Culver City parents protest LGBTQ education for elementary schoolers on 'Rainbow Day'

CULVER CITY, Calif. - A group of parents protested outside a Culver City elementary school Wednesday, as the school hosted "Rainbow Day," a part of the curriculum meant to teach students about the LGBTQ community, inclusivity and more. Protesters said their demonstration was meant to advocate for parents' rights, rather than any animosity toward the LGBTQ community.

The group protested outside La Ballona Elementary School, chanting mantras like "It's a parent's right to choose."

"I'm not here because I hate gays. I'm not here because I hate trans [people]. That's far from it," said parent Norma Hernandez. "It should be my right to choose when the children get exposed to this kind of information."

Hernandez was one of several parents who kept their children home from school Wednesday in protest of Rainbow Day. 

As part of the curriculum, Lindz Amer, a nonbinary person and host of the YouTube channel "Queer Kid Stuff," read the book "Payden's Pronoun Party" by Blue Jaryn. On their website, Queer Kid Stuff states its mission is to "foster understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities and issues among young minds and their families."

While Culver City Unified School District Superintendent Brian Lucas said that the state requires an inclusive curriculum, and the lessons are approved by the district. He said that while he understands parents' concerns, he called the book "age appropriate. There is no content around sex education or sexual orientation. This is about being accepting and inclusive of all of our students that come into our campuses."

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Culver City is far from the only school district in Southern California that is facing heated debate over teaching about LGBTQ+ identities and issues. Over the summer, the Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County got in a battle with Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta over a policy that would require school employees to notify parents if their children want to be identified using pronouns different from those on their official records. Parents in other school districts, like Fontana, have demanded similar policies. Discussions of gender identity in schools even led to fighting outside a school board meeting in Glendale.

Legally, parents aren't able to opt out of the curriculum, though Attorney Karin Sweigart says they can argue for more input on what's taught.

"I think they need to try to get involved in their local school boards, get to know their teachers and specifically ask their teachers when this information would be presented. Hopefully teachers would work with that," Sweigart said.

There was no conflict at La Ballona Wednesday, and parents on both sides of the issue were able to express their views.

"We are just really excited about Rainbow Day," said parent Sam Pullen. "We think it's a great opportunity for the kids to learn about diversity and respect."

Tiffany White, on the other hand argued against Rainbow Day, saying, "We should be focused on math or science education, computer literacy, not ‘rainbow days.’ [It's] nothing against the LGBTQ rights, communities, or their beliefs."