The Highwire with Del Bigtree - FIGHT FOR PARENTAL RIGHTS REACHES BOILING POINT IN CA

Episode Date: June 19, 2023

As schools across the nation continue to push LGBTQ+ curriculum, conflicts between parents and school staff escalate. President and Co-founder of PERK Advocacy (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids), Amy Bohn, discusses the recent explosive clash outside a school board meeting in Glendale, CA, which led to an all out brawl and 3 arrests, including an ANTIFA member who is rumored to have elevated the peaceful protest to violence.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-highwire-with-del-bigtree--3620606/support.

One of the questions I get as I travel around and have had my whole life is people say, where did you get the name Dell? Where does that come from? And the truth is, is my parents, you know, they were like 60s hippies. They were into love and peace and all of those things. And I think in some ways they're kind of like social recluses a little bit. And if they're watching mom, dad, sorry, I'm sort of outing you there. But when they were looking through the book of names, just thinking about names,

what they, the story they told me is every time Dell was attached to a name, the definition was everybody's friend. And I think that they named me Dell because they really wanted someone that would get along with everybody was also great socially. And so maybe that's part of what puts me here today. I don't know.

But the reason I say all of that is because some of the topics that we are covering on this show are very difficult for me to cover. I say this because I have friends that are in every race, every sexual preference there is. Yes, I have friends that I call friends that are transgender, that have even gone through transitions, and all of those things.

So when we try to have these conversations, I know sometimes they can be offensive. And if I've ever offended anybody, I want to state this, that I believe in a world that accepts every adult for who they are and every decision that they make. And there's no way that sort of standing in themselves and being themselves that it hurts other people, as long as they physically don't hurt other people. What comes out of their mouth, I believe, is free speech. to say what they want. I was raised with my parents. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. That is how I see the world, and that's how I try to portray the world

to my children. But these conversations that we're having get beyond what we accept in each other as adults when we've made our own decisions. What it gets more into is what is a parent's purpose on this planet? And what rights do they have in the decision-making of how they're want to raise their children. Now, we may not all agree with how each other are raising our children, but to me, that's a part of free speech. It's certainly the part of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I've said it before. I taught my kids to ski at like three years old. Some people would say that's really dangerous. They could get killed. And it's true. It's more dangerous than not sending your kids down a couple of boards, you know, on snow with trees and rocks everywhere.

But that's how I was raised and that's how I raise my children. And there's nations all around the world that do it too, maybe even younger. Does it mean you have to do it? But you don't get to tell me how I'm going to raise my kids and it goes the same way. So these conversations we're having right now are really, where are the parents at? Are they being allowed to raise their kids the way they want? And is a public school allowed to say you have to have your kids taught this thing? And if you even try to take them out, then we will punish you.

Schools are not supposed to be prisons, okay? They do not control our children. They're simply there to educate and offer opportunities for our children. So this conversation we're going to get into now will have some issues for those of you that are homeschooling. And I know you use this as a program for your homeschooling. Just this next little section will have a couple of things that might be a little controversial. We're going to be talking about the transnational. gender conversation in schools. Why? Well, because you have to ask yourself, what is a real movement?

What is a peaceful movement? I've been a part of the health freedom movement for many, many years now. And I'll tell you what, not a single one of our moments standing outside of capitals or, you know, state offices across this country or at churches ever looked like this. They never looked like this. The clash at a California school board meeting. Several agitators really starting to cause trouble. Punches were thrown. Protesters come to blows over LGBTQ plus rights. We're really flying here.

Two sides face off outside Glendale Unified Board of Education meeting. Chaos breaks out over LGBTQ instruction in schools. Dueling protests turned violent outside a suburban LA school board meeting where officials voted to bring LGBTQ awareness to class during pride month. Protesters who have been gathering at the last couple of meetings say the state's curriculum and thus the Glendale Unified School District's policy in dealing with LGBTQ plus issues violates their rights as parents. Where is the consent form that gives this school district or any other school district permission to discuss, diagnose or affirm my child's sexual orientation or gender

identity? The school board says it's only following state law that K-12 curriculum include lessons about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, and parents may not pull their child out of any such class. Schools must use students preferred name and pronoun and are prohibited from notifying parents. This week's skirmish, which California's governor called an organized campaign of hate, is just the latest in a series of violent confrontations during Pride Month. Glendale's police chief confirming to KTLA there was Antifa and revolutionary communist members in the crowd yesterday. serving as agitators. Young children are very vulnerable.

First of all, at that age they are targeting them, children don't have any idea about sex and sexuality. Parents want transparency, and then parents want the option to opt out. Well, things are obviously getting heated on this topic in the Republic of California, and I'm joined now by Amy Bond, who heads the group Perk. We've worked side-by-side with Perk on many resolutions and legislative actions. Amy, thanks for joining us today. Hi, Del. Thank you for having me on today. Good to be here. Before we even get started on this topic, I mean, I just want to

understand there's a sensitivity to this, right? Where do you think this line is just for you? As a mother, parent, and someone that really looks at legislation, what is it about this topic that's getting so heated and where do you think we should fall as Americans on it? I think that for me as a mom of three kids, I have a college-age son, high school age, and then a middle schooler. And I think it comes down to what are our fundamental rights parents. You know, we have a sacred relationship between us and our children, and that needs to be protected instead of undermined. And so what I see happening in places like California and even across the country is that fundamental sacred relationship is being interfered with. We can see it in lots of different ways, whether it's through the school or through, you know, bad laws that are coming down through the states.

I think you can just, you know, it's a fundamental right every parent has to raise their children, and that's not the job of the government or the schools or anyone else, and that has to be protected. That's where I stand on that. So this, this outbreak of violence that took place. And as I said before, you know, there are very passionate people in our health freedom movement, which is how you and I met. We've never descended into this level of chaos here. I don't even know which side. And it's not really even about blaming sides.

I get there's a lot of passion. But what fueled this passion? Why is this getting violent like this in California? Well, I think what people have to understand is that before the violence actually happened, And there were some really big situations that were problematic for the parents. And that's what started this fire. And two particular situations that have happened over the past month triggered what you saw there at the school board meeting. And what started this all off was basically there's an assistant superintendent for the Glendell Unified School District.

Her name is Kelly King. And she came out publicly just over the past six weeks and told parents that it was okay. for girls to change in the boys' locker room in front of coaches. I think we have that video. So let's play that. Let's play that really quickly. We have male coaches who are horrified at the thought of having a biological girl changing clothes in front of them.

You know, there's a stigma attached to, you know, abuse and, you know, having a male teacher around any female student in that circumstance. is just scary for them. And, you know, it's one thing for me to keep saying, it's not a girl, it's not a girl, it's not a girl, it's not a girl. You only have boys in the boys locker room until they arrive, you know, until they experience it and realize, oh, I only have boys in the locker room. Then that helps.

So just so that I understand what that video is. That video telling me that this woman believes that, you know, that male, I'm assuming like gym teachers that feel like they're uncomfortable with, you know, people with female anatomy, stark naked in the showers with other boys, that their discomfort with that is inappropriate and they need to get over it and recognize that that is still a boy or a male. You're exactly right. So she's basically trying to make it okay for girls to be in the boys' locker room, and the coaches are the ones that have come out complaining saying that they're not comfortable with this. So I kind of feel like in the video she was slightly mocking those male coaches as they don't feel comfortable with this. Understandably, I wouldn't want our children in the opposite sexes locker room.

So she's definitely, I think, very extreme. And the parents in Glendale Unified School District heard and saw this video. And this was not the only incident related to the locker room that triggered the parents. You have the comments that she made. But in addition to that, you also have a teacher that served in the Glendale Unified School District for 25 years who happens to be a gay man. And he came out publicly saying that not only is this happening in the locker room, but there are boys in the girls showers and girls in the boy showers. And he just said, you know, these things

are being hidden from parents. They're, you know, they're not disclosing this. They're not being transparent with parents about this. So you could have a lot of reasons why you're not comfortable with this. It could be religious. It could be your family values. It could just be that you don't want your children endangered in a situation like this. I mean, I think we all can relate to that. So, you know, you've got the male teacher. And again, 25 years of service in that school district, and he is vocal. You know, he's speaking out about what's happening. And then the third scenario related to the locker room is you have a special needs child who is a high schooler in Glendaleigh, School District. And what happened with her is she said that the male coaches could see the girls changing in the girls' locker room as well. As she was, you know, as one of the female coaches has an office. kind of close to the locker room area. So this whole locker room situation had just been escalating. And the more information that came out, the more outraged parents were and are, you know, I mean, you're a father. You know, I know my husband with our youngest who was 12 years old as a girl,

I cannot imagine any father would be okay in this type of situation. And so that's what's happening. is this locker room scenario? And then, of course, with the assistant superintendent, she admitted that this is what's happening. She's admitting that they're allowing this and not disclosing this to parents. So you've got, I mean, and that's, I mean, that's one of the fundamental issues

that sparked all of these, you know, the parents attending the school board meeting. And so in addition to that, you have the special needs child and what happened there. And they go hand in hand with the locker room. So what happened. And so this is a testimony by you.

Tell me about this. special needs child gave some testimony. Yes. Yes. So she, so what happened is her mother, her and her mother gave a public comment at the local city council meeting first. That's where this started about, you know, a little over a month ago. And as they gave public comment, what they were saying, what she was saying is that she's being made fun of. She's being harassed. She's being discriminated against an even disciplined and punished as a child, a high schooler who has special needs for not using the proper pronouns for her, you know, for other students, for her teachers, for the principal. So she was, you know, sharing the story. I think we have that video. So

let's take a look at that. Great. The reason why I'm here is pretty straightforward, I suppose. I have to give her permission to participate in sex ed, which I did give her permission to participate in sex ed to a certain degree. And then you can mark off boxes that you don't wish your child to participate in. I specifically wrote out anything that was LGBTQ plus. When my daughter expressed that she should not be in these classes and that I did opt her out of these classes, she was called a bigot by her teacher and her aid. She was called intolerant and she was also called homophobic. These are all terms that she actually didn't know until yesterday. They're not part of our vocabulary at home.

At that point, a staff member told her to look at her skin color and to, if she wanted, if she felt that, I'm so sorry, if she felt that she should be discriminated against due to her skin color. And she said, no, she shouldn't feel discriminated against or be discriminated against due to her skin colors. They said, well, discriminated. against transgender sex is the same thing. How did my daughter come home explaining to me what

scissoring was and asking me how two females can have sex and must use protection, two biological females must use protection or else they can get pregnant? How else would my daughter come home knowing the word transphobic? And how else my daughter come home knowing the word bigot or intolerant? That's what I would like to know. I would also like to mention. She is in a special day class. She does have a frontal lobe brain injury that doesn't even allow her to process this. I am in the special day classes and I have a one-on-one aid.

My one-on-one aid was Cameron, but they called them Cam. I asked it, I guess I was mistaking or corrected by calling Cameron Miss Cam. Miss Cam. My parents had always taught me that adults of male is Mr. and their last name, or the first name. Female is Miss or Mrs. is married and of their first name or their last name. With Cameron, I called them, yeah, I called him Miss Cameron because I saw the breath. saying that I can see what they're probably for a drive because that would be kind of weird I saw breath I called him miss Cameron all right so obviously got in trouble for using the wrong

pronoun for a teacher's aid I guess it is that is identifying differently than they appear physically right we heard later after that video and those public comments that her and her daughter gave that she was given detention for not using the proper pronouns. So I mean, obviously there's a free speech issue here, but even more than that, this is a child, as her mom said, that has a brain injury. So she's not even able to really process the pronouns and all the things that the school is trying to force on her. So I just, I think that these are the triggers that outraged the parents in Glendellied by

school district and even the broader LA community and all of us really, you know, seeing what happened to her to discipline a child for not using the proper pronouns is just, it makes me feel like we're losing our mind. Like, well, how could this be happening? So when we see this protest that took place, who was actually protesting and why did it get violent? I mean, I get that there's passion here, but it takes another level for someone to swing at somebody and sort of start that and instigate that. So what was it about the elements in that crowd that it got to that point? Yeah, so what happened with that is, so the background, everything escalated. So the parents started to attend the local school board meetings to talk about what was happening with the kids

and the curriculum and all these things started to come out. And so last week, there was another school board meeting and parents gathered there there are about 300 we best guess is there's about 300 families parents that were there they were peacefully protesting by the way all different walks of life primarily the armenian community you have but you have jewish people muslims armenians christians uh Hispanic just a lot of you know a wide diverse background and they were there very peacefully they just don't want this curriculum and these ideas and these things forced on their children and forced on them as parents they want to raise their children and so they want informed consent they want you know they want to be the one in

charge of what their children hear and learn and that's that's the fundamental issue so they're going to speak up about that so they go to the school board meeting and even prior to the school board meeting a there's a a local trans elected official who put out a flyer and a call to action for the LGBTQ community to counter protest. So there was a call for that and in that call that's where there were first the first signs of Antifa picking up on this potential protest and to show up. So essentially Southern California Antifa came to the protest on Tuesday this past last week and they were starting to antagonize the parents. So parents are praying, parents are there talking to each other.

You can even see some of the people are actually engaging with the, you know, the LGBTQ community, just having conversations about the issue and talking about why this matters. And in the midst of that, you have antagonizers. You have Antifa who showed up where 100% they were there. And they start chanting against the crowd. And just to let you know,

primarily with it being Armenians, you know, there's a war in Armenia right now. And so the Antifa group was chanting about that war to insult the Armenian. There was pepper spray. Antifa brought pepper spray. They were, you know, just really, really in that space of aggression with the parents. And for the most part, the parents were peaceful until I think the insults related to the war are what kind of tipped it over, to be honest with you. And, you know, the parents... They're picking a fight, you know. Yeah. They were clearly picking a fight got what they

wanted. All right, well, I mean, obviously this isn't how civil discourse should be taking place. I mean, I think the goal here is to start talking to each other. These are sensitive issues, sensitive times. But when you show up in riot gear and pepper spray, it's obviously, you know, you're not coming for a conversation or to find some middle ground, which is, you know, perhaps what needs to happen here. In California, it's not just this school. There's a lot of laws on the books or there's bills in the books right now. Tell me, you know, tell me what California is looking at right now as far as legislation that's trying to be passed. Right. So the California legislator is they're trying to propose probably the most extreme laws,

the first in the country, related to gender affirming bills. Okay, so we have AB 957. This, you know, AB 957 is basically a law proposed that would amend the family code to include, include that a parent is required to affirm a child's gender identity and why this is super significant is this is supposed to be a deciding factor for parents that are in custody battles so if there's a divorce situation or you know an issue related to the stewardship and guardianship of a child this particular law would remove children from a parent if they don't affirm the care In this case, it's just from one parent to the other. But, I mean, I think we all know this is a slippery slope.

I know it's sort of a lot of people are out there saying they're going to take the, the state's going to take the kids away. But this is really not, it hasn't gone that far yet, but this is that step in that direction right now. It's really thinking in terms of custody battles, this will be a deciding factor, which is, it is really, it's scary. And you would have to imagine that really a judge is, I think, capable on other levels to decide whether there's decent communication with a person. parent and a child. I don't think the state needs to be in here writing laws and what the judge is looking at or thinking about. That's just my perspective. What else? What are the other ones that we're talking about? Right. And I would just add one thing about that bill. So you're right that it doesn't specifically say that children from parents that are not in custody battles could be taken away.

However, the way that the penal code is written, this does open a door for CPS to get involved, for calls to be made for I think that it's it's really a path to taking children away from parents and making it considered abusive or neglectful for a parent to not affirm a child's gender identity so I think it's a gateway bill that is really really really dangerous which is why one of the senators spoke out about it so it's certainly a gateway to ugly custody battles between parents we've all known these people that this happens to, it's yet another space in which they can really get ugly, you know, in these situations, which is unfortunate. Right, right, exactly. And so you take that law combined with several others that the legislators are proposing in California, another law actually makes

it a requirement for foster care parents to agree to affirm a child's gender identity, and to sign a form that they would do so. So children won't be placed. If this is children would not be placed in a loving foster home unless this criteria is met. So, I mean, you have children that need a good home and you're putting these types of criteria in place. It's just it, it doesn't make sense, honestly. And, you know, all of these things, as we know, is in such untested, uncharted waters as far as the psychological outcomes of, you know, whether we affirm or don't affirm, we have, you know,

people that are detransitioning that felt like they were pushed into something as kids. This is not, I mean, this is what bothers me is it's such a new frontier, really. And to be mandating and making laws is really, really, not that there should ever be laws here, but boy, are we jumping the gun when we are really seeing difficulties for happiness and joy, no matter what decisions are made. This is a group of people that are struggling really with their own sort of, you know, self-awareness and happiness. And I think there's a lot of questions on whether affirming is going to help at a young age or not. And so to have laws already is just, it just, it seems, it seems, you know, the cart

before the horse in a way, all right? So, you know, going on. Right. Well, and that's true. And I, I would say that these all, all these laws go together. So when you look at them as a whole, you can see that there's an erosion taking place of parental rights. You know, AB223 makes it so it's much harder for parents to give consent for a minor who wants to change their gender and their name on the state identifying records, you know, birth certificates, those kinds of things. And keeping that information private and no longer public, that actually makes it so that schools and doctors and, you know, medical facilities, all kinds of people who care for these children, minors, again, would not know what the child's true biological gender is or name. So you take all of those

laws, put them all together, and it's, again, it's taking away parental rights. It's trying to exploit a minor who does not have the ability to give informed consent. They don't have fully developed brains. And it's really putting a barrier between the child and the parent as if the parent is the bad guy here, as if the parent is an abuser, as if a foster parent is going to to do harm to these children, but it's just, it's the opposite. Parents are here to love. They want their parental rights protected. And these are the very laws that, I mean, they come to a state near you. People always are like, well, California, we're going to all just leave California. Well, where are you going to go? Because it's going to come to, you know, Texas and Ohio. Some other

state, they already have these issues there, too. It's just not as bad as California is yet. Certainly you're a test ground. You're right. This is attack on parental rights, which is what, you know, here at ICAN, we really stand for, I mean, we really believe in the power of the parents, both in all medical decisions and things like that. So that's why we keep sort of covering this issue. But when you talk about parental rights or whether you should stay or should you go, Representative Flea in California had a very interesting statement to make. Take a look at this, everyone. I'm now in year 11 in the state legislature, and all the time we're proposing policies to protect children. Well, after 11 years, I've come to a conclusion that we need to start

protecting parents. That's just not happening. I've been here with a full frontal assault on charter schools, taking away parents' choice and how their children are going to be educated to the detriment, particularly of children of color. In recent years, we have put government bureaucrats between parents, children, and doctors when it comes to medical care. And now we have this where if a parent does not support the ideology of the government, they're going to be taken away from the home. Now, I agree with both Senator Wiener and Senator Laird that today it only involves divorce proceedings. And frankly, a judge can already factor this in. But I can assure you, it's not going to end with divorce proceedings.

In the past when we've had these discussions, and I've seen parental rights atrophied, I've encouraged people to keep fighting. I've changed my mind on that. If you love your children, you need to flee California. You need to flee. We are moving towards the pathway of the hands-made tail. California is becoming the new Juliet, and it just breaks my heart. I'm born and raised in this state. I love this state.

I'm not going to stay in this state because it's just too oppressive, and I believe in freedom, and so I'm going to move to America when I leave the legislature. Sure. It's quite a statement by Scott Wilk there in the Senate floor. You need to flee. Obviously you're saying that you don't want people to flee California, but it really is happening. We've reported on all of the U-Hauls that are leaving.

This mass exodus is taking place. Also, New York is seeing something similar. But these are very, they're very scary times for parents. I mean, I would think there's a lot of people, at least fleeing the school system and moving into homeschooling. I'm sure homeschoolers are booming also in California right now. Yeah, I mean, I think it is pretty scary and significant that the state legislator said this. I mean, to warn parents to that level to flee the state. I think that it shows us how serious this issue is. And I would just say, I do understand why people are leaving California. I do get that.

I mean, we have three kids, and it has crossed our mind several times. We might have to come to Texas where all of you guys are. But, you know, I think the thing is, is that this issue isn't just about one state or about just one school. So people could leave the school. There are solutions, but this issue is everywhere. I mean, look at what is happening in the culture. You can see, you know, Target and, you know, the Dodger Stadium and all these places where this issue is infiltrating into the fundamental fabrics of our. society and the culture and I would just say that social media bigger than the schools

I'm going to just be honest with you I think social media is one of the biggest culprits that are harming our children and trying to confuse them in this whole gender affirming ideology and culture and I will tell you from personal experience as well as you know as we work with so many families that's where they're snatching the kids that's where they're capturing them they have these private group chats this you know groups called discord and platforms of course we know snapchat and you know youtube and on instagram and all these things but these are the places where parents maybe aren't looking and so i hope parents will actually read the chats their kids are on read the groups that

their kids are in because um you know you've got the videos and things and the algorithms are being built to manipulate our children this generation of children they're going online thinking they're safe to watch some funny video or some silly thing. But instead, what's happening is the algorithms are feeding them a message that's really propaganda and manipulating their young minds to think that maybe they are need to be a different gender. Maybe they should do this and it takes them down this path where algorithms aren't even matching what the children are really looking at.

It just seems so prone. I mean, you know, it just seems so prone. It doesn't even matter that it's transgender. the issue is always this, you know, sort of that the pedophile, you know, really seeks out these spaces. And we are, you know, and now there's almost like a protection in here that your young children are being told they have to have these sexual conversations with adults they don't know and keep your parents out of it. And the schools are getting in a, they're sort of, you know, setting this precedent for children that, no, don't listen to what your parents are saying,

speak to that stranger that's out there. Get in that group. I mean, this is really, you know, it's troublesome. It's troublesome. And it has, you know, I know that you're working, you know, really hard at this. So for everyone out there that wants to get involved with PERC, I know you're, you know, working on legislature, you're going to have your lobbyists looking at these

and really trying to hold on to parental rights. So where's the best place to go to sort of read up on this and help support the work that you're doing with PERC? Yeah, thank you, Del. You know, people can go to our website. have a lot of great actions people can take online that connect them directly to the bill or give them also just parent resources to help them to guide them and what's happening with these transgender issues on the minors. So you can click these action campaigns. They can send a letter

and email, even tweets directly to the legislators on this issue. And it'd be really great for everybody to support us in this and show that we're not going to accept what they're doing. So a lot of action can happen there. And I think the only other thing, too, parents, I want to say parents need to be closer to their children than they've ever been. And I think that is actually the biggest solution on this issue is that, you know, as moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, you know, godmothers, whoever you are, when you see these children, our children, your neighbors, just the people that the children that you're around, They need our love and intervention more than I think I've ever seen, you know, in a very, very long time. And, you know, they need us to intervene. They need us to be close to them.

We need to have open lines of communication where we can talk about anything. So I know for us with our children, that's what type of culture we try to have as a parent to our children that we aren't the bad guys. We love you. And all the children need that type of open communication and closeness. with parents and those around them that love them. I think that's one of the best solutions we have. That's such a great point and it's a bit of what I've said before in many ways. It's though, like it's like we're raising our children in a war time. There's an attack on our families. So if you don't start preparing your children for the attacks that are coming on them,

especially if they're ideas that you do not, you know, sort of hold your complacency is going to let the other side, you know, have the first strike. And so I think you really have to start thinking about the times that you're raising your kids in and act accordingly. If you want to support Amy Bond and the work at Perk, I just want to say, you know, you may not live in California, but this is the test ground. This is where they're trying these things out, seeing that they get away with it, and then all of a sudden it'll pop up in New York and Virginia and Mississippi and Maine or, you know, a capital near you. So I know that Perk needs a lot of support for those of you that are doing really well. Get involved. If this matters to you, this is where we make a difference.

grassroots, where we nip this in the bud before it sweeps the nation. Amy, thank you for sharing all the details on this, because from the outside, it's really hard to get a grasp on what's happening there in California. So I appreciate it. And you're working so hard on the front lines there, just to keep, you know, parents and the family intact. I really appreciate your work there. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me on so we can talk about this. Appreciate all you guys do, too. Thank you, Dill. All right. We'll talk to you soon.