Earlier this month, the popular anti-LGBTQ Libs of TikTok social media account put out a call to its members asking them to email the Cherry Creek superintendent, school board, and district leadership team about the district providing what they called pornographic books to children.
Soon after, the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN), which began as the Cherry Creek Parent Advocacy Network (CCPAN) before taking its mission statewide, shared the call to action on its social media accounts, endorsing the Libs of TikTok stance. The Anti-Defamation League labels the Libs of TikTok account an “anti-LGBTQ+ extremist online amplifier.”
As a result, district superintendent Christopher Smith said Cherry Creek schools received “hundreds of emails, calls, and social media comments – the majority of which came from out-of-state – making false claims about books in our libraries and actions of our teachers, staff, and district administration. This misinformation campaign led to an anonymous email making a threat against three of our elementary schools and two administration buildings.”
While the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deemed the threats non-credible, the district and law enforcement devoted extensive time and resources to investigating the attack and are working to determine the source of the threat and monitor ongoing communications directed at district personnel.
District public information officer Lauren Snell said the district hadn’t received any formal book challenges and that the books in question aren’t offered in Cherry Creek elementary schools.
“Many of the books targeted by people making these threats are books that address the LGBTQ+ experience, bullying, and homophobia. We believe all students should be able to see themselves represented in the educational resources we provide,” said Smith.
“I will not tolerate threats made to our community or abusive language or insults directed toward our teachers and staff members who genuinely care about our students and work tirelessly every day to inspire them to learn and grow. I will not tolerate harassment or attacks against our LGBTQ+ community. The attacks from last week were driven by hate and have no place in our schools.”
Libs of TikTok is targeting the same books that a handful of Douglas County residents tried and failed to get banned from the county’s libraries, including “Gender Queer” and “This Book is Gay.”
CPAN linked to anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
CPAN responded to Smith’s email to Cherry Creek students, saying, “No one should be threatened or harassed, including teachers, administrators, school officials, families, and organizations working to ensure that children of Colorado receive a quality education.”
Yet, CPAN partnered with Jimmy Graham, owner of Able Shepherd, a nonprofit that provides mass shooter training to churches and schools, during a school safety summit earlier this month after emails surfaced proving Graham’s group organized a protest at the Douglas County PrideFest.
The protest disrupted a family-family drag show while wearing wearing matching shirts that read “stand to protect children” on the front and “Jesus loves you (and so do I)” on the back.
School board candidates refuse to denounce CPAN endorsement
At a school board candidate forum after CPAN’s post asking Smith and the board of education why they allow children to read porn, Steve Mckenna and Scott Graves refused to denounce endorsements and return campaign contributions they’d received from CPAN’s small donor committee, Coloradans for Change.
Mckenna authored a book, “Fair Winds, Following Seas, and a Few Bolters: My Navy Years,” in which he admits to sexual assault, homophobic comments, and getting a DUI. In its endorsement of McKenna, CPAN commented, “Embarrassed and remorseful, Steve McKenna was transparent when he shared his personal testimony of a mistake he made over 30 years ago in his book. It is imperative that we, like Steve, are transparent and learn from our mistakes and foster a growth mindset.”
