A local pastor is currently being targeted after speaking out against transgender policies at a Leesburg school. The pastor also tried to defend Tanner Cross, the Christian teacher who was put on administrative leave after publicly declaring he could not support the new policies.
How did it all happen?
Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel made it clear that he was opposed to the school board’s actions last Sunday. He called the implementation of the “gender-expansive” rules a type of emotional abuse and a perpetuation of lies, the Daily Wire reported.
The pastor also defended district elementary teacher, Tanner Cross, from the pulpit. The teacher was recently suspended after declaring he would not “lie” to his students and tell them that “a boy can be a girl and vice versa”, as the new policies required.
The policies ask all Loudoun County Public Schools faculty and staff to use students’ preferred pronouns and allow transgender students to engage in activities based on their gender identity.
“The school board — some of them, not all — some of them are not doing their duty to protect, let alone educate our children. And they are already talking about introducing racially divisive curriculum, they are emotionally abusing our children by perpetuating the lie about gender confusion when they affirm pronouns that are contrary to biology, reality, and the beautiful design of God. So, they need to be held accountable and it's time to step up,” the pastor said.
How did the school district react?
The Loudoun County Democratic Committee stated that Hamrick’s comments are “inflammatory and insidious.”
“We are deeply concerned about the consequences of such rhetoric, having witnessed a recent rise in threats to the safety of the Loudoun School Board members. Furthermore, this irresponsible accusation of child abuse minimizes and tarnishes the people and organizations that seek to protect our children. We call on Pastor Gary Hamrick to recant his allegations due to the libelous and inflammatory nature of the remarks. Unfounded statements such as these not only hurt our community that he is meant to serve but have dangerous ramifications,” the statement continued.
In response to the demands the pastor said for CBN News that he was just “telling the truth” and will not back off.
“We're doing a disservice to our children when we lie to them about what gender they are. It defies biology, reality, and the design of God. If the school board would just stick with the basic elements of reading and writing, I wouldn't have to speak up,” the Leesburg pastor concluded.