Glendale California School Board Protest of PRIDE Month Recognition Turns Violent

By Merary Flores Galindo and Dr. Benjamin M. Drury

Imagine a school board meeting. If you are thinking anything like what I am thinking, you are probably imagining a benign bureaucratic meeting that typically takes place without public knowledge of when or what is being discussed. Recently, an incident in Glendale involved a violent demonstration where groups of men wearing “Leave our kids alone” T-shirts gathered in the streets in protest of a school board meeting related to the celebration of PRIDE during the month of June — which is PRIDE Month dedicated to celebrating and remembering the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community. The situation escalated to the point of shoving and punching among the crowds, despite attempts by the Glendale police to de-escalate the situation. Three people were arrested, and the police declared an unlawful assembly, ordering the crowd to disperse. The significance of discussing LGBTQIA+ topics in schools becomes apparent in this context. At the meeting last week, the school board ultimately voted to recognize PRIDE month, a decision they have made since 2019. However, the experience of those supporting LGBTQIA+ rights was described as “terrifying” by witnesses. One individual mentioned facing a wave of online harassment, including anonymous accounts making threats of violence…