There’s a troubling trend among candidates running for school boards all over New Jersey, and voters who stand on the side of equality need to be aware of who, and what, is on their ballot this November.

“What we’re seeing is a very small but very loud group of individuals who are running for seats on Boards of Education all over New Jersey in a campaign coordinated by, and funded by an extremist and Evangelical agenda, with the singular goal of pushing animosity aimed at LGBTQ+ students and the LGBTQ+ community in general,” says NJ LGBTQ Democrats Chairwoman Lauren Albrecht. “These candidates, and their backers, have one goal: to fill school boards with fringe extremists whose sole aim is to destroy the progress that’s been made for the LGBTQ community in our state.

These candidates (and their well-funded campaigns) intentionally misrepresent the content, intent, and impact of the Inclusive Curriculum law. They seem to have no other reason for running than to ensure that LGBTQ+ children, who seriously consider suicide 4 times more often than their straight and cisgender counterparts, become campaign fodder. They post hateful screeds on social media levelling broad and baseless accusations about the LGBTQ+ community. They parrot their disinformation directly marching orders from TV hosts and extremist pundits, sometimes word for word. They are loud, and in some cases, they are well-funded.

And these extremists’ collective goal is simple – the further marginalization of LGBTQ+ kids in our schools. These candidates no more belong on Boards of Education than religion belongs in our public schools.

It’s time for our community and allies to identify and expose these extremist candidates (and their backers) who are exploiting this fraught moment for their own brazen political gain with little regard for the support, safety, and academic achievement of New Jersey public school students. It’s time to send a clear message at the polls that again, hate has no home in New Jersey.”