1,000 Maryland Parents Protest Cancellation of Opt-Out from LGBT Curriculum
For 15 years leading up to June 26, 2015, when the Supreme Court announced its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges to legalize same-sex marriage, Family Research Council (FRC) consistently sounded the alarm in the public square, letting Americans know that legalizing same-sex marriage would not just affect couples getting married but all of society.
Public policy impacts society as a whole — including children and those who hold traditional moral values. We warned how legalizing same-sex marriage would create a slippery slope. Emboldened by the progress they have made, today the Left has no “tolerance” or “inclusiveness” for those who believe in the sanctity of one man-one woman marriage or who believe that parents have the fundamental right to make education choices for their children.
LGBT activists, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and teachers’ unions have gained a lot of power over the last two-and-a-half years under the Biden administration. However, little did they know that they would wake up an interfaith alliance of parents who will do everything they can to stand up for their children.
While LGBT activists shouted “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children” this past weekend at the New York City Pride parade, more than 1,000 interfaith parents protested outside the Montgomery County, Maryland school board meeting Tuesday night, shouting, “Leave our kids alone” and “We shall never surrender our children!” They are responding to Montgomery County Public School’s (MCPS’s) announcement that, starting next school year, parents will no longer be able to withhold their elementary-aged and teenage children from lesson plans that include LGBTQ-themed books recently added to the curriculum. In fact, three families filed a lawsuit against MCPS in May, arguing that the district’s policy violates their First Amendment religious rights and Maryland law.
While the media likes to portray the parents who oppose LGBT propaganda in schools as far-Right, white, evangelical Christians, the reality is that the movement is much larger and more diverse. According to The Washington Times, a large portion of those attending the rally were county residents of East African descent who attend Ethiopian Orthodox churches. In addition, fighting alongside Christians are Muslim and Jewish parents. These parents want school administrators and teachers to focus on teaching children real subjects like reading, writing, math, and science. This renewed focus is profoundly needed, as recent reading and math scores have dropped to their lowest level in decades.
Starting at 1:30 Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,000 people took time out of their busy day to make their voices heard at the MCPS school board meeting, pleading with them not to get rid of the opt-out option. However, they were forced to remain outside the building where they were meeting because the school board suddenly had “safety concerns.” MCPS Director of Communications Christopher Cram said that they typically open meetings to the public; however, Tuesday’s meeting was limited to the board itself and “scheduled speakers, invited attendees, and other guests.” He did not explain what the specific safety concerns were. In closing the school board meeting to the public, the board may have violated Maryland’s Open Meetings Act.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins talked about the MCPS school board meeting Tuesday on “Washington Watch” with FRC’s senior fellow for Education Studies, Meg Kilgannon. He pointed out how earlier in June, one of the MCPS school board members, Kristin Mink, accused Muslim families of aligning themselves with “white supremacists and outright bigots.” Kilgannon responded, “It’s no wonder that parents don’t want people with that kind of mentality reading books to their children about race. … They clearly are confused about this topic and are unable to see the dignity of every human person regardless of their skin color or anything else. … I wonder if these people are going to be on the SPLC hate list next year because they have dared to question the authority of their school board.”
Perkins explained that what is happening in Montgomery County and school districts across the country is the byproduct of elections. “This wouldn’t be an issue if we didn’t have a … leftist Democrat running this country, pushing this horrific agenda on the American people. So elections have consequences.” Kilgannon added:
“You’ll recall very recently the president said… ‘These are our children,’ and he said it in relation to a Pride event. So they have the idea that children are somehow the property of the state or the property of the community. … But the idea that parents do not exert full authority over their own children is quite something else entirely. So it is really important for parents to understand that you’re not a valued partner [by the government] in a lot of cases.
“You really need to be the most important person in your child’s life. If you can get alternative arrangements for your child’s schooling — whether it’s homeschooling or some sort of private school or micro-school — that would be a really smart choice right now. But if you cannot do that, you need to be engaged at your school system. And even if you can pull your children out, you cannot leave the system because there are children there who need your protection as well.”
Perkins urged, “We need parents who are running for the school board, we need young people who are going into the profession of teaching into the public schools who are well-grounded in their faith and understanding, and with boldness and with courage, being backed by the local church. We need to take this territory back, but not with our children. We need to protect our children from this ideology that seeks to ensnare them and destroy them. And we need to take it head on.”
As Christians, we know that ultimately this is a spiritual battle. Watch this video at the 41:00 mark where a demonic-looking drag queen announced Saturday at the New York City pride parade through his megaphone, “We invoke and cast a circle. It is a circle of protection, inclusion, and power. Would you like to invoke with me tonight?”
Perkins responded, “When evil speaks, you need to listen.” He gave examples of how this is not the first time that LGBT activists talked like this and have admitted that they are grooming children. “In their arrogance and pride, they are speaking truth. … There’s good and there’s evil, there’s God and there’s Satan, there’s that which is good that comes from light and there’s that which is evil and comes from darkness. It’s demonic.”
The Apostle Paul told the Ephesian church, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. … For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:3, 8-11). Therefore, let’s follow Jesus’s instructions:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
