Hey Bigot, Leave Our Kids Alone

“LAUSD Board Members…you and your LAUSD colleagues so graciously hid behind ANTIFA.”

– Speaker at LAUSD Board Meeting

Just a few days earlier, Laura Ann Carleton had been murdered in cold blood for the crime of flying the Gay Pride Flag in front of her store in Lake Arrowhead. This blatant assault on the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies did not seem to weigh on the conscience of this speaker as she stood at the podium in the LAUSD Board Room. Wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with “Leave Our Kids Alone,” the uniform of those who violently protested in front of Saticoy Elementary School in June, the self-described parent never mentioned the bloodshed spilled in the name of her cause. Instead, she blamed the violence at this rally on ANTIFA.

In the comic strip Family Circus, "Not me" is a character who along with "IDA Know" and "Nobody" is always available to take responsibility for wrongdoing by the kids. For right-wing radicals, ANTIFA has become their "Not Me," invoked whenever they get caught red-handed engaging in violent behavior.

While there has never been any evidence presented of a formal organizational structure for ANTIFA, the right-wing has blamed them for everything from violence at George Floyd rallies to the invasion of the Capitol on January 6th. It is no surprise that the Saticoy "parents" are now trying to deflect blame for the documented violence, especially when they have been caught working with members of the Proud Boys.

Having covered the demonstration at Saticoy Elementary, I can say without question that it was not ANTIFA who caused the violence. The day had been loud but peaceful with the two groups on separate sides of the street until the “Saticoy Parents,” not ANTIFA, decided to cross the street and descend violently on a trans-person. The person issuing threats through their sound system was not an ANTIFA agitator. It was not someone supporting ANTIFA who was caught on video assaulting me.

Not willing to take responsibility for the violence that she was a part of, it is not surprising that the speaker at the LAUSD Board Meeting can not see how the rhetoric that she promotes helped to cause the conditions that resulted in the murder of a shopkeeper in Lake Arrowhead. Among the hateful language shouted at the group supporting pride in North Hollywood was the allegation that the teaching that “Some children have two mummies or two daddies” is somehow "grooming.”

Actual grooming is a crime that harms children. To place this label on those supporting the reading of a children's book to students not only cheapens the experience of those who have been harmed by actual pedophiles, but it also endangers shopkeepers who chose to support the LGBTQ+ community by flying a gay pride flag outside their stores.

The use of a label like "groomers" transforms a political or moral disagreement Into a cause worth physically fighting for. When the person on the other side is seen as a literal threat to children, it is easy to excuse violence as a means of providing defense for the innocent. Shooting a shopkeeper for a disagreement over values would be unthinkable. Shooting someone who is advocating harm to children is a much easier bridge to cross, especially if the person holding the gun is battling psychological issues.

As has been explained to the anti-LGBTQ "parents" on numerous occasions, they had the opportunity to opt their children out of the assembly that they found to be offensive. However, that option was not enough for them. They wanted the assembly shut down so that no one could participate, not even the children with parents who understood the value of diversity and inclusion. They were willing to propagate violence to achieve that goal. Those who find this attempt at censorship to be unacceptable need to rise up and say: "Leave our kids alone. We want a future where children from all types of families feel accepted.”

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.