January 18, 2023 • 30 mins
In the final chapter of “The School Board Queen” we dig in with Bridget Ziegler. Her opponents have called her names – transphobic and racist. But she says she’ll take “the arrows of being called whatever” for what she believes in. She’s a champion of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act – that’s the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, which critics call unsupportive of the LGBTQ community. We want to know what it’s like to be a student living with the bill, and we spend time with a trans teenager, an eleventh grader, who surprises us with their clear-eyed perspective.
“The School Board Queen” is reported, produced and hosted by Kathleen Quillian and Samantha Storey. For more information visit bloomberg.com/bedrock-usa. Have a suggestion or comment? We’d love to hear from you: kquillian@bloomberg.net or samanthastoreywrites@gmail.com.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Bedrock, USA. We're your hosts. I'm Cathleen
Cullian and I'm Samantha Story. This is chapter three of
the school Board Queen, a three part mini series about
Bridget Sigler, a conservative mom who's shaking up America's school boards.
For the last chapter in this mini series, we're going
to dig in with Bridget. She told us she's been
(00:20):
called a racist, homophobic. We want to understand why she's
been called those names, the stances she's taken that would
elicit such a strong reaction. We're also going to talk
to a trans teenager and eleventh grader who's living through
the before and after of the Florida Parental Rights and
Education Act. We invited Bridget back to our hotel. We
(00:50):
met her in the lobby. She was really dressed up,
black cocktail, dress, heels, hair curled, and make up done
heavily perfumed. She had plans to meet her family at
the Entry Club later on. We found a quiet spot
away from the other hotel guests, who was downpouring outside
and the air conditioning was working. Over time. We had
a lot of questions. First, we wanted to know what
(01:11):
the catalyst was for the parental rights movement. She says
it got on her radar during those initial pandemic lockdowns
when schools were closed. Parents were trying to navigate online
schooling while juggling jobs and everything else, and to say
it was a mess is an understatement. And then the
news of George Floyd came out his murder by the
(01:32):
police in May, a huge protest movement was born. And
while some parents were sitting at home trying to navigate
online learning with their kids, sometimes they came across things
they didn't like. There was a brain pot video and
what if anyone has elementary children, you'll know what that is.
It's very commonly used. And this was right after the
(01:55):
Summer of right so all the protests. This movie explores
a sensitive subject. Please watch this movie with an adult
and take time to discuss it. Dear Nat and Moby,
why are so many people protesting about racism? I thought
we fixed all that stuff a long time ago from Ethan.
(02:17):
I wish that were true. Ethan. Structural racism is a
factor in some disturbing trends. Black people are nearly six
times more likely than whites to be in prison, and
black men are killed by police at more than twice
the rate of white men. Like on May two thousand
and twenty, that's when a black man named George Floyd
(02:38):
died in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was killed by a white
police officer during an arrest. Officer Derek Chauvin pulled Mr
Floyd to the ground. Chauvin knelt on his neck and
stayed there for close to nine minutes. And a parent
reached out to me with this video and it was
about the protests and George Floyd, but at undertones of
(03:01):
you know, it was very clear, like very pro Black
Lives Matter movement, talking about social systemic racism, talking about
defunding the police, like promoting defunding the police, not talking
about it, like promoting defunding the police, using Minneapolis as
an example, and saying at the end of it there
was like a call to action to the children, and
you can make your difference to like children are already
doing it across the country. Well, this isn't about blaming
(03:23):
the police. When an officer abuses their power, that's just
a symptom. The problem is much more widespread than that,
which is why we need everybody's help to change things.
And that's what These protests are about raising awareness and
calling for action, and guess what, it's already starting to work.
(03:47):
In Minneapolis, the city council voted to remake the police
department from the ground up. Other cities are thinking about
similar measures. It seems like overnight the whole country has
woken up and realized what a big problem racism is.
We're living through a huge historical moment right now. So
(04:08):
remember it. When we raise our voices to say something's wrong,
Adults listen, because, let's face it, kids tell it like
it is and believe it or not. Adults are inspired
by that. You can start by asking questions about things
in your world. Is there something in your own community
(04:29):
or school that bothers you? Listen to your inner sense
of right and wrong. People have different opinions and this
and that's a very heavy topic to unpack. And to me,
their parents that are really frustrated. And I equally saw
it and I was like, Wow, that's that really happened,
and I think that's interesting. Uh So I brought it
(04:51):
to our superintendents at Tension and I posted on Facebook
and it went like everywhere. More than showed up to
tonight's board meeting. Some with strong opinions about why they
think racial sensitivity should be taught in the classroom. Others
argue the curriculum would be too politically charged. This debate
all started after parents discovered a video on the learning
(05:12):
platform brain pop, which talks about the Black Lives Matter
movement the next meeting. I remember going into my school
board meeting thinking I was going to have an hour
or five hours worth of people calling me racist. And
I was prepared for that because I did not believe
that was appropriate um material for elementary students, particularly without
(05:36):
parents being around or being prepared to have that conversation
with her children and navigating through that and taking those
positions because some of them are pretty extreme in my
personal opinion. More on that after the break, Bridget says,
the video is inappropriate for elementary school students. But here's
the thing. It wasn't even assigned by any teacher to
(05:57):
any class in the Sarasota School District. The superintendent confirmed this,
but that wasn't until after Bridget shared it to Facebook
and her post went viral and was covered by the
national media. The video is one of many animated shorts
put out by brain Pop. They're an educational site that's
been around for over twenty years. Their videos are geared
(06:20):
to elementary and middle school students. Their site is popular
and well trusted by educators. Many school districts all over
the country use their videos to supplement lessons. We reached
out to Brainpop for comment. They said, quote, our goal
is always to provide background, knowledge and context, and encourage
viewers to think, reflect and form their own evidence based conclusions.
(06:44):
After the heated school board meeting and after the Facebook
post went viral, Bridget made an observation there were a
lot of like minded parents out there and she saw
an opportunity. A few months later, Bridget partnered with a
couple of women she knew in the school board circle. Together,
they founded their right wing activist group, Moms for Liberty.
(07:05):
The group's initial goal was to help people run for
school boards and push for change. Nowadays, their activism is broader.
They provide guidance on how to fundraise for school boards,
track legislative issues, and review curriculum, and the group has
seen an explosion of growth. They added over a hundred
thousand members. They even sell sweatshirts and t shirts that
(07:28):
say we do not co parent with the government and
Moms for Liberty are bold in their stances. They post
a lot of misinformation on their social media feeds about
gender dysphoria, transitioning, and how becoming trance is like a
social contagion. Almost all of it is scientifically incorrect. Their
accounts have gone through cycles of being suspended and reinstated.
(07:52):
Bridget has tweeted and shared some of these posts. We
asked her about this. So, when it comes down to
these emotional topics, I know where I stand as a
human being. I know I know what my journey is.
I know that there is no hate. There is nothing
about me that is seeking to vilify or make any
(08:15):
subpopulation feel less than anyone else, because that is not
my belief. But if you're starting to change documents and
facility usage and names and field trips and all sorts
of things, if it's the second step that when those
families are engaged, you're purposely keeping that from so I
guess that's it's really the second step that's like the
(08:38):
most egregious to me, But it's also the treatment. And
then you're cutting a family member out who may be
very well playing a very vital role in this process,
and just because there's an assumption they might not they
get cut out. I just think that I know it's wrong.
When we talked to Bridget that day in the hotel,
she answered a lot of questions, but she also volunteered
(08:59):
her beliefs on jen her identity without any prompt from
us at all. She says she's done a ton of research.
I will take the arrows of being called whatever because
I know where I'm coming from this at the way
in which I'm coming from it at and I think
it is absolutely worth fighting for because I foresee and
we are starting to already see the end results that
(09:21):
it's a lot more widespread than we thought. And I
say we thought, like it's not because the trans transgender people.
I don't care that you be you, but the devastation
is having on young people's minds and families is my concern.
And when you have in front of your eyes where
there are people taking an active role of creating those
(09:41):
processes to allow that to happen, I think that's wrong.
Bridget says she doesn't mind being attacked for her point
of view. She's fully aware that her opponents call her
homophobic and transphobic, and she says those attacks are worth it.
She told us there's a contagious disease at work. She
believes that the number of kids who are born a
(10:02):
girl and want to transition and identify as a boy
is on the rise. And the reason for that uptick,
Bridget told us, is because of social contagion. And this
notion that becoming trans could be caught like a disease
is scientifically not true. It's also something that people in
the trans community find deeply offensive. A recent study in pediatrics,
(10:25):
the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found evidence
that the number of transgender youth, specifically those assigned female
at birth who transition, are not on the rise. Population
numbers in recent years have stayed the same. But Bridget
is passionate about her fight. She believes in what she
has researched, no matter what the cost. So, as many
(10:52):
of you know, I think the last couple of years
have really revealed to parents, uh that uh, they are
being ignored it increasingly across our country when it comes
to their kids education. We have seen curriculum embedded for
very very young children, uh, classroom materials about sexuality and
(11:12):
woke gender ideology We've seen libraries that have clearly an
appropriate pornographic materials for for very young kids. Uh. And
we've seen services that were given to students without the
consent or even knowledge of their parents across the country,
and unfortunately that's happened here in the state of Florida.
(11:33):
You're gonna hear from some parents where that has happened,
Thank you, guys. Okay, the idea, that's Governor Rhonda Santis.
In March of last year, he was celebrating the passing
of the Florida Parental Rights and Education Act, that's the
so called Don't Say Gay Bill. Fridgid is a big
(11:53):
fan of the governor. She praised him constantly during our interviews.
She says she was influential and the drafting of the bill.
We reached out to Governor to Santis's office to ask
about bridgets specific input, but he did not return any
of our emails or calls. Many opponents have criticized the bill,
saying it's broad and not easy to interpret. But in
(12:15):
basic terms, if a trans kid comes out to their teacher,
that teacher is obligated to tell that kid's parents, even
if the child is not ready for that conversation. Critics
have also said the bill takes away support from the
lgbt Q student community. We wondered how the students were doing.
That's after the break when we got to Sara Sota.
(12:44):
We reached out to a local nonprofit called Also Youth.
They provide support for young people in the LGBTQ community,
and they connected us to a local student, someone who
could talk to us about what it's like to be
in school now that the Parental Rights Act has been passed.
We decided to meet them at Starbucks. It was a
little windy that day, and we apologized for the rough
(13:05):
sound and the loud customers in the background. We sat outside.
It was warm and sunny, and so was Nico. Hi.
I'm Nko. I'm sixteen and I'm in the eleventh grade,
and I was also going to ask you what are
your preferred He him. We're referring to Nico by his
first name only, since he's a miner. We met up
(13:27):
with him and his mom. He had a little time
before he had to go to his part time job
at a nearby big box store. He's saving up for
a car. He had colorful dyed streaks in his hair
and He wore a vintage rock band hoodie. He sipped
from his rappacino as we asked him questions real quick.
Nico mentions dead naming. That means when someone refers to
(13:50):
a transgendered person by their birth name or pronoun and
not by the name they're using after a transition the
last three years, Like what did you observe in schools?
Anything change? Um? So? I mean with like everything that's
happening here in Florida, I see, especially this year. Years prior,
(14:13):
my teachers were allowed to ask me, like when my
pronouns are? They were allowed to ask me what my
name is, and they didn't have to have my parents permission.
This year, a teacher can get fired for, you know,
not telling your parents that you know, you use different
pronouns or you go by a different name if they know. So,
(14:36):
my teachers have been starting to do this thing where
they write on a piece of paper asking for name
and pronouns and stuff, and they have to be like,
are we allowed to tell your parents or like whatever,
because they can give them a lot of trouble if
they don't, but they don't want to disrespect um the students.
It's really difficult because like my parents, no, but I
(15:01):
have a lot of friends who parents don't know, and
it's very sad um that this is happening. What are
you observing with? Uh, it's not good for like the
mental health of kids who because they're being constantly miss
gender than like dead named every day by a like
(15:24):
institution that's supposed to keep them safe. So it's very
difficult because I know a lot of my teachers who
have transgender students and they don't want to miss gender
or dead name them, but they have to or they
can give them a lot of trouble. What happens too
a l g B t Q you or transgender you
(15:46):
when they are being a miss gender Like what is
that feeling? Because you probably experienced yeah, so it it's
just I don't know how to explain it. It feels
like a sinking feeling in your chest and you us
one of like scream because it's not you. You know,
it's like someone calling you Bob when your name is Timmy.
(16:08):
You know, it's it feels wrong and it feels like
but it's even worse because you've been referred to this
your whole life and a lot of people, just especially
like your family. They don't respect it, you know, um,
and so it's like you're being called this different thing
that's just not you. But it's worse. Nico's mom was
(16:32):
sitting with us during the interview. She had really warm eyes,
and the whole time he talked, she was quietly supportive,
giving him the space to speak, constantly affirming him with
smiles and nods. Nico's parents are divorced, and sometimes it's
been hard for him. He told us a story about
the first time he tried to come out. This was
(16:53):
four years ago, before the Printal Rights Act had passed.
So I was in the seventh grade and I told
my teacher that I was trans. I told him that
I used him pronounced and my name's Nico. And he
threatened that. Well, I stay threatened up, but he was like, UM,
if I I'm gonna call you this, I have to
(17:15):
tell your parents. And at that point my parents didn't know.
I wasn't ready to tell my parents yet. And it
was not great because, like, my dad is also transphobic.
So it's like it's harmful because you don't know if
a kid is in a dangerous situation, you don't know
what their parents are like so if you out them,
(17:37):
it's dangerous and you could be putting this child in
a lot of harm for what, Like it's the child's identity.
It doesn't mather what the parents thing. I started crying
because it was like a very like heartbreaking thing that
you know, it was again, I'm gonna be I would
(18:00):
it to people who I'm not ready to know yet.
And it's a very very special thing to come out.
You know, it's very very personal and you don't want
someone making that decision for you. It's not something that
someone else should have the right to make that decision
for you. So, um, it put me in a really
(18:22):
bad place mentally when he said that, because it was like, oh, well,
I have to tell my parents now, I have to
tell my parents before I'm allowed to be respected. It's
not a great feeling battling with yourself over do I
tell my parents when I'm not ready or do I
just be disrespected constantly real quick? We reached out to
(18:44):
the teachers union that's the Sarah Sota Classified Teachers Association.
The president, Rex Ingrick told us that teachers are having
a hard time navigating this. They feel muzzled. They want
to be supportive but they also don't want to overstep
the law. They're afraid of being fired. He said. Quote
they're giving kids what they need, but they're scared of
(19:06):
saying the wrong thing because parents might post something on
social media. It's very litigious and nerve wracking. School should
be a safe space for children to be allowed to
experiment with themselves and experiment with like what they like
(19:27):
and like make friends and like be themselves when maybe
they can't at home, and maybe they're not comfortable being
themselves at home or being themselves outside of school. They
should have a place to be safe, and they're not
able to. They're not able to with this new like
legislature and these new bills being passed. They're not allowed
(19:51):
to be safe in a place that they that promised
them that they are going to be safe their moment
when because I remember it, the legislation was happening. Can
you think, is there a mom that you actually became
aware of? Did you remember that mom? So I was
talking to the president of the g S A club,
(20:12):
and he was telling me about this bill that's being
passed and how it's going to affect us. And because
we ended up as a club, we ended up writing
letters to the UH. I don't remember what's called. Um,
but we ended up writing letters to run the santis
UM and sadly didn't do anything, um, but we did.
(20:35):
We did write the letters. We were saying, how this
is going to affect us as students, and how this
is going to and like our teacher our sponsors wrote
one and like how it's going to affect them as teachers,
and how it's not a healthy thing to do, and
how it's not safe to uh do And so that's
(20:56):
what the letters were about, UM, just trying to commence
him to say no. UM. But this was after he
already expressed that he was going to say yes. If
they got past he was going to say yes. So
what are you gonna be like? Um? It felt heartbreaking.
It kind of felt like, um, someone throwing like rocks
(21:17):
at the glass because it was we built up this
glass to protect ourselves and now it's being shattered by
someone who doesn't care about our best interests? Is it?
I mean, it's a very obvious question that do you
fear for your safety? I don't really go out that much, UH,
And when I do go out, I go out to
(21:38):
a very public like mall or something because it's more
safe with people around. And but if I'm walking down
the sidewalk with my friends, I'm afraid that something will
happen because hate crimes are so high and they are
very real. And I mean, even if they don't know us,
(22:01):
they still hate us for some reason. And it's I
do fear. I fear for my life. I don't. I
cannot go outside without, you know, fearing. Why do you
think that this is their agenda? UM? I think that
because of the idea of traditional family and because of
(22:23):
this idea of um that you have to be this
specific way to be in like the perfect image. I
think that it makes them hold a lot of hate
in their heart for people who are not in this
perfect image, and it causes ideas like eugenics, where like, oh, well,
(22:45):
if you're not perfect, then you should be put down.
Where does that come from? I feel like it comes
from I'm gonna be honest, I'd say it's a taught behavior.
Nobody is born with hate in their heart. It's something
that's passed down from generations. And if your parents hate
queer people, you will probably hate queer people and you
(23:07):
will holster that hate in your heart and with um.
The fact that queer people are not being taught their
history is not being taught, They are being discriminated against
in schools. Now, um, it's going to make more people
hold more hate in their heart for queer and trance people.
(23:32):
Nico says he wants to be a tattoo artist when
he graduates high school and maybe do a little advocacy
work on the side. He loves history, and he's been
reading books and articles about the history of LGBTQ people
in America. Lately, he's gotten into learning about the Stonewall Riots,
and he says he's grateful for the people who came
before him, who fought for him. Even if there are
(23:55):
constantly being bills trying to passed against trans and queer people,
at least we have the the rights, you know, at
least I am allowed to be out. And so having
that historical context and even other historical contexts about how
(24:16):
like even before then, the battle that queer and trans
people were facing through all throughout history, it's given me
more pride in who I am, and it's given me
the ability to be open and happy about who I am.
They fought that very very like they fought that very
(24:39):
difficult fight so that people like me can be open
about who we are. We said goodbye to Nico and
his mom as we packed up our recording gear. We
were struck by Nico's openness, so self aware. He was
so clear about who came before him and the fight
they fought, and he's proud to be part of the
(25:00):
fight to come. It's ironic that I seldom feel like
I get the opportunity to talk about academics, the most
(25:22):
important things that were there for UM, and I hope
that with the majority board flip, we have that opportunity. UM.
I don't think the social challenges or social issues or
topics are necessarily going to go away, but I do
think that you're going to see a board and I
am going to take very strong role on this of
(25:43):
our role is going to be nearly focused towards education.
And to make it very clear that that kind of
promotion of anyone's like, I don't want people coming in
and pushing any kind of like, all right, super conservative
Christian ideology, that's not appropriate. I will I will fight it.
On either other side. I do, like I said that,
I'm very I pride myself in the consistency. It applies,
the rules applied everybody. Towards the end of our interview
(26:06):
with Bridget, she told us she was excited for the future,
especially now that the board was majority conservative. We said goodbye.
Bridget had a date at the country club to meet
her family. I mean, I really, I feel like I
went through a counseling session. Like no, I feel like
I mean, I told my husband, I'm like, golly gee,
I I feel like I really there was like a lot.
(26:29):
I had to pull back some cobbos. I couldn't remember
certain things gone. It's very interesting because I forgot about
a lot of this stuff. So anyway, well I'm glad
now it's not raining. So Bridget, thank you, Thank you
so much. Since we last left Bridget, a lot has happened.
(26:51):
She was appointed chair of the Sarasota School Board. Her
first act was to call for the firing of the
school superintendent. She claimed there had been a community caction breakdown.
He denied it, but he resigned shortly after. In December
and just before the holidays, Bridget spoke at an education
conference hosted by Governor de Santis. It was by invitation
(27:12):
only big names in conservative education were in attendance, like
Betsy Devas, Trump's Secretary of Education, and so were the
moms of Liberty co founders. Bridget gave a talk on
parental rights. When we first started reporting this series a
profile of a polarizing school board member, we weren't sure
(27:35):
what we'd find when we peeled back the layers. Bridget
is a loving and caring mother, extremely hard working. She
is conviction in what she believes and that appears to
inspire many others. She always comes back to parents having
ultimate control and the government nowhere near the children. But
we also learned how Nico saw things, because he has
(27:58):
a clear vision too. I think they're fearful of change.
I think they don't like that things are not as
black and white as they thought they weren't. And I
think that they do not like the fact that there
is more than what is right in front of their eyes.
(28:19):
They don't like the fact that there is more than
fifth grade biology. Uh. They don't like that if you
are actually going to get into the root of things,
you have to look farther in and there is a
lot more in the genetics and psychology of queer and
trans people. And they do not like it. They do
(28:39):
not like change, and they are so fearful because they
don't want what their world view and what they have
set themselves on. They do not want that to change.
They do not want what they see as right. They
do not want that to be wrong. Nobody wants to
be wrong, but they are so set on being right
(29:00):
that it makes them hateful. This episode is the final
chapter of bed Rock us A Season one. It was reported,
produced and hosted by us Samantha story In Kathleen Cullion,
(29:22):
Original music and scoring by Zachary Walter and audio engineering
by Blake Maples. Bed Rock USA is edited by Jennifer Sondag,
head of Bloomberg City Lab, Additional editing help by Nicole
Flato and Victor Evaas. But Rock USA is a production
of Bloomberg City Lab and I Heart Radio. For more
podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app,
(29:44):
Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
When the Beat
Welcome back to Bedrock, USA. We're your hosts. I'm Cathleen
Cullian and I'm Samantha Story. This is chapter three of
the school Board Queen, a three part mini series about
Bridget Sigler, a conservative mom who's shaking up America's school boards.
For the last chapter in this mini series, we're going
to dig in with Bridget. She told us she's been
(00:20):
called a racist, homophobic. We want to understand why she's
been called those names, the stances she's taken that would
elicit such a strong reaction. We're also going to talk
to a trans teenager and eleventh grader who's living through
the before and after of the Florida Parental Rights and
Education Act. We invited Bridget back to our hotel. We
(00:50):
met her in the lobby. She was really dressed up,
black cocktail, dress, heels, hair curled, and make up done
heavily perfumed. She had plans to meet her family at
the Entry Club later on. We found a quiet spot
away from the other hotel guests, who was downpouring outside
and the air conditioning was working. Over time. We had
a lot of questions. First, we wanted to know what
(01:11):
the catalyst was for the parental rights movement. She says
it got on her radar during those initial pandemic lockdowns
when schools were closed. Parents were trying to navigate online
schooling while juggling jobs and everything else, and to say
it was a mess is an understatement. And then the
news of George Floyd came out his murder by the
(01:32):
police in May, a huge protest movement was born. And
while some parents were sitting at home trying to navigate
online learning with their kids, sometimes they came across things
they didn't like. There was a brain pot video and
what if anyone has elementary children, you'll know what that is.
It's very commonly used. And this was right after the
(01:55):
Summer of right so all the protests. This movie explores
a sensitive subject. Please watch this movie with an adult
and take time to discuss it. Dear Nat and Moby,
why are so many people protesting about racism? I thought
we fixed all that stuff a long time ago from Ethan.
(02:17):
I wish that were true. Ethan. Structural racism is a
factor in some disturbing trends. Black people are nearly six
times more likely than whites to be in prison, and
black men are killed by police at more than twice
the rate of white men. Like on May two thousand
and twenty, that's when a black man named George Floyd
(02:38):
died in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was killed by a white
police officer during an arrest. Officer Derek Chauvin pulled Mr
Floyd to the ground. Chauvin knelt on his neck and
stayed there for close to nine minutes. And a parent
reached out to me with this video and it was
about the protests and George Floyd, but at undertones of
(03:01):
you know, it was very clear, like very pro Black
Lives Matter movement, talking about social systemic racism, talking about
defunding the police, like promoting defunding the police, not talking
about it, like promoting defunding the police, using Minneapolis as
an example, and saying at the end of it there
was like a call to action to the children, and
you can make your difference to like children are already
doing it across the country. Well, this isn't about blaming
(03:23):
the police. When an officer abuses their power, that's just
a symptom. The problem is much more widespread than that,
which is why we need everybody's help to change things.
And that's what These protests are about raising awareness and
calling for action, and guess what, it's already starting to work.
(03:47):
In Minneapolis, the city council voted to remake the police
department from the ground up. Other cities are thinking about
similar measures. It seems like overnight the whole country has
woken up and realized what a big problem racism is.
We're living through a huge historical moment right now. So
(04:08):
remember it. When we raise our voices to say something's wrong,
Adults listen, because, let's face it, kids tell it like
it is and believe it or not. Adults are inspired
by that. You can start by asking questions about things
in your world. Is there something in your own community
(04:29):
or school that bothers you? Listen to your inner sense
of right and wrong. People have different opinions and this
and that's a very heavy topic to unpack. And to me,
their parents that are really frustrated. And I equally saw
it and I was like, Wow, that's that really happened,
and I think that's interesting. Uh So I brought it
(04:51):
to our superintendents at Tension and I posted on Facebook
and it went like everywhere. More than showed up to
tonight's board meeting. Some with strong opinions about why they
think racial sensitivity should be taught in the classroom. Others
argue the curriculum would be too politically charged. This debate
all started after parents discovered a video on the learning
(05:12):
platform brain pop, which talks about the Black Lives Matter
movement the next meeting. I remember going into my school
board meeting thinking I was going to have an hour
or five hours worth of people calling me racist. And
I was prepared for that because I did not believe
that was appropriate um material for elementary students, particularly without
(05:36):
parents being around or being prepared to have that conversation
with her children and navigating through that and taking those
positions because some of them are pretty extreme in my
personal opinion. More on that after the break, Bridget says,
the video is inappropriate for elementary school students. But here's
the thing. It wasn't even assigned by any teacher to
(05:57):
any class in the Sarasota School District. The superintendent confirmed this,
but that wasn't until after Bridget shared it to Facebook
and her post went viral and was covered by the
national media. The video is one of many animated shorts
put out by brain Pop. They're an educational site that's
been around for over twenty years. Their videos are geared
(06:20):
to elementary and middle school students. Their site is popular
and well trusted by educators. Many school districts all over
the country use their videos to supplement lessons. We reached
out to Brainpop for comment. They said, quote, our goal
is always to provide background, knowledge and context, and encourage
viewers to think, reflect and form their own evidence based conclusions.
(06:44):
After the heated school board meeting and after the Facebook
post went viral, Bridget made an observation there were a
lot of like minded parents out there and she saw
an opportunity. A few months later, Bridget partnered with a
couple of women she knew in the school board circle. Together,
they founded their right wing activist group, Moms for Liberty.
(07:05):
The group's initial goal was to help people run for
school boards and push for change. Nowadays, their activism is broader.
They provide guidance on how to fundraise for school boards,
track legislative issues, and review curriculum, and the group has
seen an explosion of growth. They added over a hundred
thousand members. They even sell sweatshirts and t shirts that
(07:28):
say we do not co parent with the government and
Moms for Liberty are bold in their stances. They post
a lot of misinformation on their social media feeds about
gender dysphoria, transitioning, and how becoming trance is like a
social contagion. Almost all of it is scientifically incorrect. Their
accounts have gone through cycles of being suspended and reinstated.
(07:52):
Bridget has tweeted and shared some of these posts. We
asked her about this. So, when it comes down to
these emotional topics, I know where I stand as a
human being. I know I know what my journey is.
I know that there is no hate. There is nothing
about me that is seeking to vilify or make any
(08:15):
subpopulation feel less than anyone else, because that is not
my belief. But if you're starting to change documents and
facility usage and names and field trips and all sorts
of things, if it's the second step that when those
families are engaged, you're purposely keeping that from so I
guess that's it's really the second step that's like the
(08:38):
most egregious to me, But it's also the treatment. And
then you're cutting a family member out who may be
very well playing a very vital role in this process,
and just because there's an assumption they might not they
get cut out. I just think that I know it's wrong.
When we talked to Bridget that day in the hotel,
she answered a lot of questions, but she also volunteered
(08:59):
her beliefs on jen her identity without any prompt from
us at all. She says she's done a ton of research.
I will take the arrows of being called whatever because
I know where I'm coming from this at the way
in which I'm coming from it at and I think
it is absolutely worth fighting for because I foresee and
we are starting to already see the end results that
(09:21):
it's a lot more widespread than we thought. And I
say we thought, like it's not because the trans transgender people.
I don't care that you be you, but the devastation
is having on young people's minds and families is my concern.
And when you have in front of your eyes where
there are people taking an active role of creating those
(09:41):
processes to allow that to happen, I think that's wrong.
Bridget says she doesn't mind being attacked for her point
of view. She's fully aware that her opponents call her
homophobic and transphobic, and she says those attacks are worth it.
She told us there's a contagious disease at work. She
believes that the number of kids who are born a
(10:02):
girl and want to transition and identify as a boy
is on the rise. And the reason for that uptick,
Bridget told us, is because of social contagion. And this
notion that becoming trans could be caught like a disease
is scientifically not true. It's also something that people in
the trans community find deeply offensive. A recent study in pediatrics,
(10:25):
the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found evidence
that the number of transgender youth, specifically those assigned female
at birth who transition, are not on the rise. Population
numbers in recent years have stayed the same. But Bridget
is passionate about her fight. She believes in what she
has researched, no matter what the cost. So, as many
(10:52):
of you know, I think the last couple of years
have really revealed to parents, uh that uh, they are
being ignored it increasingly across our country when it comes
to their kids education. We have seen curriculum embedded for
very very young children, uh, classroom materials about sexuality and
(11:12):
woke gender ideology We've seen libraries that have clearly an
appropriate pornographic materials for for very young kids. Uh. And
we've seen services that were given to students without the
consent or even knowledge of their parents across the country,
and unfortunately that's happened here in the state of Florida.
(11:33):
You're gonna hear from some parents where that has happened,
Thank you, guys. Okay, the idea, that's Governor Rhonda Santis.
In March of last year, he was celebrating the passing
of the Florida Parental Rights and Education Act, that's the
so called Don't Say Gay Bill. Fridgid is a big
(11:53):
fan of the governor. She praised him constantly during our interviews.
She says she was influential and the drafting of the bill.
We reached out to Governor to Santis's office to ask
about bridgets specific input, but he did not return any
of our emails or calls. Many opponents have criticized the bill,
saying it's broad and not easy to interpret. But in
(12:15):
basic terms, if a trans kid comes out to their teacher,
that teacher is obligated to tell that kid's parents, even
if the child is not ready for that conversation. Critics
have also said the bill takes away support from the
lgbt Q student community. We wondered how the students were doing.
That's after the break when we got to Sara Sota.
(12:44):
We reached out to a local nonprofit called Also Youth.
They provide support for young people in the LGBTQ community,
and they connected us to a local student, someone who
could talk to us about what it's like to be
in school now that the Parental Rights Act has been passed.
We decided to meet them at Starbucks. It was a
little windy that day, and we apologized for the rough
(13:05):
sound and the loud customers in the background. We sat outside.
It was warm and sunny, and so was Nico. Hi.
I'm Nko. I'm sixteen and I'm in the eleventh grade,
and I was also going to ask you what are
your preferred He him. We're referring to Nico by his
first name only, since he's a miner. We met up
(13:27):
with him and his mom. He had a little time
before he had to go to his part time job
at a nearby big box store. He's saving up for
a car. He had colorful dyed streaks in his hair
and He wore a vintage rock band hoodie. He sipped
from his rappacino as we asked him questions real quick.
Nico mentions dead naming. That means when someone refers to
(13:50):
a transgendered person by their birth name or pronoun and
not by the name they're using after a transition the
last three years, Like what did you observe in schools?
Anything change? Um? So? I mean with like everything that's
happening here in Florida, I see, especially this year. Years prior,
(14:13):
my teachers were allowed to ask me, like when my
pronouns are? They were allowed to ask me what my
name is, and they didn't have to have my parents permission.
This year, a teacher can get fired for, you know,
not telling your parents that you know, you use different
pronouns or you go by a different name if they know. So,
(14:36):
my teachers have been starting to do this thing where
they write on a piece of paper asking for name
and pronouns and stuff, and they have to be like,
are we allowed to tell your parents or like whatever,
because they can give them a lot of trouble if
they don't, but they don't want to disrespect um the students.
It's really difficult because like my parents, no, but I
(15:01):
have a lot of friends who parents don't know, and
it's very sad um that this is happening. What are
you observing with? Uh, it's not good for like the
mental health of kids who because they're being constantly miss
gender than like dead named every day by a like
(15:24):
institution that's supposed to keep them safe. So it's very
difficult because I know a lot of my teachers who
have transgender students and they don't want to miss gender
or dead name them, but they have to or they
can give them a lot of trouble. What happens too
a l g B t Q you or transgender you
(15:46):
when they are being a miss gender Like what is
that feeling? Because you probably experienced yeah, so it it's
just I don't know how to explain it. It feels
like a sinking feeling in your chest and you us
one of like scream because it's not you. You know,
it's like someone calling you Bob when your name is Timmy.
(16:08):
You know, it's it feels wrong and it feels like
but it's even worse because you've been referred to this
your whole life and a lot of people, just especially
like your family. They don't respect it, you know, um,
and so it's like you're being called this different thing
that's just not you. But it's worse. Nico's mom was
(16:32):
sitting with us during the interview. She had really warm eyes,
and the whole time he talked, she was quietly supportive,
giving him the space to speak, constantly affirming him with
smiles and nods. Nico's parents are divorced, and sometimes it's
been hard for him. He told us a story about
the first time he tried to come out. This was
(16:53):
four years ago, before the Printal Rights Act had passed.
So I was in the seventh grade and I told
my teacher that I was trans. I told him that
I used him pronounced and my name's Nico. And he
threatened that. Well, I stay threatened up, but he was like, UM,
if I I'm gonna call you this, I have to
(17:15):
tell your parents. And at that point my parents didn't know.
I wasn't ready to tell my parents yet. And it
was not great because, like, my dad is also transphobic.
So it's like it's harmful because you don't know if
a kid is in a dangerous situation, you don't know
what their parents are like so if you out them,
(17:37):
it's dangerous and you could be putting this child in
a lot of harm for what, Like it's the child's identity.
It doesn't mather what the parents thing. I started crying
because it was like a very like heartbreaking thing that
you know, it was again, I'm gonna be I would
(18:00):
it to people who I'm not ready to know yet.
And it's a very very special thing to come out.
You know, it's very very personal and you don't want
someone making that decision for you. It's not something that
someone else should have the right to make that decision
for you. So, um, it put me in a really
(18:22):
bad place mentally when he said that, because it was like, oh, well,
I have to tell my parents now, I have to
tell my parents before I'm allowed to be respected. It's
not a great feeling battling with yourself over do I
tell my parents when I'm not ready or do I
just be disrespected constantly real quick? We reached out to
(18:44):
the teachers union that's the Sarah Sota Classified Teachers Association.
The president, Rex Ingrick told us that teachers are having
a hard time navigating this. They feel muzzled. They want
to be supportive but they also don't want to overstep
the law. They're afraid of being fired. He said. Quote
they're giving kids what they need, but they're scared of
(19:06):
saying the wrong thing because parents might post something on
social media. It's very litigious and nerve wracking. School should
be a safe space for children to be allowed to
experiment with themselves and experiment with like what they like
(19:27):
and like make friends and like be themselves when maybe
they can't at home, and maybe they're not comfortable being
themselves at home or being themselves outside of school. They
should have a place to be safe, and they're not
able to. They're not able to with this new like
legislature and these new bills being passed. They're not allowed
(19:51):
to be safe in a place that they that promised
them that they are going to be safe their moment
when because I remember it, the legislation was happening. Can
you think, is there a mom that you actually became
aware of? Did you remember that mom? So I was
talking to the president of the g S A club,
(20:12):
and he was telling me about this bill that's being
passed and how it's going to affect us. And because
we ended up as a club, we ended up writing
letters to the UH. I don't remember what's called. Um,
but we ended up writing letters to run the santis
UM and sadly didn't do anything, um, but we did.
(20:35):
We did write the letters. We were saying, how this
is going to affect us as students, and how this
is going to and like our teacher our sponsors wrote
one and like how it's going to affect them as teachers,
and how it's not a healthy thing to do, and
how it's not safe to uh do And so that's
(20:56):
what the letters were about, UM, just trying to commence
him to say no. UM. But this was after he
already expressed that he was going to say yes. If
they got past he was going to say yes. So
what are you gonna be like? Um? It felt heartbreaking.
It kind of felt like, um, someone throwing like rocks
(21:17):
at the glass because it was we built up this
glass to protect ourselves and now it's being shattered by
someone who doesn't care about our best interests? Is it?
I mean, it's a very obvious question that do you
fear for your safety? I don't really go out that much, UH,
And when I do go out, I go out to
(21:38):
a very public like mall or something because it's more
safe with people around. And but if I'm walking down
the sidewalk with my friends, I'm afraid that something will
happen because hate crimes are so high and they are
very real. And I mean, even if they don't know us,
(22:01):
they still hate us for some reason. And it's I
do fear. I fear for my life. I don't. I
cannot go outside without, you know, fearing. Why do you
think that this is their agenda? UM? I think that
because of the idea of traditional family and because of
(22:23):
this idea of um that you have to be this
specific way to be in like the perfect image. I
think that it makes them hold a lot of hate
in their heart for people who are not in this
perfect image, and it causes ideas like eugenics, where like, oh, well,
(22:45):
if you're not perfect, then you should be put down.
Where does that come from? I feel like it comes
from I'm gonna be honest, I'd say it's a taught behavior.
Nobody is born with hate in their heart. It's something
that's passed down from generations. And if your parents hate
queer people, you will probably hate queer people and you
(23:07):
will holster that hate in your heart and with um.
The fact that queer people are not being taught their
history is not being taught, They are being discriminated against
in schools. Now, um, it's going to make more people
hold more hate in their heart for queer and trance people.
(23:32):
Nico says he wants to be a tattoo artist when
he graduates high school and maybe do a little advocacy
work on the side. He loves history, and he's been
reading books and articles about the history of LGBTQ people
in America. Lately, he's gotten into learning about the Stonewall Riots,
and he says he's grateful for the people who came
before him, who fought for him. Even if there are
(23:55):
constantly being bills trying to passed against trans and queer people,
at least we have the the rights, you know, at
least I am allowed to be out. And so having
that historical context and even other historical contexts about how
(24:16):
like even before then, the battle that queer and trans
people were facing through all throughout history, it's given me
more pride in who I am, and it's given me
the ability to be open and happy about who I am.
They fought that very very like they fought that very
(24:39):
difficult fight so that people like me can be open
about who we are. We said goodbye to Nico and
his mom as we packed up our recording gear. We
were struck by Nico's openness, so self aware. He was
so clear about who came before him and the fight
they fought, and he's proud to be part of the
(25:00):
fight to come. It's ironic that I seldom feel like
I get the opportunity to talk about academics, the most
(25:22):
important things that were there for UM, and I hope
that with the majority board flip, we have that opportunity. UM.
I don't think the social challenges or social issues or
topics are necessarily going to go away, but I do
think that you're going to see a board and I
am going to take very strong role on this of
(25:43):
our role is going to be nearly focused towards education.
And to make it very clear that that kind of
promotion of anyone's like, I don't want people coming in
and pushing any kind of like, all right, super conservative
Christian ideology, that's not appropriate. I will I will fight it.
On either other side. I do, like I said that,
I'm very I pride myself in the consistency. It applies,
the rules applied everybody. Towards the end of our interview
(26:06):
with Bridget, she told us she was excited for the future,
especially now that the board was majority conservative. We said goodbye.
Bridget had a date at the country club to meet
her family. I mean, I really, I feel like I
went through a counseling session. Like no, I feel like
I mean, I told my husband, I'm like, golly gee,
I I feel like I really there was like a lot.
(26:29):
I had to pull back some cobbos. I couldn't remember
certain things gone. It's very interesting because I forgot about
a lot of this stuff. So anyway, well I'm glad
now it's not raining. So Bridget, thank you, Thank you
so much. Since we last left Bridget, a lot has happened.
(26:51):
She was appointed chair of the Sarasota School Board. Her
first act was to call for the firing of the
school superintendent. She claimed there had been a community caction breakdown.
He denied it, but he resigned shortly after. In December
and just before the holidays, Bridget spoke at an education
conference hosted by Governor de Santis. It was by invitation
(27:12):
only big names in conservative education were in attendance, like
Betsy Devas, Trump's Secretary of Education, and so were the
moms of Liberty co founders. Bridget gave a talk on
parental rights. When we first started reporting this series a
profile of a polarizing school board member, we weren't sure
(27:35):
what we'd find when we peeled back the layers. Bridget
is a loving and caring mother, extremely hard working. She
is conviction in what she believes and that appears to
inspire many others. She always comes back to parents having
ultimate control and the government nowhere near the children. But
we also learned how Nico saw things, because he has
(27:58):
a clear vision too. I think they're fearful of change.
I think they don't like that things are not as
black and white as they thought they weren't. And I
think that they do not like the fact that there
is more than what is right in front of their eyes.
(28:19):
They don't like the fact that there is more than
fifth grade biology. Uh. They don't like that if you
are actually going to get into the root of things,
you have to look farther in and there is a
lot more in the genetics and psychology of queer and
trans people. And they do not like it. They do
(28:39):
not like change, and they are so fearful because they
don't want what their world view and what they have
set themselves on. They do not want that to change.
They do not want what they see as right. They
do not want that to be wrong. Nobody wants to
be wrong, but they are so set on being right
(29:00):
that it makes them hateful. This episode is the final
chapter of bed Rock us A Season one. It was reported,
produced and hosted by us Samantha story In Kathleen Cullion,
(29:22):
Original music and scoring by Zachary Walter and audio engineering
by Blake Maples. Bed Rock USA is edited by Jennifer Sondag,
head of Bloomberg City Lab, Additional editing help by Nicole
Flato and Victor Evaas. But Rock USA is a production
of Bloomberg City Lab and I Heart Radio. For more
podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app,
(29:44):
Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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