Parents of children who attended a private, Christian school say that they were “banned” from any school event where children were present after posting about their support for the LGBTQ community online.
In a TikTok posted on February 26, Jaymi Lynn (@familyandcoffee) and her partner, Josh, say that after they posted on social media saying that they were “very affirming of the LGBTQ community” and that they “don’t believe being gay is a sin,” they were banned from attending events at their children’s school. The school was not named, but from social media posts, the family appears to live in California.
“Parents complained [to the school] about our public social media posts affirming the LGBTQ community,” Lynn says in her TikTok, which by Tuesday had over 580,000 views. She also says that school administrators communicated that they considered her and Josh “an inherent harm to kids.”
As a result, Lynn and Josh say that they pulled their kids out of the school in question—and brought rainbow cupcakes to the school on their kids’ last day to “be petty.”
@familyandcoffee 🧁🌈✨ #privatechristianschool #lgbtqchristian #religioustrauma ♬ Holy Water – Noah Davis
Culture wars surrounding acknowledgment and support of the LGBTQ community in schools and curriculum erupted in 2022: Twelve states introduced bills similar to Florida’s controversial “Parental Rights in Education,” or “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Many of the bills prohibit teachers from mentioning gender identity and sexual orientation in class. Jaymi Lynn’s TikTok seems to prove that anti-LGBTQ regulations have spread from inside the classroom to wider school communities in some states.
Though Jaymi Lynn and Josh were not supported by their children’s school, they received encouraging comments from other TikTok users.
“As a pastor at a progressive church, I must say that you guys are absolute legends!” @pastorkatherine commented.
“This is true allyship not folding when it’s hard,” @kleilani1 wrote. “You guys are going to find an amazing school for your kids.”
Other parents even shared similar experiences.
“8 years ago we lost our school/church community over the same issue. At times we… still face grief but never forget. Stay strong,” @user3600211481039 wrote.
“We just pulled [our] kids 3 weeks ago due to same issue,” @thatswhatsup68 commented. “My kids are doing much better in public school (so far) much happier!”
We reached out to Lynn for a comment via Instagram and will update this story if she responds.
