Dear Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board,
I was impressed when President Paul Diffley welcomed each and every speaker at the contentious Murrieta school board meeting Thursday, Aug. 10. Trustee Diffley’s logic of family, parents and children, along with quoting a 30-year European study, was sound. The study concluded minors must not be given puberty blockers, let alone transgender surgery removing healthy body parts because it was “experimental.” He cited several of the 60 side effects from hormone blockers used on transgenders.
I was impressed when Trustee Linda Lunn, who gave a heartfelt speech and bravely detailed how hateful people have treated her and her family because they didn’t agree with her politics or decisions. That must never ever happen.
School board trustees take on so much resistance from both sides that I can only imagine what they and their families go through. We must all be respectful.
I was impressed when Trustee Nicolas Pardue questioned the school district’s attorney about federal laws versus state laws protecting parental rights. It was a great, legal point. Which one takes precedence?
I was impressed when Trustee Julie Vandegrift cited a renowned psychologist to state that many transgenders have multiple comorbidities. Thus, they suffer from other issues besides gender dysphoria. The point being no one should treat anxiety, ADHD, etc…with puberty blockers or surgery when other treatment is needed.
Chloe Cole, a famous de-transitioner, was an unexpected surprise. Thank you for sharing your perspective, Ms. Cole. Nobody but people like yourself who have gone through surgery, pain and still suffering can attest to why parents must be informed of any medicalization of their children.
I was impressed that Trustee Nancy Young has had so many transgender children confide in her over the years. It tells me she has a great heart. She said they all had supportive parents, and I’ll bet she had a lot to do with it. Great job.
I was impressed with your leadership skills, Superintendent Ward Andrus. That board meeting could have turned into a real disaster, but it didn’t. You were proactive, handled every situation with command, control and respect. You allowed each board member to deliberate and guided them on logistics. Good governance.
I attend many school board meetings throughout Southern California fighting for student safety and keep the focus on academics, not politics in classrooms.
Please be assured you are all on the right side of history by passing the parent rights resolution Thursday, Aug. 10, even if your vote did not go as desired. Time will prove you made the right decision by honoring parents’ rights.
Sadly, some parents are ill, regardless of whether or not they have transgender children. Drug and alcohol abuse is a real issue, and I can see why any child would be afraid of those parents. Please do not think that ill parents would be any less harmful if their children were “straight” versus “transgender.”
The answer is for parents to love their children unconditionally.
If children are not ready to tell their parents, then they must not tell their teachers. Teachers do not need to be put in a position of hearing intimate details of their students, then have to create lies of omission to parents.
Personally, I did not “come out” gay until I was in college. I spent my K-12 grades focused on getting good grades because my aunt kept telling me, “College will be some of the best years of your life,” and she was right. It would have been difficult to tell my parents before I left home and wasn’t easy in college either. Eventually, they came to accept me and love my family and I dearly.
Yes, there will be threats from elected officials, possible lawsuits, investigations, etc…But Murrieta’s school board is brave to stand up for parents’ rights. Parents must know life-changing information about their children so they can support them, just like Chino and Temecula support parents.
I am confident suicide rates will drop, not rise with parent involvement. We cannot allow laws to be passed that hide secrets from parents. It will break up loving families and create mistrust in the educational system. There are solutions for dangerous situations, but lying to parents or taking children away from loving families is the worst idea of all.
I saw Murrieta’s school board has both smart minds and beautiful hearts. Murrieta’s board and community gave me hope for a better future. Thank you.
Marci Strange
Director of CA Parents Union Pac; member of Gays Against Groomers and a mother
