🏳️‍🌈 Video of 4th-6th grade GAY Pride Parade IN SCHOOL

Lawrence Intermediate School celebrates sexuality with children

Throughout June, Lawrence Intermediate School's 4th to 6th grade students celebrated Gay Pride, beginning with school-wide rainbow decorations and daily pride-themed announcements. These activities led to a final assembly focused on LGBTQ+ topics and a Gay Pride parade.

To be clear, the school’s Gay Pride parade wasn’t the kind seen in major cities... there were no half-naked marchers, no men in leather harnesses or gimp masks simulating sex acts, and no sexually explicit signs or floats. However, the concern remains about the age-appropriateness of celebrating sexuality and blurring boundaries between educational and adult social messaging.

Participation in the parade was described as “voluntary,” but children in 4th to 6th grade are still developing socially and emotionally. At that age, peer influence is strong, such that opting out of a group activity can carry real social consequences. Even when something is technically optional, students may feel pressured to join in simply to avoid standing out or being excluded. Let's be realistic here. You can't assume that kids can genuinely make their own choices when peer pressure is subtly cranked on high. That parade was about as voluntary as Kramer showing up to an AIDS walk without an AIDS ribbon.

And the parents? They're likely clueless. New Jersey schools do not need to inform parents of LGBTQIA+ activities and lessons. They can stick a progressive pride flag in your 9-year-old child’s hand and have them march in the school Pride parade without even telling you, just like what occurred in this video:

The school was so “proud” that they even shared it publicly on their Facebook page. *** update: the school has taken down the video***

Click Below:

Opt-Out Required for LGBTQ lessons

New Jersey’s 2019 law (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.35) mandates LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in public schools, without allowing parents to opt out. Over time, LGBTQ+ themes have become so embedded in New Jersey schools that they’re nearly inseparable from the regular school day. But following last month’s Supreme Court decision, superintendents will now have to find a way to draw that line to protect religious freedom.

The Mahmoud v. Taylor Supreme Court decision (June 27, 2025) brings major changes for New Jersey public schools, as they are now required to notify parents whenever LGBTQ+-themed lessons or materials are presented and must allow parents to opt their children out if the content conflicts with their religious beliefs. This applies across all grade levels, from pre-K through 12, and includes curriculum elements such as storybooks, discussions on gender and sexuality, and even school announcements.

It may be easy to assume that non-instructional time (morning announcements, assemblies, themed dress-up days, or storytime, etc.) doesn’t count as “instruction” and therefore falls outside the scope of the recent Supreme Court ruling. However, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, the very issue was a book with LGBTQ+ themes that was read aloud to a class during school hours. The Court determined that even this type of informal activity can violate religious freedom if it imposes values that conflict with a family's sincerely held beliefs. This precedent opens the door for broader application of the ruling to other non-instructional content such as classroom décor, bulletin boards, and hallway displays featuring LGBTQ+ symbols or messages; morning announcements promoting Pride Month; affinity group sign-ups like GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance); and schoolwide spirit events like Pride Week or rainbow-themed days. These types of messages are woven into the school day and carry ideological messages that may not be technically labeled as “instruction” but it still can strongly influence students’ beliefs, values, and social norms in much the same way formal lessons do, especially when led or endorsed by trusted authority figures like teachers. According to the Supreme Court, if certain content places a substantial burden on a student’s religious upbringing, schools are required to notify parents in advance and offer an option to opt-out. This raises an important question: How will schools now handle Pride decorations, daily announcements, and other non-instructional activities that, while not part of formal lessons, clearly shape the values and environment students experience every day?

Additionally, when a public school hosts an event, seminar, or assembly, it becomes inherently part of the educational environment and by extension, the New Jersey curriculum. In public education, nearly everything students encounter is treated as part of their learning experience. Subjects like art, music, physical education, morning announcements, and even discussions about mental health and behavior often fall under the umbrella of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

Schools frequently emphasize educating the “whole child,” meaning that any content presented to students, whether spoken, displayed, or performed, is intended to have educational value. In this context, anything visible to students during the school day, including a Pride flag, can reasonably be considered a form of instruction, especially when it promotes a specific message or value.

Assemblies are considered part of the school's extra learning activities, which schools are required to offer. Speakers from outside the school often use these events to introduce lessons or beliefs that match the school’s curriculum or reflect certain ideologies, even if it’s presented as just enrichment or inspiration.

Given this new Supreme Court ruling, New Jersey schools will face growing pressure to provide parental notifications and opt-out options to avoid litigation tied to religious freedom. As a result, schools will likely need to revise their policies to ensure parents are properly informed and empowered to exercise their rights. This transition may come with challenges, especially since topics like gender identity and sexuality have become integrated into various subjects… even math.

Not just a Religious issue

Let's be clear: this isn't solely about religious objections. The real concern, for most rational people, is that any school-sanctioned event that spotlights gender identity or sexual orientation, regardless of whether it's LGBTQIA+ or heterosexual, is profoundly inappropriate for elementary and middle school students. These topics belong in the home, discussed exclusively with parents. Children at this critical developmental stage are still forming their identities and lack the maturity for such complex or emotionally charged adult subjects.

When adults, especially teachers, celebrate sexuality in schools, even with claims of promoting "inclusion," it dangerously blurs teacher-student boundaries. This normalizes the notion that it's acceptable for other adults to engage children in similar conversations, potentially creating avenues for inappropriate or predatory interactions.

The Power of Schools During Identity Formation

Middle schoolers are in a critical developmental stage marked by both identity exploration and a strong drive for social conformity. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, adolescents ages 12 to 18 are navigating the stage of "identity vs. role confusion," a period when influence from both peers and trusted adults is especially powerful. During this time, students are highly impressionable, often looking to those around them, especially teachers and classmates, for cues on how to think, behave, and belong.

That’s why this is not the time for schools to model pride in their own sexual or romantic identities, whether LGBTQIA+ or straight, as students may mimic or internalize those views not out of personal conviction, but simply to fit in or gain the approval of authority figures or peers. This dynamic is shaped by what's known as authority bias, the tendency to give more weight and trust to the views of influential figures, which can lead students to adopt beliefs without critical reflection, especially when they feel social pressure to conform.

Teachers hold a lot of structural and psychological power over students. They determine grades, manage classroom dynamics, enforce rules, and shape the learning environment. Beyond that, they are widely viewed by students as figures of authority and expertise, which gives their words and actions added weight. This influence extends well beyond academics; teachers help shape students’ values, self-perceptions, and worldview, often without realizing the full extent of their impact. Especially during formative years, when children and adolescents are still developing critical thinking and a sense of identity, the authority of a teacher can strongly guide what students believe is right, normal, or expected.

It’s not about LGBTQ+, It’s About Boundaries, Power, and Age-Appropriateness

Imagine if schools held a “Heterosexual Pride Day,” where teachers wore “Straight and Proud” shirts, waved flags, and led parades. Most people would find that unusual and inappropriate… not because heterosexuality is shameful, but because it would feel like adults were directing children toward a specific sexuality and gender identity in a setting meant for education. The discomfort comes from introducing adult sexual concepts into a children’s environment, not from the sexuality itself.

This whole discussion about "LGBTQIA+” being the problem is a smokescreen. The actual offense, the true transgression, is the persistent drive to engage children in celebrating any adult sexual or romantic identities. It's a fundamental failure to recognize what is genuinely age-appropriate and what constitutes true education, rather than indoctrination.