Last Tuesday was the latest hearing on my Policy JBAB lawsuit against the Gilford School Board. This is their implementation, via the NH School Board Association, of what was SB263 which made “gender identity” yet another Protected Class like religion, race, national origin (and the like) with respect to discrimination.
The NHSBA decided to surreptitiously add in the Social Justice twist by demanding coerced speech of “preferred pronouns” and the part of the Policy that mandated that Staff lie to Parents about the transgender status of their children while in school.
That’s not “anti-discrimination”, that’s anti-Free Speech as well as interfering with the raising of a child by those Parents – both actions are unconstitutional. Lying to Parents is a moral wrong codified by Policy.
So the usual folks gathered on this remote hearing where Laconia Superior District Judge O’Neill presided. For my side, I was there as well as my lawyer and the SB’s lawyer Garrow by video. The Gilford Chair, Gretchen Gandini and the Gilford Superintendent Kirk Beitler (who has returned from his leave of absence having been cleared of the charge of domestic violence and assault) literally phoned it in – no video.
But I noticed that someone I hadn’t heard of showed up:
Chris Erchull He / Él (GLAD)
Yep, with his “preferred pronouns and announcing that he was with GLAD. Now, along with the Human Rights Campaign, they are known as a legal group defending the LGBT crowd and he is a lawyer with GLAD:
Chris Erchull joined GLAD in 2019. He is actively engaged with policy work across New England, with a particular focus on advocating for transgender rights in New Hampshire, including the defeat of a New Hampshire bill that aimed to prevent transgender girls from playing sports in school. Chris also works with New England families and schools to ensure that LGBTQ students are afforded equal educational opportunities. His litigation includes Pangborn v. Ascend, a lawsuit on behalf of hospice care nurse who was denied healthcare by his employer because he is transgender. Recently, Chris co-authored an amicus brief in Commonwealth v. Carter to urge the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to rule that people are not excluded from jury service based on sexual orientation.
Chris has been honored as one of the “40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association. Chris graduated cum laude from New York University and magna cum laude from the Western New England University School of Law. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ariane D. Vuono of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and to the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Chris is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
As far as I know, he is NOT associated with the lawsuit. Certainly not on my side but I haven’t heard if he is assisting the School Board.
I thought it strange – my suit is about the Constitutionality (both US and NH) of the Policy. How can a Policy that demands coerced speech (of any type but here, preferred pronouns and names) be Constitutional?
And how can lying be a permitted action in separating Parents from their children (and it has been held that raising children is Constitutionally sound, as silly as that sounds)?
As I have written AND testified to the Gilford School Board, this isn’t about being Transgender. If you want to call yourself something that you aren’t biologically, be my guest. If your family and friends go along with this, more power to you. If others join in, mazel tov.
But don’t expect OR demand that everyone now have their Free Speech Right taken from them. Don’t you DARE decide that YOU, Gilford School Board and Staff, “take” my child from me either? That’s the basis of my lawsuit. It really has nothing to do with being Transgender (or not).
The Policy is merely the vehicle that is showing that the School Board: 1) is disregarding basic Civics, 2) hates the Constitution in their stampede down the SJW highway, 3) believe that Parents ARE Guilty and are acting as law enforcement, Judge, Jury, and Executioner in all this.
In short, totalitarian in believing they are above The Law.
So what’s the angle for GLAD in this? Are they anti-Free Speech? Are they anti-Parents? Or do they simply see the GSB as an unwitting vehicle for their own agenda?
Who knows?