Ilana Kowarski

FLORIDA TODAY

Big crowds came out for a Tuesday evening meeting about a proposed non-discrimination and equal employment policy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Brevard Public Schools.

After more than 90 LGBT policy opponents spoke to the school board, the board voted to unanimously kill the proposed policy, and said it would hold a public workshop on LGBT issues down the road.

Nearly 100 people signed up to speak at the meeting, and most of those who spoke were in opposition to the LGBT policy.

Friar Demetri Tsigas of Melbourne, a Greek Orthodox priest, said that the opposition of people of faith like himself was something school board members should heed. "You can see the spirit of the town here," Tsigas said. "This is not San Francisco, folks. This is Brevard County."

The policy opponents cheered each other on, whistled, clapped, and said "Amen" during the speeches of like-minded people. Some carried Bibles and signs.

Policy opponents said they feared the LGBT policy would mean that those who voice religious objections to gay marriage in local schools would be branded as bigots and disciplined for discrimination. Some opponents said they wanted to preach scripture in schools, and many said they were concerned about transgender individuals using public school bathrooms. They argued that the LGBT policy threatened morality.

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During the speeches of LGBT policy advocates, some people booed.

They booed during the speech of Daniel Wall-DeSousa, a Heritage High teacher, who was the first speaker. He has been advocating for an LGBT non-discrimination policy for many months.

"Some will argue that the update of the non-discrimination notice gives the LGBT community some advantage or special right or privilege," he said. "The proposed changes to the non-discrimination policies do not give the LGBT community any special rights. On its face, the term 'special rights' does not make sense. If something is a right, by definition it is not 'special.' It belongs to everybody."

The discussion got heated at times. Robert Taylor of Malabar said, "Do we want delusional people of the opposite sex in our restrooms? No!" Many in the audience cheered.

During his testimony in support of the LGBT non-discrimination policy, Scott Wall-DeSousa of Palm Bay said that discrimination against him as a child in Brevard Public Schools prompted him to attempt suicide, and that his story was an example of why the non-discrimination policy was needed, and why LGBT youths needed to be protected.

"More than anything, their lives matter, and my life mattered, and the children that come after me matter," he said.

Bradford Cole of Cape Canaveral said that he was repulsed by the influence of "secular" people in schools, and he argued that the school board ought to base its policy on biblical principles.

“The majority is speaking tonight," he said. "We are speaking tonight. We are saying we want God’s word in our public schools. We are the majority. We want godly principles in our public schools. We want Jesus Christ back in our schools.”

Terry Rocks, co-founder of The Brevard Youth Network, a local youth ministry, said that human anatomy is a sign of God's intent regarding sexual orientation, and he argued that the LGBT policy would promote ungodly behavior.

Rocks said, "There is a spiritual force here, and it is evil."

Jason Schack, a parent from Melbourne, said that the LGBT policy would persuade many parents like him to remove their children from Brevard Public Schools.

"I just hope your school board is prepared for the mass exodus," Schack said.

The Liberty Counsel, a national litigation and advocacy organization that represents the interests of American evangelical Christians and cultural conservatives, sent a letter to the Brevard School Board prior to this hearing, stating its strong opposition to the LGBT policies and its willingness to legally challenge the policies if they are imposed. That public letter was cited multiple times during the course of the school board hearing.

In its letter, the Liberty Counsel stated, "The District should refuse to add 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' to District nondiscrimination policies. In rejecting these particular categories, the District should maintain the common-sense position that objective biological sex - male and female is (and should remain) the determining factor for access to gender-appropriate public school facilities and programs, not subjective mental 'identity' or beliefs that one is the opposite sex, or subjective sexual attractions."

In the conclusion of its letter, the Counsel added, "If the District enacts these misguided changes, and instead violates the First Amendment rights of other students and teachers, Liberty Counsel stands prepared to advocate on their behalf against the District."

See the letter below:

In an interview with FLORIDA TODAY, Roger Gannam, the senior litigation counsel for the Liberty Counsel, said, "These are bad policies that chill free speech and threaten religious liberties, and the Liberty Counsel stands ready to defend Brevard County schools if they should resist, and we stand ready to challenge the county if it should enact these policies."

Scott Wall-DeSousa of Palm Bay, a longtime advocate of the LGBT non-discrimination policy, said prior to the hearing that he anticipated it would get "ugly."

"I believe that everyone has a right to be heard," he said. "Unfortunately, what's happening tonight is going to show why this policy is needed. It could turn out to be very, very ugly... It's going to get nasty and that's a shame because a school board meeting is not a place to get nasty. We're supposed to be the adults."

He said that the gay community is not asking for anything unreasonable, that all they want is to be treated equally.

Contact Kowarski at 321-242-3640 or ikowarski@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @IlanaKowarski.

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