The California Healthy Youth Act went into effect last year and made it mandatory for public junior high or middle schools to teach students “comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased” sex education. That included lessons on the “effectiveness and safety” of birth control, the fact that abortion was a legal option for those who wanted it, and that there are non-traditional sexual orientations.

Naturally, even in California, that didn’t sit well with everybody. But Fresno Unified school board President Brooke Ashjian, whose own kids opt out of sex education, went much further than mere disagreement with the new policy a few days ago:

“My biggest fear in teaching this — which we’re going to do it because it’s the law — but you have kids who are extremely moldable at this stage, and if you start telling them that LGBT is OK and that it’s a way of life, well maybe you just swayed the kid to go that way,” Ashjian said. “It’s so important for parents to teach these Judeo-Christian philosophies.”

This idiot literally believes that telling kids gay people exist is enough to turn them gay.

And you know people like him never stop talking.

“There’s certainly a lot of psychological effects that come from abortion that people need to be aware of,” Ashjian said. “Your life is a lot easier by not doing it. Look at these poor girls who get raped and have to have an abortion. If that’s the way they’ve got to go, God bless them. But think of all the repercussions that come later in life, mental and psychological.”

This idiot literally believes that girls who get raped will be more traumatized by an abortion than everything that led up to that point.

When people began criticizing him on Twitter, he just pulled the Donald Trump card and acted like he was the target of a witch hunt.

Definition of insanity: Believe EVERYTHING in the Newspaper and NOTHING in the BIBLE!#crazy — Brooke Ashjian (@BrookeAshjian) August 5, 2017

Right… as if his bigoted remarks are somehow out of context.

Yesterday, interim superintendent Bob Nelson released a statement condemning Ashjian’s comments. Kind of.

“Fresno Unified firmly believes that students and staff perform best in an environment where tolerance, diversity and inclusiveness are practiced and valued,” Nelson said in the news release. “Fresno Unified will continue to provide our students age appropriate sex education in accordance with the Healthy Youth Act and our board policies while honoring parental waivers.”

I realize that Ashjian is technically Nelson’s boss, but what an awful way to respond to misinformation and bigotry. It shouldn’t have been hard to come up with a response that celebrated the school’s commitment to comprehensive sex education without throwing Ashjian under the bus, but instead, they released a statement that said next to nothing in far too many words.

The good news is that Ashjian seems to be one of the few voices of dissent against this common sense education, even if he is the school board president. And no matter what he thinks, this material is going to be taught anyway. That’s the power of this law.

(Image via Facebook. Thanks to Marty for the link)

