California protesters rally for parental rights amid controversial bills
Parents, students, and church pastors gather at the California State Capitol in Sacramento to protest several bills.
Shouts of "leave our kids alone!" filled downtown Los Angeles streets Tuesday as approximately 200 protesters supporting parental rights in education measures – including the right to be informed about their child's gender selection – marched toward LA Unified School District's offices from city hall.
Police set up "skirmish lines" to keep demonstrators from clashing with pro-LGBTQ+ activists outside LAUSD's offices, according to FOX 11, but police eventually declared the assembly "unlawful" after some parental rights demonstrators allegedly attempted to "push counter-protesters back."
Three were arrested, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Protesters and counterprotesters faced off in front of Saticoy Elementary School as parents kept their children home from school to protest the planned Gay Pride and Rainbow Day assembly on Friday, June 2, 2023. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Video shared by journalist Jeremy Lindenfield on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the "Leave Our Kids Alone" group crowding in a tunnel during their march, chanting their mantra and holding signs with pro-parental rights slogans.
Those behind the movement are pushing the school district to adopt policies seen in other southern California districts, including the Chino Valley Unified School District that came under scrutiny from state officials after the board voted 4-1 to adopt a policy to keep parents informed if their child decides to identify with a gender that does not directly correspond with their biological sex.
"We believe that there is a radical indoctrination system that has seeped from academia and now into K through 12. We’ve been trying to get kiddie porno smut books out of the schools," Ben Richards, a San Diego parent and the founder of SoCal Parent Advocates, said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"And we don’t want people to talk about sex with our children without telling us and behind our backs," he added.
Parent activists continue to label school officials who teach kids about LGBTQ+ and sexual content as "groomers" and argue schools have no place teaching students – especially young children – about more mature themes.
Advocates for LGBTQ+ youth in LAUSD schools, however, say such beliefs are harmful to students' mental wellbeing.
Soma Snakeoil, a speaker for counter-protesters supporting LGBTQ+ youth, said she identifies as queer and has a queer child. She believes the parental rights advocates
"They aren't saving our children, they are silencing our children," she said, per FOX 11's report. "You want to talk about saving our children? Allow them to live without harassment."
CALIFORNIA AG TO PROBE SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER POLICY REQUIRING STAFF TO OUT TRANS STUDENTS
Fos News Digital reached out to the LAUSD for comment and received the following statement from a Los Angeles Unified spokesperson:
"Los Angeles Unified will never shy away from being an inclusive environment for all. Every student in the District deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and care and have their entire self celebrated and accepted. We will never abdicate our responsibility of providing a safe and welcoming environment for every student, family, employee or community member that walks through our doors.
"The District follows state laws and state approved curriculum that reflects and embraces the experiences and backgrounds of our diverse community. However, the District will always and unequivocally provide additional resources and support for every student, including those experiencing gender dysphoria and questioning their sexual orientation, and will respect whatever decision a student and their family determines.
"The dark shadow of deliberate ignorance will not influence who we are or what we stand for."
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Parental rights remain a hot button issue not only in the Golden State, but across the U.S. as more parents come forward with complaints alleging that their children's school districts are teaching inappropriate content.
In more conservative areas like Florida, however, the climate is different. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, signed the Parental Rights in Education Act, critic-branded as "Don't Say Gay," into law last year, initially banning gender identity and sexual content discussions in kindergarten through the third grade.
The policy has since been expanded to grades K-12.
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