rainbow,” features a mother crafting a rainbow wig for her transgender child. “When We Love Someone, We Sing to Them” tells the story of a boy singing to another boy he loves. Over 8,100 schools in 33 states participate in the Rainbow Library program.
The Daily Caller reported that Kia declined to comment on its removal from GLSEN’s website. However, a spokesperson denied that the company sponsored the Rainbow Library in 2023 or 2024, without explaining why it had been listed on GLSEN’s site as a sponsor.
This is not the first time that the carmaker has pushed LGBTQ initiatives. Back in August, Kia also issued a press release celebrating “dynamic LGBTQ+ individuals” as part of a “Proud Owners” campaign. One individual mentioned was “an entrepreneur, cultural strategist, researcher [and] artist” who “design[s] strategies for a more inclusive, and welcoming business future for all people.”
