Over 100 concerned parents, educators, and others showed up at a school board meeting of Washington Elementary School District No. 6 (WESD) in Glendale to speak Thursday night, most of them upset that the school board unanimously decided that the district would no longer hire student teachers from Arizona Christian University (ACU). Newly elected School Board Member Tamillia Valenzuela, who describes herself as “witchy AF” and “queer AF,” led the effort, stating the university’s “biblically-informed” values made her feel unsafe.
Valenzuela, wearing her trademark bunny ears, started the meeting by attacking the lawmakers who criticized her.
“I want to address the hatred from our lawmakers, who have been bullying our LGBTQ students,” she said.
The school board member added, “Young people are watching you and you are letting them know that you are not a safe person for them to be around … that is a shame because adults are perpetuating hate.”
She continued, “Because of that, our youth are experiencing emotional and mental health issues at an exceeding number … so you can’t sit in your hatred. How is that preaching Christ’s teachings that you claim you stand so so firmly in? Our institution has policies that are openly bigoted, and I will not sit here as a member of the community, and let our children be subjected to that.”
Read the rest of the article at The Arizona Sun Times