New Jersey Just Entrusted Its 1.3 Million Students to Dr. Lily Laux
Caption above: Dr. Lily Laux, Senate Judiciary Committee, February 19, 2026. Photo Credit: New Jersey Senate Democrats
Last Thursday, I was in Trenton to testify before the Assembly Innovation, Science and Technology Committee on legislation aimed at protecting children online. I hope you didn’t miss the email we sent on Friday with a full recap of what happened on that issue. You can also visit our Newsletter page on our website to learn more.
Before heading over to the Assembly Committee rooms, I spent the morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee to listen to testimony and observe the questioning of Dr. Lily Laux, who appeared before the Committee for her nomination to serve as New Jersey’s next Commissioner of Education under Governor Sherrill. I had the opportunity to introduce myself to Dr. Laux as we sat next to each other while she patiently waited for her turn to address the Committee.
Caption: Senate Judiciary Committee, February 19, 2026. Photo Credit: New Jersey Senate Democrats
As you would expect, her prepared remarks focused on her experience in education and her commitment to improving student outcomes here in New Jersey.
Near the end of the hearing, Senator Mike Testa (R‑Vineland), a well‑known advocate for parental rights, shifted the conversation. He asked Dr. Laux two questions that stood apart from the rest of the morning’s discussion. Specifically, he pressed her for her personal views on New Jersey’s controversial Learning Standards for Health and Physical Education (Sex Education).
Questions that Deserve Answers
Senator Testa reminded Dr. Laux that the Sex Education Standards were scheduled for revision in 2025, yet the New Jersey Department of Education missed that deadline and postponed any updates without offering an explanation. He then asked her to share her perspective on New Jersey’s requirement that gender identity and sexual orientation be taught in 2nd‑grade Health classes, compared to Texas where she previously worked for the Texas Education Agency. These topics are not taught at any grade level, including high school in the Lone Star State. He also highlighted the difference in parental authority. Texas requires families to opt-in to any Sex Ed curriculum, while New Jersey requires parents to opt-out.
The Expected Responses
Dr. Laux responded respectfully, noting that revisions to the standards are currently underway in New Jersey. She emphasized that she is fully aware she is no longer in Texas and that the New Jersey Legislature and the State Board of Education have already engaged in extensive discussions about what they believe is appropriate for New Jersey’s students when it comes to learning about sex and gender.
Senator Testa and Dr. Laux had a cordial professional public dialogue on this topic. I enjoyed listening to their on the record conversation!
But I was stunned by the overblown reaction of several Democrat Senators on the Committee, as they quickly left their seats and huddled up in a corner when Senator Testa started comparing the Texas Sex Ed Standards – that are absent of transgender ideology even in high school – to New Jersey’s where these topics are presented to impressionable 2nd graders.
The Unexpected Reaction
Senator Vin Gopal (D-) sat back down from the Democratic huddle and was visibly upset with Senator Testa’s line of questions. “I get along very well with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but they know I will always respond when it comes to Sex Education because we did have a time period when I felt teachers and librarians were getting attacked. There were accusations that teachers were teaching sex acts and there was pornography in library books. And then after the elections and they lost a lot of seats (republicans), it all sort of stopped. Nobody talked about it… just like we had whales and dolphins dying and they all stopped dying after the election.”
All the Democrat senators laughed! Senator Gopal’s dishonest portrayal of the concerns of parents was noticeably different from how any of them reacted to every other line of questioning that morning.
Three Key Takeaways
1. The contrast in priorities was unmistakable.
Throughout the hearing, these same senators showed little visible emotion while discussing student academic outcomes, Vo‑Tech and college‑prep pathways, crumbling inner‑city school buildings, or funding for extracurricular programs. But the moment the issue of exposing 7‑year‑olds to instruction on gender identity was raised, some members defensively reacted—making clear what truly animates them.
2. Senator Gopal, Chairman of the Education Committee, dismissed parents’ concerns.
His demeanor toward parents’ objections was openly dismissive, and he inaccurately claimed that sex acts are not taught in New Jersey schools. Yet the 8th‑grade learning standards explicitly require students to define vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Parents deserve honesty about what is in the curriculum.
3. Some Democratic legislators appear convinced that early instruction on gender identity and access to sexually explicit books is politically advantageous.
This became evident when Senator Gopal sarcastically suggested that these issues are the reason Republicans lose elections. That comment revealed a troubling assumption: that teaching very young children about gender identity and providing sexually explicit materials to middle‑schoolers is not only defensible, but a winning campaign message.
I found the first two takeaways deeply troubling. Yet I must acknowledge that Senator Gopal was partially correct in his final point. It raises a hard but necessary question: Why did 600,000 conservative‑leaning voters stay home just over three months ago during the governor’s race?
And why do activist groups on the political Left consistently show greater urgency and organization when it comes to winning elections and shaping the education system, while so many parents and grandparents, who I know care deeply about protecting their children from ideological overreach, yet struggle to match that level of engagement?
