Many schools at the Glendale Unified School District resembled a “ghost town” on June 2 as some parents kept their children at home in protest of the district’s planned “Pride Day” where students learn about LGBT activists and participate in activities that celebrate the LGBT community.
While the number of absent students is currently unknown, some parents told The Epoch Times that many schools resembled a “ghost town” with some reporting the typically crowded morning drop-off line outside of schools was nonexistent.
One teacher from Glenoaks Elementary School in Glendale, California, said a classroom of 35 had only 10 students on Friday—and that roughly 60 percent of all students were absent.
A spokesperson for Glendale Unified told The Epoch Times in an email that the district is “intentional” in choosing age-appropriate educational resources to “celebrate everyone in our diverse community.”
“These resources are organized by what is appropriate for students at each grade level and shared with our teachers to use in their classrooms if they choose,” the spokesperson said. “In June, this includes lessons highlighting our LGBTQIA+ community. Our children also benefit from many school-based celebrations and activities organized by student, staff, and parent leaders to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the school year.”
However, some parents say they’re boycotting Pride Day because they believe parents should decide when to introduce topics such as gender and sexuality to their children.
“There’s a time and a place and age to be gradually introduced to certain things,” said Yeva, a parent of two Glendale Unified elementary school children who preferred to give only her first name. “It’s happening so fast and so intensely that it’s concerning to parents who have very young children in schools. I feel like it’s an invasion of our children’s innocence.”
Others said they’re frustrated with school policies that hide students’ preferred gender identity or pronouns from parents.
Henry also complained about the district officials’ attitudes toward those who oppose such policies and ideologies in schools.
“The board, the superintendent, and the administration will die on this hill,” Henry told The Epoch Times.
Henry said the board doesn’t listen to parent complaints, and teachers are afraid to speak out, for fear of losing their jobs—like in the case of Ray Shelton, a 25-year teacher in the district who was placed on paid leave after speaking out against gender ideology during a school board meeting in April.
Taking a stance against such, Shelton, a gay man, brought with him to the board meeting an internet meme he’d seen of the LGBTQIA+ flag in a four-flag “pinwheel” arrangement that resembled a swastika—suggesting the district’s policies and ideology resembled fascism.
After the meeting, two district teachers filed complaints of “hate speech” against Shelton, and the district placed him on paid leave a day later.
Shelton, however, told The Epoch Times that he doesn’t regret what he said that day.
“I simply said, biology is not bigotry,” he said. “I said, heterosexuality is not hate. And then I said gender cannot be changed.”
Shelton recounted he additionally told the board that he thought so-called gender-affirming surgery for children was wrong and how he thought the gender movement is hurting others.
“And then in the end, I said that transgender ideology is anti-gay. It’s anti-woman. It’s anti-human. And it’s misogyny writ-large,” he said.
He said he believes the issue is about tearing down conventions.
“If you can destroy the norms, then you have chaos, and if you have chaos, then people will seek people who can solve the problem quickly. And that usually leads to some sort of authoritarian figure, who is going to make things bad,” he said.
Another protest occurred Friday at Saticoy Elementary School, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, where parents protested outside the North Hollywood school regarding a Pride assembly at the school.
Parents and counterprotesters supporting the LGBT community—reportedly 100 between the two groups—had to be separated by police officers.
