A man was videotaped Tuesday night saying LGBTQ people “deserve death” at a school board meeting in Arkansas where several anti-LGBTQ policies were passed.
“God delivered them to a depraved spirit to do what they shouldn’t do,” says a man a district spokesman identified as Cal Paulson, who is qualified as a local preacher in a article from the Log Cabin Democrat newspaper. of Conway, the town in which the school district is located. The video was recorded by someone attending the meeting and verified by NBC News.
“They invent ways to do evil,” he continues, “but let me remind you that those who do such things deserve death.”
The video racked up thousands of views on TikTok and drew swift condemnation online. In an emailed statement, Conway Public Schools spokeswoman Heather Kendrick said the district, which teaches approximately 10,000 studentsdoes not approve of the man’s comments.
“In an attempt to allow the voices of the public to be heard, the Conway Public Schools Board of Education is allowing patrons to speak for a specified amount of time to comment on current agenda items,” wrote Kendrick. “While the Conway School Board appreciates the insight and perspectives given in these comments, the personal stories of individual customers do not represent the feelings or positions of the school district or school board on the issues.”
The school board approved anti-transgender policies and banned two books with LGBTQ themes at the meeting. One of the anti-transgender Strategies requires that each school in the district set aside a multi-occupancy washroom or locker room for the “exclusive use” of male or female students based on the gender listed on their birth certificates. The policy also requires schools to provide what is known as “reasonable accommodation” in the form of single occupancy washrooms or changing rooms to any student who requests it.
The other policy approved by the Board of Trustees requires that hotel rooms for student travel be allocated only between male and female students based on their assigned gender at birth. Similar to the new restroom rule, the policy states that students who request their own hotel rooms because they cannot comply with the rule must be provided with them at district expense.
Council members also voted to remove two LGBTQ books from libraries — “Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out” and “Felix Ever After,” a love story with a transgender lead character. Minutes from a meeting last month show that at least one board member agreed with the challenges to remove the books. The challenges drew criticism from a district committee, which recommended that the books remain on the shelves.
Little Rock’s KTHV-TV reported that hundreds of people expressed their opinion on the policies, which were previewed in September amid the outcry community members, leading to council votes. One of the supporters was Jason Rapert, a Republican state senator who spoke of “horror stories” which he said were linked to the “transgender political movement”.
“God created men and women, and we appreciate and recognize the differences between the two sexes,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas unequivocally condemned the new rules.
“Tonight, the Conway School Board voted to ban the books — and worse — to single out students for unfair treatment,” the band said. tweeted. “These policies are not original but they are dangerous.”
After the vote, a parent with a trans child said the family planned to leave the state, KTHV reported.