Under Tim Walz, Minnesota Pays For Kids To Go On ‘Queer’ Wilderness Trips Without Parents

Under Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota funds an organization that hosts no-parents-allowed wilderness excursions where children as young as 11 can discuss “queerness” with an adult who identifies as transgender.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources gave $10,500 to Clean River Partners, which sponsors the “Queer Unity, Environmental Education, and Recreation for Youth” program. Led by Heron Mahr, a self-described “trans non-binary naturalist, youth educator, and community engagement professional” who uses “they/them” pronouns, the group convenes monthly “to offer a safe space for young individuals in Northfield and Faribault to connect, learn outdoor skills, and explore the intersection of queerness and nature,” an Instagram post advertising the program states.

According to Mahr, parents asked to “not attend the events, so participants have the chance to build their independence outdoors. Mahr notes that there will be “ample adult supervision, including myself, a Carleton student who is supporting the program, and occasional guest instructors.” The student Mahr is referencing is Vio Csedrik, a board member of a “student-run drag organization” at Carleton College.

Mahr also said that the program is “designed specifically for queer and questioning middle and high school youth, and we kindly ask that you only attend if you belong to one of those groups.”

When asked by The Daily Wire, however, the organization’s executive director Jennifer Tonko said that “parents aren’t banned from attending the program, but it is meant to be a space for youth and it’s designed as such.” Tonko also stated that the program intends to “promote a sense of safety and belonging in the outdoors for queer and questioning youth,” with discussion topics including “trail navigation, plant identification, and paddling skills.”

Walz has been at the forefront of the Harris campaign’s effort to mobilize voters who identify as LGBT, recently speaking at an event hosted by an organization that promotes child transgenderism.

The Daily Wire uncovered that parents of children who identify as trans recently spoke out in support of the Harris-Walz ticket on a “Trans Families for Harris” Zoom call, with the organizer behind the event, a man who identifies as a woman, celebrating Walz as “a beacon of LGBTQ rights for decades.” Both Walz and his wife, Gwen, promoted LGBT identification while they were high school teachers. Tim Walz advised his high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club, and Gwen Walz discussed sexual orientation with students on the first day of school.

When asked why the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources decided to fund the program, an agency spokeswoman for the agency told The Daily Wire that the organization “received funding for its QUEERY nature club as part of our No Child Left Inside (NCLI) competitive grant program” and added that “it is our understanding that parents can participate in the program.”

The spokeswoman went on to say that the Department of Natural Resources “funded this project because it scored highly on a rubric-based assessment that took into account program focus, design, approach, and evaluation; feasibility; and financial need and match.”

Earlier this month, The Daily Wire reported that the federal government is set to grant $50,000 to an Oregon-based organization that hosts similar events outdoor events. The recipient organization, called the Northwest Youth Corps, will use the taxpayer funding in part to promote “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer inclusion.”

National Geographic celebrated the program, stating that “having the support of an organization that provides safe spaces and opportunities for queer youth is essential for queer youth, especially during a time when transgender youth care is banned in numerous states and legislation transgender youth from participating in sports.”