A Mom for “Liberty” Tries It
This morning, I received a notification about a comment left by a “Julia King” on my essay about how our local Yolo County Moms for Liberty Chair, Beth Bourne, faked a trans identity as so-called “undercover journalism” to somehow “reveal” that children (she is not a child) can “easily” access gender-affirming care such as hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery. (The process for her — again, as an adult — took several months.)
“Julia King” didn’t realize that I had already read a draft of her “comment.” How? Someone named Jamie Holiday had composed an eerily similar letter on Beth Bourne’s public Facebook page, on one of two posts Beth made yesterday attacking me. Here’s the post:
Here’s “Julia King’s” letter:
Dear Anoosh,
I am writing to express my serious concerns about your involvement in educating children in our school systems. While you may have a background in writing and advocacy, it is clear that you lack the necessary qualifications and training in mental health, pediatric care, or education to responsibly handle such sensitive topics with youth.
These are not areas where lived experience alone is enough to guide or teach others, especially vulnerable children.Your approach appears to lack the nuance and depth needed to engage with the complexities of these conversations. I am certain that you have seen the Cass review some out in the UK and read the important message from Jamie Reed a therapist who is left & queer who is telling us all the gender care is harming children, you frame this is a “Mom’s for Liberty issues.” Its not. Leftist and Democrats are concerned too. Perhaps you gave also heard of https://www.di-ag.org/ DIAG. Democrats for and Informed Approach to Gender.
Most troubling is your inability to hear the genuine concerns of parents like Beth and the parents of PITT who are advocating for the well-being of our own children, many many families have been harmed by gender ideology. Dismissing or ignoring these voices is not only irresponsible but also demonstrates a clear disregard for the needs and vulnerabilities of the very people you claim to support.If you are unwilling or unable to engage in meaningful, balanced conversations with parents, then you have no right to be working with our children.
Educators in these fields must be equipped with the proper training and an open, inclusive mindset — one that you have not shown. I cannot, in good conscience, support your role in guiding or educating our kids when you are not willing to hear or address legitimate concerns. I will be bringing this up to the schools you plan to contract with.
Sincerely, Julia
The letter Jamie Holiday had drafted the day before was framed as a sample letter that a parent in my school district might send to a principal or a trustee of the Board of Education to express “concerns” that I would be addressing kids who attend GSA clubs to inform them that they could join our local Queer Teen Group, which is a social group for LGBTQ+ and ally junior high- and high school students.
To be clear: I visit GSA clubs at schools to let them know about services our nonprofit offers the LGBTQ+ community and families. These are kids who already identify as LGBTQ+. (“GSA” used to stand for Gay-Straight Alliance, but often now stands for Gender and Sexualities Alliance, to more fully describe LGBTQ+ identity.)
If my goal were to “recruit,” then I would be the laziest recruiter ever.
Every person who works with our Queer Teen Group undergoes a background check and fingerprinting — which is already more vetting than members of Moms for “Liberty” undergo (which may explain why the organization seems to have so many lawbreakers, including one of the organization’s co-founders, this Jan. 6 insurrectionist, this woman found guilty of harassment, and this convicted sex offender).
We have two adults present at every meeting. We are also trained as mandatory reporters, like educators are, because unfortunately, we know that LGBTQ+ youth are often subjected to abuse.
So I found it just a little suspicious that someone named “Julia,” with a profile apparently created today with the handle “@jamiectim,” wrote the letter as if she were just “a concerned parent,” rather than the established follower of a Chair of a Moms for Liberty chapter.
Beth’s followers periodically search my name — a name it would be difficult to confuse with anyone else — and then either insult/vaguely threaten me, or pretend to be just an average person on the Internet with similar “concerns” grounded in disinformation and transphobic beliefs.
“Julia” seems to have deleted her comment since this morning.
My response to “Julia”:
Hello, “Julia.” I saw you compose this exact “letter” on the Facebook page of Beth Bourne. It’s incredibly disingenuous of you not to reveal that you found me because of your connection with Beth Bourne.
If Beth is so “concerned” with the well-being of children, why does she associate with and share information with far-right extremists? Why does she publish information about our school district publicly to her far-right following that leads to bomb threats against our library, our school, and our educators? Why does she encourage her followers to call beloved educators in our community — who are also friends and neighbors — “groomers,” “predators,” and “evil”? When one of her Facebook “friends” suggests that I be dealt with like Hitler dealt with people, why is she silent?
Do you have any idea of the trauma Beth has inflicted on her own child because of her “irresponsible” behavior, “disregarding” her own child’s “needs and vulnerabilities”?
Take your fake “concern” feebly masking your genuine transphobia elsewhere.
You’re welcome to express your “concerns” to my local school district — the district that has had to bar Beth from our campuses twice now after threatening behavior to our teachers and our students. Beth — since I wrote the piece on her “undercover journalism” — was cuffed and led away by police in Hawai’i after harassing guests at a hotel because they were dressed in drag, minding their own business, until Beth started screaming at them and filming them without their permission on private property. The hotel had to call law enforcement because she refused to leave the other guests alone and leave the premises, as the manger requested.
Beth is endangering the safety of the public and children.
But sure, write the school district. They won’t care because YOU DON’T LIVE HERE.
The LGBTQ+ community is not going back in closets because some “sex panic” right-wing parents are replaying Anita Bryant’s homophobia as if none of us managed to survive the 1980s and don’t remember that people like you tried this already and FAILED. And you are failing again — you just don’t realize it yet.
This is so embarrassing and humiliating for you.
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