School Board Draws Outrage & Protests for Hosting Anti-LGBTQ+ Speakers
Star Tribune reports. Quist spent much of her time denouncing books that encourage acceptance of transgender people. Her group was established in 2013 to oppose safe schools legislation; its founders include Barb Anderson, who was also behind the now-defunct Parents Action League, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a progressive watchdog organization.Armstrong, for her part, called the apparent increase in the number of trans youth “worrisome” and wondered aloud if perhaps anxiety, autism, or peer pressure is causing young people to become transgender, dubbing the latter a “social contagion.” She quoted the Bible as saying God created two sexes, male and female, and said people who adhere to this belief should be respected. “Use of a new name and preferred pronouns should be [optional] for those interacting” with LGBTQ+ people, Armstrong said.“Armstrong spoke for about 50 minutes and was interrupted several times by protesters — mostly Becker students — questioning her statements or chanting ‘gay rights are human rights,’” the Star Tribune reports.After the anti-LGBTQ+ speakers finished, Joe Rand, a teacher with the University of Minnesota Extension who works part-time with the Becker district, condemned their rhetoric strongly. “That was all garbage,” he told students. “You are all valid.”“What we're having trouble helping people understand is that there aren’t two sides,” he added.
