On Thursday, anti-trans bigotry went to Pawtucket to die

"My child deserves ... safety every day in that school, to go in and learn, because guess what? That's what he's there for - not to have anybody wonder what's under his clothes."

Robert Chiaradio is on a mission. He is traveling Rhode Island, visiting every school committee in every city and town, spreading a message of intolerance for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)’s Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Transitioning Student policy. On Thursday night, at the Pawtucket School Committee, Chiaradio gave his usual spiel, (which I’m presenting as a footnote here¹) but he was not ready for the condemnation several Pawtucket residents brought in response to his comments, or the comments of School Committee member Jennifer Carney, who is the mother of a transgender child and a fierce defender of her child’s rights.

After Chiaradio finished, School Committee member Carney raised her hand.

Jennifer Carney: Point of privilege. Sir, thank you for your thoughts.

Robert Chiaradio: You're welcome.

Jennifer Carney: I'm the mother of a transgender child who attends these schools. My child - who I hate to have to put on blast right now and expose him - since the moment that he could speak, walk, talk, make relationships, and find out who God put him on this earth to be, has worked every day in the face of adults who have shamed him and given hate towards him for figuring out who he is and what his.

Robert Chiaradio: Where's the hate in my speech?

Jennifer Carney: You had a chance to speak, and I did not interrupt. I have a point of privilege. You say, "God bless America." God bless my child.

Chair Gerard Charbonneau banged the gavel to silence Chiaradio, but Chiaradio would not be silent.

Robert Chiaradio: I agree.

Jennifer Carney: My child deserves the same safety - every day in that school, to go in and learn because guess what? That's what he's there for - not to have anybody wonder what's under his clothes. So, sir, you stand corrected. ... Every child in this city, in this country, and in this world, has a right to an education and to be safe when they walk in that building.

Robert Chiaradio: And what did I say?

Jennifer Carney: I appreciate the fact that you would like to sue against the civil rights of my child because I'll take that on personally. Let's talk about the law because I worked as a Director of Strategic Planning for two years at the Department of Education. I wrote Policy. Please sir, please come and take my civil rights, my child's civil rights, and every family's civil rights away.

Robert Chiaradio: What did I say?

Jennifer Carney: I'll tell you now. I will not tolerate hate speech at this committee.

Robert Chiaradio: Why do you say hate speech? Because it disagrees with what you say?

Chair Charbonneau: Mr. Chiaradio, you had your point in public comment. Ms. Carney's had her rebuttal. We're moving on...

Before Chiaradio spoke, Pawtucket resident Jax Adele Ventura addressed the school committee:

I'm here because I heard that there were anti-LGBTQ plus groups potentially speaking today, so I'd like to combat that with some pro-LGBTQ speaking. I'm a proud Pawtucket homeowner, a former secretary of the Mayor's community board, a voter, a dedicated city volunteer, and a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Over the past three years, I've had the honor of growing Pawtucket's annual pride flag raising, amplifying the representation of and voices of LGBTQ+ people in our community. I also serve as the advisor for the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Davies Career and Technical High School in Lincoln where half of the students come from the Pawtucket School Districts. But today I speak to you on something even more personal.

I'm a non-binary Pawtucket resident using the pronouns Jax or they/them. I stand before you today to urge the Pawtucket School Committee to uphold the [Rhode Island Department of Education] RIDE policy supporting transgender and gender-diverse students. The voices seeking to strip away these protections are not just misguided, they are dangerous. Our students deserve the right to explore their identities in an environment free from hate, intolerance, and isolation.

Growing up, I always knew I was different. Assigned female at birth, I could have been labeled a tomboy, but I lacked the language to describe my true self. At that time, my parents never understood or accepted me yet their lack of understanding did not diminish who I was. It wasn't until June 2015, inspired by other gender-diverse public figures that I found the words gender fluid or gender neutral to describe myself publicly. In August of 2020, I made my transition, officially receiving my 'X' gender marker on my state ID.

It was a moment of profound validation and relief, marking a significant step towards embracing my true identity in adulthood. Our students are at a critical point in their lives exploring who they are and seeking acceptance. Schools should be a sanctuary where they can safely navigate these waters. I'm deeply grateful for my own GSA advisor in high school, Mrs. Napier, who accepted and celebrated me. Now, I strive to offer the same unwavering support to our students at Davies - and the students at Pawtucket because I'm a resident here - allowing them to explore their names, pronouns, and labels without judgment. I celebrate their courage and self-discovery.

I implore you to not let Pawtucket regress into a place of hate and intolerance. Stand firm in supporting policies that protect and uplift transgender and gender-diverse students. In doing so, we affirm the core values of equality, justice, and inclusivity in our community. Let the Pledge of Allegiance, which starts every student's day and every meeting here, be a true reflection of our commitment to liberty and justice for all. As a member of the Pawtucket School Committee, you have the power and responsibility to ensure that every student feels safe, valued, and protected. Be the champions of their liberty and ensure that our schools are places of acceptance and support for every child. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Also speaking was Pawtucket science teacher Justin Cardinale:

I'm a science teacher at Tolman High School where I have taught for 14 years and while I'm certainly enjoying my summer right now, I'm very excited for my 15th year at Tollman. I'm here to speak in support of our trans students and RIDE's transgender policy. I have had the honor of knowing and teaching many trans kids here in Pawtucket, students who transitioned socially in middle school, during their time at Tolman, or later on in their lives. I have talked to kids who have felt the anguish of unapologetic use of their dead names, of repeated misgendering, of living and hiding in the darkness for fear of rejection from their peers and more often fear of rejection from their own families. For some of these students, one or two trusted adults may be all that's standing between them and disaster.

I realized I was gay when I was 13 years old and it was the most terrifying revelation of my life. Moreover, it was around the 2004 election when gay rights became a wedge issue and a national conversation. I listened to America debate whether or not I was confused or sick or evil - when all I wanted was to be me and to be left alone. I can't begin to describe the kind of psychological and emotional toll that takes on your mind. And it is exactly like how today transgender youth have been put up on the political chopping block by people who don't care about them or understand them and do not want to.

The people who are here to speak against our trans students will tell you this is about [their] concerns, not hate, but make no mistake. This is about pure unadulterated hatred and vitriol. These are the same kinds of people who targeted gay people in the very recent past and they are here for their next victims. I spent all of high school teetering on the verge of suicide, not because of who I was, but because of the way I was treated by other people. And by the way, I was treated [that way] at home by my parents. At school, though, I had trusted adults. My biology teacher, Mrs. Wong, listened to me, supported me, and validated my humanity. I'm not sure that I'd be alive today without the guidance of that wonderful educator and other caring adults like her. And yes, I told her many things my parents didn't know about me,

As long as I was not in danger of harming myself, she kept those things in confidence. Most parents are wonderful people, but we know that some kids aren't safe being their authentic selves at home with their families. Those kids are their own human beings, not their parents' personal property. It is healthy and necessary for kids to have their own lives. The RIDE transgender policy provides many kids an opportunity to live with their true selves and to be treated with respect even if just for a few hours a day. The RIDE policy was carefully crafted with input from the LGBTQ community. The RIDE policy is based on evidence, best practices, and harm reduction. The RIDE policy is focused on treating children with dignity. The bigots here tonight want teachers to mistreat and misgender our students. The bigots here tonight want trans kids to feel uncomfortable, unprotected, and unsafe wherever they are. The bigots here tonight want to outlaw the kind of compassion that stopped me from killing myself.

Let me be very clear. Robert here wants trans kids to disappear from public life, live in misery, or kill themselves. That is what he wants most in this world, and that's why he's touring the state school committees all summer long. He's disturbingly obsessed with our most vulnerable kids. He will deny it up and down, but he is a liar. Do not give a home in Pawtucket to his hate. I urge this school department to stand firm and continue to support RIDE's, transgender policy and support and protect our trans kids here in Pawtucket.

The last person to speak was Sean Hagberg:

I'm here in support of the RIDE policy. I have two professional opinions. I'm a cultural anthropologist. My interest is in power and power relations, and I respect everything that was said by all the supporters here and don't want to diminish any of that. The malevolent forces that we see being played out in this room have been around virtually forever, and one of the mistakes we made is that we often put that inside people, but culture doesn't exist inside people. Culture is between people and this malevolence will recede, but will come back - and once we can identify that it's in the interstitial spaces - the places between us - we can start to scrub it out.

My second dayjob is I'm a neuroscientist and I study empathy, the neurobiology of empathy, the system you have in your body that allows your brain to light up when you see somebody else. Your brain will light up if you see somebody[experience] joy or pain, just like their brain does when we do scans of it.

So what I ask you to do is come from [a place of] empathy. Understand where the vulnerable person is and have empathy for them.

You can watch the testimony here:

1. Robert Chiaradio: I am here this evening as part of my statewide mission to speak at every school committee meeting in Rhode Island and inform you, everyone here, and everyone watching at home that no district is obligated to comply with RIDE's misleading and untruthful transgender guidance policy or the illegal hijacking of Title IX.

I'll explain, but I'll ask you questions first. I know you can't answer. How would you feel if your daughter were in a girl's bathroom or a locker room thinking she was in a girl's only space when all of a sudden a boy identifying as a girl entered? Are you good with her feeling uncomfortable and unsafe with her privacy violated? How about if she were an athlete in track, swimming, or field hockey, and a boy who identifies as a girl takes her spot on the team or injures her or defeats her? Or if she were paired up with a biological boy on an overnight field trip sponsored by the school? Or if your teachers are made to go against everything they believe in and are forced to call a boy a girl and a girl a boy? And finally, [what] if your school keeps life-altering secrets from you, a parent, regarding your child? You must be okay with it because every single one of these things is allowed under your current policy, which RIDE calls law. Angélica Infante-Green is lying to you and you are lying to Pawtucket's families.

There is no legal obligation to comply with this [policy], but you do anyway. Pawtucket's families know what's best for Pawtucket's kids, not RIDE and not even this committee. You owe Pawtucket parents the truth. This district's Title IX policy reflects that of the Biden Administration's hijacked rewrites scheduled to begin on August 1st, which as many of you may know, a court order - a temporary injunction - has now been issued and that will not start on August 1st. Title IX was written to protect women from discrimination based on sex, not men who identify as women. That is not the same thing.

I hope Pawtucket's parents will not accept this. I certainly do not, and I promise to fight it with everything I have for as long as it takes. This committee cannot adopt this unlawful and unsafe rewrite of this law. But of course, if it does, it will be sued by your own families and you will lose. The Westerly School Committee's new policy, when completed, will right the wrongs I mentioned earlier. Your policy must do the same. Proponents of these policies lose their argument at the jump as no matter how much a boy wants to be a girl, thinks he's a girl or acts like a girl, he will never be a girl. Never. Same for girls identifying as boys. This is not an indictment of these kids. It is a fact.

There are solutions to these issues. There are solutions where all kids, whether they're confused with their sexual identity or not, are given and provided the safety and privacy all of these kids need and deserve. Follow Westerly's lead. Ditch your current policy. You owe it to Pawtucket families to tell them the truth, and I promise you, you'll be held accountable. Lastly, I would say God bless the people of Pawtucket, the children and the families of Pawtucket, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.