2,200 demand ouster of Blue Valley school board member over posts on LGBTQ rights
More than 2,200 people have signed a petition demanding that Blue Valley school board member Jim McMullen be censured and step down from office because of a series of tweets they say are anti-LGBTQ and transphobic.
McMullen has been criticized for his posts about transgender children and LGBTQ issues since before the November election, where he won by 51 votes.
This month, McMullen tweeted from his account that identified himself as a Blue Valley school board member: “I’ll continue to speak out about the poison that is gender ideology.”
A few days later, someone asked him on Twitter, “Should we also not say gay in schools?” And McMullen responded, “Of course we shouldn’t.”
McMullen’s Twitter account appeared to be deleted as it was no longer accessible on Thursday. But screenshots of many of McMullen’s posts have been shared with The Star.
In an email to The Star, McMullen said: “In recent days, there have been demands for me to step down as a school board member. Why? On April 1st, I posted a tweet highly critical of President Biden’s statement the prior day (which was Transgender Day of Visibility) because the President gave his support for ‘gender-affirming care’ for youth, and I then had a follow-up exchange.
“I think gender ideology harms kids; it is one of the most important societal issues that we need to be willing to address even in the face of extreme criticism. These are my individual political views. I don’t speak for the board.”
McMullen tweeted last month, “President embracing child abuse.”
The Biden administration last month stated that transgender people have a constitutional right to gender-affirming health care and announced new policies to improve access to services for trans youth.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association support gender-affirming care, which for minors can include puberty blockers or hormone therapy, saying that it can improve the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people.
A deluge of legislation across the country aims at curbing the rights of LGBTQ people and transgender youth, including bills to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors and to ban teachers from having classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity.
Last week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a proposal that would have banned transgender athletes from girls sports. The Missouri House on April 13 advanced a bill that would allow voters to decide whether their school districts can ban transgender girls from participating in girls athletics.
The Change.org petition argues that McMullen’s statements about the LGBTQ community are not only “opposed to Blue Valley’s Mission ‘to create a safe and inclusive environment to maximize the potential of ALL,’ but directly target and isolate valued members of our community.
“Every student, teacher and staff member deserves to feel safe, protected and supported in their school or workplace. Our kids and community demand it.”
The petition asks the school board to censure McMullen, to put in writing that the board does not condone his actions. Board policy states that members must “recognize and respect his/her position as a representative of all stakeholders and as a role model for them” and “model behavior consistent with expectations for the performance of all staff members.”
The petition continues: “Until Jim McMullen is removed or resigns, he should be disqualified from any decision-making relating to LGBTQIA+ issues, students or district personnel.”
It is so far unclear whether the board would consider censuring McMullen.
Under Kansas law, the board cannot remove a fellow member, said Mark Tallman, with the Kansas Association of School Boards. McMullen has not announced an intention to step down. Voters could petition for a recall election.
School board president Patrick Hurley said in a statement, provided by a district spokeswoman, that the board policy shows “Blue Valley’s commitment to provide safe and inclusive environments for all. We want every student and staff member to arrive at school knowing they are in a learning environment that cultivates social awareness and fosters an appreciation for the growing diversity of our school communities.
“The ideals and behaviors of individuals, regardless of position, that foster discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, have no place here. All means ALL.”
In an email, McMullen told The Star, “I also hold important non-political views. Our public schools should treat everybody equally, regardless of identity or situation. I began my career as a public school teacher. You treat everybody as you encounter them, and you do so with empathy. Additionally, all students should be able to attend school in a positive and uplifting educational environment; we as a community, however, do have different ideas on what that means and how to achieve that.”
Before the November election, McMullen posted on social media, “There are no 8 year old transgender kids.” He also shared an ABC News article about a mother of a transgender child asking President Joe Biden what he would do to protect LGBTQ rights. McMullen wrote, “ABC promoting a child abuser.”
“If he assumes that I’m a child abuser because I have a trans child, it would behoove him to actually get to know me and spend some time with our family, and see what a loving and happy family we are. And what it looks like for parents to support their children and love them exactly the way God made them to be,” Wendy Connelly, the mother of a transgender Blue Valley Southwest student, previously told The Star.
McMullen campaigned as part of a slate of conservative candidates, who all received the endorsement of the 1776 Project PAC, a national political action committee that is “committed to abolishing critical race theory” — which is not taught in Kansas K-12 schools. Two of the three candidates on the slate won.
McMullen also has faced criticism for other social media posts, including ones that called social-emotional learning “drivel” and questioned the promotion of equity in schools.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 1:10 PM.
