Angry parents protested outside the Encinitas Union School District offices on Tuesday evening over the school board promoting a flyer for an ALL AGES Halloween drag show.
The flyer was promoting an event called “Queerfest” for “youth and families” which featured a “Boo Bash” drag show. It boasted that the event is “the queerest free Halloween party for kids and families. It includes games, trick or treating, and a family-friendly drag show.”
EUSD’s “Boo Bash: Queerfest Family-Friendly Drag Show” is sponsored by a Rich’s, the largest gay bay for adults in Hillcrest, and Align Surgical Associates, a gender reassignment surgery center.
Parents became alarmed when the flyer was posted by the district on Peachjar, an app that allows community groups to submit events to the school board for promotional consideration. After being approved, it was sent out to the parents.
Despite being shared by the school board, the flyer was stamped with a message saying that “distribution of this flier does not imply endorsement by the Encinitas Union School District, its schools, or staff and is distributed in compliance with federal and state law.”
Parents of students in EUSD schools are outraged and have formed an alliance with other community members to organize a “Protect Encinitas Kids” protest outside the district office.
The school district has not backed down from the event, but the parents are hoping a large protest will force them to do so.
Instead of taking responsibility, EUSD has never acknowledged any wrongdoing by hosting a controversial event like this, and some staffers have simply labeled the upset parents as “homophobes.”
“Our message is very clear. We don’t want strip shows, we don’t want drag shows, and definitely not sent out inviting the parents and kids in our district,” one of the protesters, Carrie Boller, a mother of two, told ABC 10 News.
More from ABC 10 News:
(KGTV) — Dozens of parents upset about a flyer that promoted a Halloween event that includes a drag show protested outside the Encinitas Union School District offices Tuesday evening.
Carrie Boller is a mom of two and a community activist who pulled her kids out of the district.
Justin Ried is the parent of two young children in the district. He’s also running for school board.
“We certainly want to be an inclusive community and support groups of all kinds, but the question is where do we draw the line? At what point do we think well, maybe drag shows shouldn’t be promoted to our kindergarten through 6th families is that something that would be suitable for somebody who is five to ten years old, maybe not. We should know how those decisions are being arrived at,” said Ried.
The board has since stopped promoting the flyer, but the parents still want to know who approved it in the first place — and why. They also want that person fired, according to Boller.
The district said in a statement that “it remains steadfast in our commitment to be an inclusive and supportive district for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, linguistic background, economic class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and physical and cognitive ability. “
