Protests broke out at Saticoy Elementary School in Los Angeles over a Pride Month event Friday, with protesters arguing LGBT issues should be left to parents to teach their own children, ABC7 reports.
The protesters reportedly descended on the Southern California elementary school at around 8 a.m., carrying posters with messages including “parental choice matters” and “stop grooming our kids,” video shared by the outlet shows. Counter-protesters can be seen clashing with those opposing the Pride Month event, waving various iterations of the LGBT Pride flag.
ABC7’s footage of the clash shows the opposing groups engaged in a visibly heated confrontation at one point, though the majority of the protests remained peaceful, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Middle Schoolers Allegedly ‘Bullied’ Peers Into Participating In LGBT ‘Day Of Silence’)
Some parents opposed to the assembly allegedly created an Instagram account where they encouraged others to keep their kids home.
One parent argued the school should not be teaching children about any sexual topics.
“I didn’t bring them into this world for a teacher to explain [to] them what is gay — or what two men or two women do. Some certain things should be left to the parents to decide whether they want their kids to be exposed to it or not — at least at a certain age,” Saticoy parent Jack Satamian told ABC 7.
Another parent told the outlet schoolchildren should be exposed to learning about such topics.
“It’s how the world is today and if you shield them from it, then it’s just going to make a bigger impact later, and it might be kind of sideways. I think it’s really great to expose them and just talk about everybody,” Eric Denessen said.
An LGBT flag placed in a planter outside a classroom at Saticoy Elementary School was burned in late May, ABC7 reported in a separate article. A new, larger flag was placed outside the classroom in the aftermath. It is not clear who burned the original LGBT flag, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the outlet.
Organizers of Friday’s protests said they had no involvement in the alleged flag burning and that their concern is about parental rights to discuss LGBT topics, ABC7 reported.
The Los Angeles Unified School District issued a statement emphasizing the importance of diversity and saying they would continue engaging with families on the topic, according to the outlet.
“As part of our engagement with school communities, our schools regularly discuss the diversity of the families that we serve and the importance of inclusion,” the statement said. “This remains an active discussion with our school communities and we remain committed to continuing to engage with families about this important topic. Families are always encouraged to discuss important topics with their children and families may also contact their schools for more information about any school programs or activities.”
* Article From: The Daily Caller
