HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (LifeSiteNews) — A viral video shows a teacher reprimanding students at a California high school who revolted against being shown a pro-LGBT “pride” video in class, in an example of continually rising tensions with the push for LGBT “acceptance” in public education.
The clip shows multiple Edison High School students registering verbal displeasure at being shown a 50-second “Pride Month” video in math class declaring, “at Edison, we should make all students feel welcome here, no matter their gender or sexual orientation. So if you’re out and proud, closeted, or even just an ally, be proud of who you are. And most importantly, don’t forget to love each other.”
Parents of kids at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California say this video was played to their kids in math class. The kids clearly didn’t want to watch this pride video so the teacher threatened them with Saturday school to get them to watch it. pic.twitter.com/FUnB9DKYrN
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) June 11, 2023
Amid a chorus of laughter, boos, and moans, several comments from students can be heard, including “stop,” “turn it off,” and “why are you showing this to kids?” In response, the teacher warns the objectors, “if you’re going to be inappropriate, I will have supervision down and give all of you a Saturday school for next year. So knock it off.”
Conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck, who publicized the video, added that he was told that the video “was played in ALL classes that day, not just math class.” Edison High School did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News.
Among those speaking out is Huntington Beach’s Republican Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, whom liberals have criticized for publicizing the video and encouraging parents to confront the local school board about it.
Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark spoke at the HBUHSD meeting last night. She expressed concern for the content being shown in the classroom and doubled down that she will never apologize for sharing the video. #HuntingtonBeach #citycouncil @DerGracey @HBUHSD pic.twitter.com/E3Ok4JaK5T
— Exposing_Huntington_Beach (@exposing_hb) June 14, 2023
Across the nation, controversy has exploded in recent years over schools adopting classroom materials and library books that seek to expose sexual themes and activity to children, often in graphic detail and with pornographic imagery depicting specific sex acts, as well as to instill in children acceptance of homosexuality and belief that gender is a malleable social construct. The problem, conservatives say, is compounded by the prevalence of teachers hostile to the notion that parents’ wishes should take precedence in what values are instilled in their children.
The issues, along with the promotion of ideological messages regarding other issues like race in taxpayer-funded education, have fueled a parent backlash that has been credited with Republican gains in states like Florida and Virginia, whose current respective governors, Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin, have taken leading roles in fighting back.