Protests outside a Glendale school district meeting turned violent as groups broke into several fights as administrators argued over Pride Month recognition while the audience debated studies of gender and sexual identity.
Demonstrations outside the Glendale Unified School District building remained relatively civil throughout the day. However, fighting between the approximately 200 protesters and counter-demonstrators began after 6 p.m. School administrators said many of the protesters did not have students in the district.
The city’s police department deployed about 50 officers to the meeting to prevent fighting between the groups. After several scuffles, officers ordered the protesters to disperse and threatened to use less-than-lethal force to break up the crowd.
Attempts to de-escalate the crowd failed, and officers arrested at least three people. They are accused of using pepper spray and obstruction.
Tensions rose inside the building as people debated LGBTQ+ issues during public comment. The gender and sexual identity curriculum was not on the agenda of the meeting. The only item related to the LGBTQ+ community on the agenda was a statement of support for Pride Month. The district has adopted this statement for the past five years.
“At Glendale Unified, we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment where all children can learn and thrive,” the district said in a statement. We know that children do better when their parents are involved in their education. We work with parents as partners and encourage all parents and other carers to be curious and engaged with what is happening in our school community. We continue to work together, commit to having difficult conversations, ask questions, and maintain civil discourse for the benefit of all students.
The battle for LGBTQ+ education has been an ongoing conflict in the United States, as communities demand that school boards limit discussions of sexual orientation. The decision to ban a book about gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk drew the attention of California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week after a school board president accused the slain activist of be a pedophile
The same groups that fought outside GUSD headquarters protested outside North Hollywood Elementary School last week. The rally played out in a similar fashion to Tuesday’s protest, with protesters remaining relatively peaceful apart from some late afternoon scuffles.
June is Pride Month, with LGBTQ+ celebrations kicking off in West Hollywood last weekend.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or login
for more features.
