A Catholic charity group in New Jersey sponsored a reading of a book for young children teaching kids to move “beyond the gender binary.”

The Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton sponsored a reading on Monday at the Hamilton Township Public Library in Hamilton, New Jersey, of a book used to promote gender ideology. The book, “My Shadow is Purple,” follows the story of a young child who identifies as neither male nor female.

The reading prompted concerns from locals, who wondered how a Catholic charity could be promoting a book encouraging gender confusion. The book’s Amazon page says that it is an “inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary.”

“My dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry and my mom’s is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a two or a one. But mine is quite different. It’s both and it’s none. If theirs are straight then mine is a circle,” the child says in the book.

The picture book features photos of the child wearing both masculine and feminine clothing, including a skirt/suit hybrid made for the school dance.

Screen shot of book from Reading Rocket YouTube reading.

At the dance, one student says, “There’s more than two colors our shadows can be,” after the child does not want to go to the male or female part of the dance floor.

Tom, a local parent and Catholic, said that he was shocked by the sponsorship of the reading.

“As devout Catholics and parents to children 4 and 1 1/2, this book event really hit home for my wife and me,” he told The Daily Wire. “We are in a state of complete disbelief that our Diocese would align itself with something so clearly in opposition to the teachings of our faith.”

“We seriously question how this sponsorship is anything other than a sad example of secularized virtue signaling,” he added. “I would also like the Diocese of Trenton to explain how moving children ‘beyond the gender binary’ will move them closer to God?”

In a statement to The Daily Wire, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton said that the reading was part of the charity’s educational mission and indicated it was done as part of its contract with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families under the NJ Statewide Student Support Services Network (NJ4S).

“To that end, our NJ4S Mercer Hub team offers a wide variety of educational and prevention programs for students, families and educators to ensure the children in the county have access to behavioral health care as well as information about numerous issues that can impact a student’s mental health,” Hollis Painting, head of communications for the charity, told The Daily Wire.

Painting added that the reading was one of the free events put on by the team.

“The event you reference included a reading of Scott Stuart’s ‘My Shadow is Purple’ and a discussion and activity about ways children can express their individuality,” Painting told The Daily Wire. “Through this variety of programs, it is our aim to address the diverse scope of issues facing students in Mercer County.”

Hamilton Township Public Library Director Scott Chianese told The Daily Wire that the charity reached out to the library to host the event and that it was the first event the charity had done at the library.

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Bishop of Trenton David O’Connell, who is the president of the charity board, did not respond to request for comment on whether the book was in line with Catholic beliefs.

The charity says that it “offers mental health, poverty-reduction, and social and crisis services to individuals and families, particularly those impacted by trauma and adversity.”

The charity also offers immigration-related services and advises them to “not open the door to U.S. immigration agents or police unless they have a legal document with your name on it.”

Tyson Foods, the U.S.-based meat supplier that’s grown to be one of the world’s largest companies, offered shirts to employees for this its annual Juneteenth celebrations that literally cross out “July 4” as the nation’s Independence Day.

Emails obtained by The Daily Wire show the poultry industry giant selling shirts for its annual Juneteenth celebration that say the holiday, marking the day in 1865 that African Americans in Texas learned that slavery had been abolished in the United States, is the nation’s true independence day.

“Juneteenth is my Independence Day,” reads one shirt offered, while another, under a crossed out July 4 date, states, “Juneteenth 1865 because my ancestors weren’t free in 1776.” Many of the shirts also incorporate the black power fist.

After The Daily Wire inquired about the shirts offered for the celebration, a source inside Tyson Foods says their Virginia office was ordered to cancel the sale and refund any employee who purchased a shirt. Days later, a spokesman for Tyson said it was “unaware of the t-shirt designs.”

“Tyson Foods was unaware of the t-shirt designs proposed by a team member,” the spokesman said. “Upon review, it was determined that the t-shirts do not meet the company’s dress code policy, and they will not be sold or distributed.”

It is unclear how the shirts violate the dress code policy. The company did not respond to follow-up questions.

The Arkansas-based corporation has faced criticism for years for embracing far-left politics. It openly declared earlier this year that it wanted to hire as many illegal migrants as it could, even as it shut down a plant that employed over 1,000 people in Iowa, stating that illegal workers were “very, very loyal.”

Its website features a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” tab that highlights the existence of multiple internal identity groups, including ones for “Latinx” employees and another “Pride” group.

Screenshot of Tyson Foods website

Numerous employees complained internally about the shirts offered for Juneteenth, which was made a national holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021. The shirts, according to the order form supplied to employees, were set to be created by a local vendor called Make It Happen Customz LLC.

The holiday, long celebrated locally in Texas, garnered nationwide attention as Black Lives Matter staged protests across the country in 2020 that were embraced by corporate America. Liberal commentators argued in 2020 that July 4 shouldn’t be celebrated because black Americans weren’t independent.

“Juneteenth — not the Fourth of July — was the real Independence Day,” wrote one author, further arguing that “it is difficult to take pride in being American” on July 4 because of the “intolerance and oppression” still present in society.