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For Immediate Release:
December 2022 |
Kaleidoscope Youth Center Denounces State School Board's Passage of Anti-LGBTQIA+ Resolution
COLUMBUS – Today, Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) executive director Erin Upchurch, MSSA, LISW-S, released the following statement after members of the Ohio State Board of Education voted to adopt the Resolution to Oppose The Proposed Changes to Title IX and to Affirm Parental Rights and Local Control of Ohio’s K-12 Education.
“We are deeply disappointed that elected and appointed members of the Ohio State Board of Education would misuse their power and influence in this harmful way. Today they have failed the students and families of Ohio,” Upchurch said. “To choose which students are worthy of inclusion, protection, and comprehensive education is blatant discrimination.”
The resolution adopted Tuesday is an amended version of the anti-LGBTQIA+ resolution introduced in September by Board member Brendan Shea. The amended version – which was introduced by Board member Mike Toal – was chosen in November by members of the Board’s Executive Committee to move forward to the full Board for consideration.
The resolution was further amended during the meeting today with an amendment proposed by Board member Michelle Newman. This amendment removed the first three paragraphs of the Toal resolution, which asserted that “Biological sex – male and female – is one such objective, scientific fact.” The final, adopted resolution directs the acting Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a mailed copy of the resolution to Ohio school districts indicating that the State Board of Education opposes proposed regulatory changes to title IX released by the U.S. Department of Education on June 23, 2022.
Upchurch, along with other KYC staff, have testified against the resolution during each of the Board’s monthly meetings since the resolution’s introduction in September. Despite more than fifteen hours of testimony over the past four Board meetings with hundreds of other Ohioans also coming to Columbus to speak in opposition, the resolution passed in a 10-7 vote with one abstention. Board members Bedell, Collins, Johnson, Manchester, Miller, Miranda and Newman voted against.
“The lives and identities of LGBTQIA+ young people are not harmful, coercive, or burdensome,” Upchurch continued. “Kaleidoscope Youth Center is committed to standing with and for our young people and continuing to be a safer place where they can be affirmed and loved in community.`
You can read the full text of the resolution here.
About Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) is Ohio's largest and longest-serving organization in Ohio solely dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 - 24. Services include a Drop-in Center, community education and training, advocacy and civic engagement, health and wellness programs, and housing opportunities.
“We are deeply disappointed that elected and appointed members of the Ohio State Board of Education would misuse their power and influence in this harmful way. Today they have failed the students and families of Ohio,” Upchurch said. “To choose which students are worthy of inclusion, protection, and comprehensive education is blatant discrimination.”
The resolution adopted Tuesday is an amended version of the anti-LGBTQIA+ resolution introduced in September by Board member Brendan Shea. The amended version – which was introduced by Board member Mike Toal – was chosen in November by members of the Board’s Executive Committee to move forward to the full Board for consideration.
The resolution was further amended during the meeting today with an amendment proposed by Board member Michelle Newman. This amendment removed the first three paragraphs of the Toal resolution, which asserted that “Biological sex – male and female – is one such objective, scientific fact.” The final, adopted resolution directs the acting Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a mailed copy of the resolution to Ohio school districts indicating that the State Board of Education opposes proposed regulatory changes to title IX released by the U.S. Department of Education on June 23, 2022.
Upchurch, along with other KYC staff, have testified against the resolution during each of the Board’s monthly meetings since the resolution’s introduction in September. Despite more than fifteen hours of testimony over the past four Board meetings with hundreds of other Ohioans also coming to Columbus to speak in opposition, the resolution passed in a 10-7 vote with one abstention. Board members Bedell, Collins, Johnson, Manchester, Miller, Miranda and Newman voted against.
“The lives and identities of LGBTQIA+ young people are not harmful, coercive, or burdensome,” Upchurch continued. “Kaleidoscope Youth Center is committed to standing with and for our young people and continuing to be a safer place where they can be affirmed and loved in community.`
You can read the full text of the resolution here.
About Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) is Ohio's largest and longest-serving organization in Ohio solely dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 - 24. Services include a Drop-in Center, community education and training, advocacy and civic engagement, health and wellness programs, and housing opportunities.
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Kaleidoscope Youth Center awarded Funding from Grantmakers for Girls of Color
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