HAWAII: Crackpot Lawmaker Forces Sex Education Opt-In Choice For Parents

Hawaii state Rep. Bob "Crazy Eyes" McDermott has apparently finally won one of his many crackpot crusades.

Hawaii is making its sex education classes for middle school students opt-in, responding to critics by giving parents responsibility to affirm they want their children to be taught the course. The Department of Education said Friday that the shift from an opt-out policy is one of 12 changes the department is immediately making to improve curriculum review and help parents be part of the sexual education process. The changes come after objections to the program that debuted last year titled “Pono Choices,” which has been criticized by some state lawmakers and others. State Rep. Bob McDermott, a Republican who repeatedly said the curriculum wasn’t medically accurate and was a form of social engineering, said Friday the changes are a partial victory with the opt-in change plus changes to how genitals are described and inclusions about risks from anal sex.

McDermott, you will recall, was the leading legislative voice during Hawaii's vicious battle against same-sex marriage.