A transgender music teacher in North Carolina, targeted by a state lawmaker, Libs of TikTok, and a local chapter of Moms for Liberty, was defended at multiple school board meetings this month as “perfectly qualified” and “a lovely person.”
“There is no reason why their ability to do their job should be in question,” said one local parent at Middle Creek Elementary in Wake County.
Related
The teacher’s gender identity became an issue at the school in July when Republican state Rep. Erin Paré posted about “the hiring of a transgender biological male, who dresses as a woman … in one of our local elementary schools,” the News & Observer reported.
Paré responded to the hiring by suggesting legislation to require “gender-appropriate professional attire for public school employees.”
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Libs of TikTok targeted the teacher as well in multiple posts across platforms, announcing Middle Creek Elementary had a new “nonbinary” teacher and “students reportedly have to call him Ms.”
The posts included a photo of the teacher and urged followers to protest the hiring with the school’s principal. Libs of TikTok linked to a post from a conservative blogger who named the teacher.
Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, said in a statement that the teacher’s presence “will surely cause mass exodus from the school.”
“We should not confuse children or expose them to unhealthy ideas at school,” she said.
At the school board meeting addressing the teacher controversy, supporters turned out en masse to defend her.
“I’ve seen the worst of Wake County in seeing discourse online and seeing just absolutely horrible things said about a person that my kids already know and love,” said Elizabeth Stacks, a parent at the school. Her children were thrilled to meet the new teacher during Middle Creek’s Meet the Teacher Night, she added.
“Someone in our community chose to attack one of our teachers and our school, saying diversity is confusing to students,” said Anna Crollman, the parent of a Middle Creek student and a former teacher in the school district.
“But what’s confusing to students is attacking people based on how they may present, their appearance, or their identity, when we have a responsibility as a county to serve students of all diverse backgrounds and their families.”
Opponents of the teacher’s hiring relied on a “parents’ rights” argument to rebuke the school.
“Elementary-aged children are now asking questions about sex, gender identity and pronouns and gender presentation,” said Aaron Driver, a Middle Creek parent. “That creates an educational issue, therefore a parental rights issue.”
Driver, who formed a group called Middle Creek Parental Rights in response to the teacher’s hiring, said his group would demand and release public records covering the school’s decision to onboard the teacher.
“Parents shouldn’t have to discover major changes about their children’s education from X, or national media outlets, or big questions brought home by confused and vulnerable 5- and 6-year-olds,” Driver told the board.
Joseph Deaton, a frequent gadfly at school district meetings, accused the school of forcing students and faculty to use “false pronouns” when addressing the teacher.
“Will students who refuse to use a false title and pronoun be punished or suspended?” Deaton asked. “Will teachers be fired for the same reason?”
As of January, North Carolina officially recognizes only two sexes, after Republican legislators enacted a new law citing the Trump administration’s executive order doing the same at federal agencies.
The state’s Republican dominated legislature has passed several laws targeting trans people, including a ban on trans student-athletes in girls’ sports, outlawing gender-affirming care for minors, and a parental notification law for children using different names or pronouns at school.
The North Carolina Parents’ Bill of Rights prohibits instruction on gender identity and sexuality before the 5th grade, but explicitly states that answering students’ unsolicited questions on those subjects doesn’t count as instruction.
A second meeting this week drew local Moms for Liberty chapter chair Becky Lew-Hobbs, who demanded that the district “review what has occurred in the school, ensure compliance with North Carolina law, and provide reasonable alternatives” for families objecting to the teacher’s hiring.
As of this week, the board has declined to take any action against the school, the teacher, or the principal who hired her.
Board member Jennifer Job, one of several members who defended the teacher’s hiring, lamented that a dedicated public servant was being used to score political points in politically divided North Carolina.
“People online and in this room are willing to sacrifice this person’s love for their job for their culture war,” Job said.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.