Central California city’s leaders use MAGA points in transgender debate | Opinion
One of America’s thorniest issues — whether school districts should notify parents if their kids identified with a gender different from the one assigned at birth — was recently the main topic of a Porterville City Council meeting.
What do elected council members have to do with gender ID and schools? Little to nothing. They were elected to manage police and fire departments as well as services like water delivery and trash disposal. Elected boards of trustees manage local schools.
Yet the five-member, all-male council of the city in Tulare County met on March 18 to opine about transgender kids, schools and parental rights.
Despite declaring how they were looking out for the best interests of the citizens of Porterville, population 62,800, it was obvious that the council members did not respect the rights of trans kids and their parents living in the city.
And certain members trumpeted their disdain for Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature’s Democratic supermajority that have passed and signed laws protecting transgender students’ rights.
“We no longer have public schools,” declared Mayor Greg Meister. “They are state schools.”
Trans students feel unsafe
I am a parent of a son and daughter, both adults now, and both identifying with their gender at birth. Yet if one of my children had identified with the opposite gender, I would have loved my child just the same. That is what a parent is supposed to do.
Sadly, some parents get furious when they find out their children identify with the other gender. Some children have been emotionally or physically harmed by their parents upon learning of their gender identity.
Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign notes that only a third of LGBTQ+ students feel safe at their schools.
It was with that background in mind that the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1955. It prohibits school officials — including teachers — from disclosing “any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by law, as provided.”
It was this law that drew the ire of the Porterville council.
“The state is now treating our children like they are creatures of the state, where they get to keep secrets from parents,” said Vice Mayor Ed McKervey. “That is just unacceptable from this man.”
He went further to encourage parents to take their students out of Porterville schools if they thought that was the best course.
“When you send your kids to school, you give away your parental rights now,” McKervey said. “They have more rights than you do. So you need to consider taking your kids out of school, you need to consider home school, you need to consider alternatives because they have the power right now. And they are winning. and unless you change that, you may have to change where you send your kids to school.”
Consider his words: McKervey, a Porterville council member, advocates actions to lessen enrollment his local school district. Since school enrollment plays a big role in school funding, it’s shocking that an elected leader would want to financially harm his home school district to make political points.
But no more shocking than his stressing he was not bigoted on the issue. He said AB 1955 was the result of “a vocal minority of triggered people that are trying to push that ideology on everyone else. Just because I don’t want to participate in your psychosis doesn’t mean I am a bigot or I am being aggressive. I am just trying to do what is right for all the children and the parents of this city.”
When a politician is compelled to say he is not bigoted, chances are he really is.
Other council members said they backed McKervey’s comments, so the narrowness of mind was pervasive.
Stay on city issues
Two realities confront this city council:
▪ The elected leaders should work on things they were picked to address. For example, Porterville’s poverty rate is almost 18%. How about attracting new businesses to the city to improve the wages of residents? Let the publicly elected board for Porterville Unified School District deal with the parental notification issue.
▪ Before wading into a culture war debate, how about hearing from trans kids and their parents? They are residents, too, and these parents pay taxes just like everyone else. Trans families also have rights. The council needs to hear from trans youth about what identifying has been like. The students might just open up some minds.
The Webster’s dictionary definition of a bigot is this: “One obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his own opinions and prejudices.”
The members of Porterville’s council are to be commended for their willingness to serve. But they need to do better than just seeing one side to an issue, or mouthing conservative talking points.
