A nationally-known Youtuber and conservative activist will join the a statewide hate group for a rally protesting LGBTQ-inclusive and medically-accurate sex education in Uptown Charlotte Monday evening.
The protest is part of a national “Sex Ed Sit Out” campaign begun by Youtuber Elizabeth Johnston, better known as the “Activist Mommy.” She’s encouraging parents to keep their kids out of school on Monday as a form of protest against the inclusive and science-based sex ed currently taught in schools.
Johnston, who rose to fame for her outlandish Youtube video series, including one in which she burned a copy of Teen Vogue and called it “absolutely satanic,” is being joined by the North Carolina Values Coalition, long known for their extremist positions on LGBTQ inclusion. The group was one of the leading opponents of LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances in Charlotte and a major voice in favor of HB2.
“This is a national movement to encourage schools to stop using taxpayer dollars to teach programs which are intended to encourage early sexualization of children, causing them to question their own gender and to normalize sexual behaviors that most parents don’t agree with,” said Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the N.C. Values Coalition, in the News & Observer.
Critics of the protest and sit out question the validity of the hate group’s message.
Elizabeth Finley, a spokeswoman for Sexual Health Initiatives for Teens NC (SHIFT NC), told the News & Observer that it is easy for parents to opt their kids out of sex ed classes.
“We’re always big proponents of parental engagement, but we think this is a really strange way to protest this topic,” Finley told the Raleigh newspaper. “They’re going to miss a whole day of classes, including reading and math, on a day when nobody knows if sex ed will be taught.”
The NC Values Coalition is also encouraging parents to write letters to their school principals detailing why they’ve kept their children home.