Dueling protests: Parents clash over LGBTQ+ teacher training at SAU 21

HAMPTON — Two competing groups of protesters clashed outside Winnacunnet High School Thursday over an upcoming teacher training on how best to address concerns of LGBTQ+ students.

The training is scheduled for Sept. 13 and will be conducted by the organization Seacoast Outright. The group will speak on how teachers can respond to LGBTQ+ students in crisis regarding their gender identity, according to school officials and the organization.

While Seacoast Outright is a nonprofit that provides resources related to LGBTQ+ issues, residents who gathered to oppose the training Thursday accused the group of attempting to politicize students.

“Stop the grooming,” “Let kids be kids,” “Education not indoctrination” and other messages were scrawled on signs held by protesters in front of WHS in opposition to the training. Across the parking lot, a group of counter-protesters that included WHS students held signs that read “Teaching tolerance and respect” and “LGBTQ support is not political.”

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Those who gathered in opposition to the training said they believed Seacoast Outright was a political organization based on its support of groups like Black Lives Matter. They also said they were concerned about teachers becoming involved in family decisions over whether a student should undergo gender-confirming surgery.

“Are they going to recommend puberty blockers to students? You just don’t know,” said Ann Marie Banfield, one of the protesters who came to WHS.

The group of counter protesters included Chris Muns, chairman of the Hampton Democrats, as well as Hampton Selectwoman Amy Hansen, who has worked for years in Hampton schools. Hansen said the training was important because of how challenging middle school and high school can be for LGBTQ+ students. She said teachers should have opportunities to learn how best to approach topics about gender and sexuality so students feel supported.

“There are a lot of gay people in our community, and that segment of the population, regardless of what you have going on in life, is so tricky in middle school land, high school and even younger,” Hansen said. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for the teachers to just have the knowledge.”

A volley of chants went back and forth from one group to another as leaders on both sides spoke through megaphones. Protesters against Seacoast Outright called chants against “indoctrination,” while counter-protesters chanted “Kids need to feel safe to learn” and “we love kids.”

Teacher training to go on as scheduled

Seacoast Outright sent a letter to SAU 21 School Board members Wednesday ahead of the protest saying they were aware of “a small local group that has been vocal in response” to the upcoming training. They said they believed the response is “based on inaccurate information” and clarified that Seacoast Outright is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to “serve, support, and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in the Seacoast area and beyond.”

SAU 21 Superintendent Meredith Nadeau said the training is expected to go on as planned. Nadeau said she has heard concerns from parents about Seacoast Outright being a political group and that the training will involve medical direction.

“Medical treatment is not something that’s going to be part of this training,” Nadeau said. “This training is really about affirming and supporting all children in our schools.”

Nadeau said this is the first time Seacoast Outright has worked with SAU 21. She said the school district conducted an equity audit in the last few years, surveying faculty about professional development needs.

“This was one of the items identified by teachers at that time,” Nadeau said.

The rally was held just as the SAU 21 Joint Board was set to meet at 4 p.m., though the training itself was not on the agenda to be discussed that day. Former Hampton selectwoman Regina Barnes, who also ran as a Republican for state Senate last year, said the time was chosen to get their message in front of the board members.

“We had some grassroots parents that want to protest having politics in the schools,” said Barnes. “Just wanted to let the policy committee that’s meeting today know that.”

Nadeau said the training is important because of the prevalence of suicide and bullying experienced by LGBTQ+ students. She said data from as recent as last year shows more than half of LGBTQ+ students in New Hampshire seriously consider suicide, and that more than half have reported being assaulted or bullied.

“In a district with 2,400 kids, that means we have 170 or so students who identify as LGBTQ+, and that means 85 of them have seriously considered suicide,” Nadeau said. “I think it’s important to focus as educators on being aware of that information and being prepared to support those students as best we can.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Parents clash over LGBTQ+ teacher training at SAU 21 in Hampton, NH