J anuary Littlejohn is a wife, mother to three children, and a licensed mental health counselor in Talla- hassee, Florida. In 2020, her 13-year- old daughter was socially transitioned by the middle school staff without January’s knowledge or consent. In 2021, January and her husband filed a federal lawsuit against the school district for parental rights violations. January has become a powerful advo- cate for families who find themselves in similar situations. Rebecca Weber interviewed January at AMAC’s Boot- camp for Boomers in The Villages, Florida in early 2024. The follow- ing is an abridged version of their conversation. Rebecca Weber Can you explain gender ideology and what is really going on across the country? January Littlejohn Sure. This issue of gender ideology has permeated every aspect of our culture. It’s not just in the schools — it’s in the media, it’s in children’s programming, it’s in advertisements, it is in their video games. The prem- ise of gender ideology is that each of us has a gender identity that is completely separate from our biolog- ical sex, and that you choose your gender identity. And it can be male, female, neither, both, or somewhere Previous Page - January 20, 2024 - AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber (left) and January Littlejohn (right) during the Saving the Nation Bootcamp for Boomers event at The Villages, FL.
to become very concerned about our daughter. She started to ask us to call her by a different name and different pronouns, and she asked for a breast binder, which is a device to flatten breasts to make it look like you don’t have them. And of course, we said no to these requests, and we searched for a mental health profes- sional to help us navigate this with our daughter. In the fall of 2020, my daughter got into the car and said, “Mom, I had a meeting about my name today, and they asked me which restroom I wanted to use.” So, I immediately emailed the guidance counselor when we got home and said I would like to know about the meeting they had with my daughter. Well, I was called back by the guidance coun- selor and the assistant principal, and they said, “Mrs. Littlejohn, we can no longer give you information about your child.” Rebecca Weber This is heartbreaking. Tell us a little bit about the transgender student support plan that these school offi- cials put in place for your daughter. January Littlejohn Yes. So without our knowledge, they socially transitioned my daugh- ter through the use of this gender support plan. And if you look further into the support plan, this is not just about a name and pronoun change. They asked her questions that would have absolutely impacted her safety. And let me just tell you, there were three adults in the room with my
in between. And I know many of you just want to shake your head and say, “This is so absurd, how could people possibly fall for this?” But I can prom- ise you, our children are falling for this, and they are being told that the only compassionate thing to do when someone identifies as transgender is to affirm them in that identity. It’s become the human rights, social rights movement of their lifetime. Rebecca Weber And this is such a personal issue for you. Can you share a little bit about what your daughter experienced and what you as a family had to go through? January Littlejohn Sure. And I wish our situation were an isolated event. Sadly, it is not. But in the spring of 2020, our daughter was experiencing a great deal of anxiety and depression from the lockdowns. But at the same time, she had been introduced to a friend group, and initially we were thrilled. My daugh- ter has ADHD, but she’s also gifted. So, many of these kids are extremely socially awkward. It’s difficult for them to make and maintain friend- ships. And she was no different. She’s quirky, but I knew that once she grows into herself — these are the kids that are extremely creative. They think outside the box. I started to see some red flags when this friend group became hyper-fix- ated on LGBTQ identities. Our daugh- ter came to us in May of 2020 and said, “Mom, I no longer feel like a girl.” And my husband and I started
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