William S Hart School District
The Santa Clarita Valley is home to several school districts, but recently, the Hart District has fallen prey to the Parental Notification policy, also known as the “forced outing policy.” It is being reviewed by school boards due to the efforts of far-right groups throughout California. This policy is a result of the introduction of anti-transgender policies across the country. Groups like Our Duty and the California Policy Center, which aim to suppress progressive policies regarding the rights of transgender individuals, are leading the movement in California.
Joe Messina, the Hart District trustee responsible for bringing the policy to the board for review, is a self-described conservative and outspoken Bible-believing Christian who runs his own ministry with an emphasis on Biblical Citizenship, which is a steward of radical-right religious ideology that seeks to impart its particular view of Christianity into every aspect of our government. This includes the idea that the LGBTQ+ community does not follow Christian teachings and is therefore sinful. Biblical Citizenship courses are offered through the Patriot Academy, the program founded by Rick Green and David Barton (a SPLC designated anti-LGBTQ extremist) which emphasizes that Christian principles are the foundation of our government and seeks to degrade it’s secular function. Given his background, it is no surprise that Messina would push his board to review this forced outing policy that insinuates being transgender is a mental illness and puts an already marginalized community at greater risk.
The policy was set to be discussed on November 1, 2023, in which time Messina visited Freedoms Way Baptist Church to put a call out for the Christian community to come to the board meeting and support the policy. In his plea, he asserts that this policy addresses issues in the school that are 180 degrees from Gods word, and pulling children from public school in order to defund the Hart School District is an appropriate response to combat inclusive and protective policies put in place by the state of California to protect transgender students.
Messina alludes that policy opposers planned to bring people from outside the community to the meeting, which was a lie. Many pro-public education groups directly asked only Hart district parents and community members to attend, and encouraged them to write and send in their statement.
Interestingly, Jerry Cook, the pastor at Freedoms Way Baptist Church, and Messina were already conspiring to bring large crowds of the “righteous right” to the board meeting calling for all “Christian conservative patriots” to show up on November 1st.
Due to the expected large crowds, the policy discussion was postponed until November 15th and the location moved to accommodate all who wanted to attend. Cook addressed his congregation and admitted that he planned to bus people in from out of town to support Messina and the forced outing policy.
On November 15th, a policy discussion was held, which had a large turnout from community members including ministers, teachers, students, and parents. Majority of the attendees were against the policy, and the few speakers in support of it were outnumbered 4:1. It was noted that a few church members led by Cook were present, but it appeared that the called-upon Christian conservative patriots had less interest in the Hart School District than its actual constituents. Interestingly, most speakers present in support of the policy were identified as outsiders. Manuk Grigoriyan was one of them, a well known extremist who travels to different school board meetings and anti-LGBTQ rallies, especially when it involves transgender people and drag queens. Jessica Enos and Jaylene Davidson from AV Parents for Education also attended from the Antelope Valley. This group travels from one meeting to another to support anti-LGBTQ causes under the guise of supporting parental rights. Enos has appeared on video claiming that being transgender is a mental illness. Several other outsiders in support of the policy were identified including David Bolog, Alyssa Sonora, Miran Magpetyan, Patrick Lee Gibson (running for state Ca State Assembly 2024), and many others who traveled from all over Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The SPLC designated extremist Moms for Liberty Los Angeles chapter was also in attendence including Breanne ‘Bre De’ DeMack (AKA Breanne Moonshine), Karan Careville, Martha Aguilera, Karen Frost (AKA Karen Lynn, Karen Widman) and Matt Funicello. Funicello, who has a violent record, was filmed harassing a photojournalist in the parking lot later that evening with his truck. It’s relevant to note that after this meeting, Breanne De Mack and Martha Aguilera’s photo and name mysteriously disappeared from the Moms For Liberty web page. In fact, every single member mentioned has had their name removed from the website, except for Karen Frost.
Messina took to addressing the audience with what he claimed was “research” on drug abuse being a major cause of abusive home life among transgender/non-binary students. That statement was received with a wave of “boo’s” from the audience. One of Cook’s colleagues, Cindy Josten, even went so far as to state that she believed being transgender qualifies as a mental illness. As these statements to the board unfolded, it became increasingly clear to anyone listening that those in support of the policy viewed being transgender or non-binary as problematic. The few speakers that supported the policy went on to advocate for greater surveillance in the event that any child chose to explore their gender identity with their peers.
The following Sunday, Jerry Cook seized an opportunity to share his feelings with his congregation about the overwhelmingly large crowd that attended to speak against the forced outing policy.
“The only way I would deal with them, I’d just bomb them”- Jerry Cook
“Them” refers to the LGBTQ supporters; community members that included Hart district students, parents, teachers, and religious leaders. It’s also relevant to add that this statement from Cook was not edited or manipulated.
“At present, the William S. Hart School District community eagerly awaits the board’s decision regarding the policy. There is the possibility that an amended policy will be presented in order to make it more palatable, as seen in other districts. We remain optimistic that the numerous members of the Hart district community who passionately voiced their concerns at the November 15th meeting will be given due consideration. One can only hope the board will take into account the perspectives of all stakeholders, in making a thoughtful and informed decision that aligns with the values and vision of the community it serves.”