Gay student assaulted in notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ school district

A climate of fear and reprisal created by anti-LGBTQ+ parental rights campaigns in school districts across the country has resulted in the assault of a gay teenager in Chino Hills, California.

A senior at Ruben S. Ayala High School in Riverside County sustained injuries when a fellow student flipped the table the gay 17-year-old was manning for the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance group. The victim was thrown backward and landed on his back on a concrete planter. He was transported to urgent care, where doctors diagnosed him with a back injury.

Related:

School board meeting descends into chaos as people debate outing trans kids to their parents

Some of the 300 attendees chanted “Kick him out” during the contentious four-hour meeting after a state official supported trans kids.

The incident was caught on tape by a school security camera.

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“The whole thing happened so fast,” the student told The Advocate. “One moment, I was packing up and the next I was on the ground. My back hit the planter hard, and I couldn’t believe someone would actually do that.”

The victim, who was not identified by name to protect his privacy, says he and his fellow GSA officers were verbally abused repeatedly before the attack. His mother said school administrators suspended the assailant, but that’s as much as they’ve told the family.

“They won’t tell us what really happened to him,” the student’s mom said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the assault.

“I can confirm deputies in Chino Hills are investigating an incident at the school involving a student who was reportedly assaulted by another student,” Gloria Huerta, a public information officer with the department, said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing, and as soon as we can, we will release additional information.”

The incident follows years of bullying endured by the gay senior at the high school, where LGBTQ+ acceptance is under assault by a school board that’s engaged in a culture war inspired by far-right parental rights activists.

Last year, a board meeting for the Chino Valley Unified School District erupted into chaos as members and attendees debated outing transgender students to their parents. An estimated 300 people attended and 83 commented, many waving flags and banners advocating for and against LGBTQ+ students.

The board voted 4-1 to approve the policy, which required educators to notify parents within 72 hours if their child requests to use bathrooms, pronouns, or names that don’t match the gender and name listed on their birth certificate. The room erupted in cheers when the measure was passed.

California court rulings have since overturned the policy.

Sonja Shaw, president of the board, has been a leader in the parental rights push, but denies her virulently anti-LGBTQ+ ideology has contributed to a hostile environment in the district’s schools.

“I categorically reject the assertion that our district’s policies have created an unsafe environment for students,” she said. “As school board president, I have always advocated for transparency, parental rights, and student safety. Every single student, regardless of their identity, deserves to feel safe and supported in our schools, and I stand by that wholeheartedly.”

The assaulted student’s mom says the culture war playing out in the school system is directly responsible for the climate of fear that her son and other LGBTQ+ students are living in.

“The school district is pushing this anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, and that’s trickling down to the school. My son’s safety doesn’t seem to be a priority for them,” she said.

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