Anti-LGBTQ+ extremists, including several alleged members of the white nationalist Proud Boys organization, attacked counterprotesters outside a California school board meeting Tuesday as the board decided whether to recognize June as Pride Month.
As NBC Los Angeles reported, protestors who opposed the resolution, along with any sort of LGBTQ+ inclusion in school curricula, have gathered at Glendale Unified School District board meetings for several weeks. But their clashes with pro-LGBTQ+ demonstrators turned violent on Tuesday evening, as video captured by photojournalist Brennan Murphy showed several fights break out in the crowd, some appearing to be instigated by individuals wearing the recognizable black-and-white “Leave Our Kids Alone” T-shirts.
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Police later barricaded the groups apart, telling the Washington Post that at least three arrests were made for “unlawful use of pepper spray and willfully obstructing officers” during the fighting. The official police statement declared that officers would “look to identify the agitators from both sides.”
The conservative protests had seemingly little effect on the Glendale school board, which voted unanimously in favor of recognizing Pride Month during Tuesday’s meeting.
In the run-up to June, white nationalist groups including the Proud Boys and Patriot Front have planned to escalate anti-LGBTQ+ violence across the U.S., according to several watchdog groups. Last week, the community organizing group Western States Center released a “Protecting Pride Organizing Guide” in collaboration with the North Idaho Pride Alliance, inspired by a near-miss last year after 31 Patriot Front members were arrested outside Coeur D’Alene Pride.
“This is what we mean when we say we're in a state of emergency,” said Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson in a statement on social media, calling Tuesday’s anti-LGBTQ+ violence “unacceptable.”
“Everyone deserves to feel safe,” Robinson wrote. “We stand with the Glendale Unified School District in recognizing June as #PrideMonth and promoting inclusivity.”
Correction: This article has been updated to indicate that 31 Patriot Front members were arrested outside Coeur D’Alene Pride, not 31 Proud Boys members.
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