Approximately 200 individuals participated in a march through downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to show their support for parental rights and notification policies in schools. However, a separate group gathered in the vicinity to rally in support of LGBTQ+ youth, resulting in an unlawful assembly declaration and the arrests of at least two individuals.
The parental-rights march, organized under the Instagram handle “Leave Our Kids Alone,” aimed to protect parental rights and oppose the “indoctrination,” “sexualization,” or “grooming” of children in schools. This group supports policies implemented by certain school districts in the Inland Empire region, which require schools to inform parents if their children identify as transgender or express a gender different from the one recorded on their birth certificate.
The Leave Our Kids Alone group gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall and proceeded to march towards the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters at Third Street and Beaudry Avenue. Some participants even sat in the intersection as a form of protest.
Simultaneously, members of a smaller counter-protest, some of whom waved Pride flags, gathered nearby, prompting law enforcement officers to establish skirmish lines to maintain separation between the two groups. According to reports, police attempted to push the counter-protesters back, but two individuals resisted and were subsequently arrested.
An officer present at the scene informed KTLA5 that some individuals in the crowd physically confronted officers, and objects were thrown at the police, leading to the arrests.
Due to the ongoing situation, the police declared it an unlawful assembly. Nevertheless, both groups remained in the area, with the Leave Our Kids Alone participants on Third Street and the counter-protesters on Beaudry Avenue. Eventually, the police managed to move the smaller counter-protest group away from the intersection on Beaudry.
Shortly after 2 p.m., law enforcement stated that the Leave Our Kids Alone group had started dispersing and returning to the downtown area where the assembly originally began. The other group was also gradually dissipating.
Detractors of parental-notification policies argue that such requirements may jeopardize the safety of LGBTQ+ students if their families do not accept their gender identity.
The organizers of the counter-rally, including Ground Game LA and Queer Nation Los Angeles, accused the parental-rights group of attempting to spread hate at Los Angeles City Hall and promoting a fear-driven “hate-filled, fascist agenda.”
Within the Leave Our Kids Alone group, participants waved American flags, held signs with slogans like “Parental Rights Matter” and “Parental rights are non-negotiable,” and many donned shirts proclaiming “Leave our kids alone.” One individual carried a sign demanding to “Teach the Bible, not porn.”
State Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced an investigation into whether the Chino Valley Unified School District violated students’ civil rights by implementing a parental-notification law earlier this year. He also condemned a similar decision made by the Murrieta Valley School Board in Riverside County, referring to the requirement as “a forced outing policy.”
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