Glendale School Pride Meeting Chaos as Mass Brawl Breaks Out, Video Shows

Police made "at least three" arrests on Tuesday after pro and anti-LGBTQ+ protesters clashed outside a meeting of the Glendale Unified School District board in southern California, with footage posted on social media showing officers moving in to break up street brawls between the two sides.

The unrest took place as school board members unanimously backed a proposal calling for June to be recognized as Pride Month, with police issuing a dispersal order shortly after 6 p.m.

It comes amid an increasingly toxic debate over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, with a number of prominent brands being targeted by a conservative boycott campaign over their sale of Pride-themed products. Right-wing activists organized a boycott of Target, over its sale of LGBTQ+ branded merchandise aimed at children, which followed a campaign against Bud Light over its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Glendale Unified School District insisted the demonstrations will not alter what it taught in their schools.

They said: "The protests have not changed our curriculum. We continue to follow all laws, curriculum, and policies established by the California Department of Education. Our board unanimously approved their LGBTQ+ Pride Month resolution on Tuesday."

The district also provided a statement, which said: "In Glendale Unified, we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive environment where every child can learn and thrive. We follow all laws and policies established by the California legislature and Department of Education.

"We know that kids do better when their parents are involved in their education. We work with parents as partners and encourage all parents and other caregivers to be inquisitive and engaged with what is going on in our school community. Let's continue to work together, commit to having difficult conversations, ask questions, and maintain a civil discourse for the benefit of all students."

Protesters gathered outside the Glendale Unified School District building throughout the day, with some of those hostile to LGBTQ+ education waving American flags and wearing "Leave Our Kids Alone" T-shirts, while counter-demonstrators unfurled Pride flags.

The Glendale Police Department said in a statement that "several hundred" demonstrators were involved, with both sides having rallied their supporters using social media.

Video posted on Twitter by Sergio Olmos, a local freelance journalist, showed a group of people exchanging blows in an all-out brawl, with one man being repeatedly kicked after falling to the floor. Police are seen moving in with batons drawn to separate the two sides.

The police department said: "While most of the protest was peaceful, a small group of individuals engaged in behavior deemed unsafe and a risk to public safety.

"Despite police attempts to de-escalate the situation, at least three individuals were arrested for various charges, including unlawful use of pepper spray and willfully obstructing officers in the course of their duties. After the initial arrests, additional attempts to de-escalate the crowd failed."

In response police issued a dispersal order with additional officers brought in to help restore order. A yellow perimeter barrier was erected around the entrance to the Glendale Unified School District building.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a livestream of the meeting "went dark for a few minutes" as police struggled to contain the unrest outside, before officers said new speakers would not be allowed to enter the building.

Conservative activist Greg Price tweeted what he claimed was video from a speech made during the school board meeting, in which a woman claiming to be a teacher in the district said: "I deal with a lot of the trauma of LGBT youth related to the hetero-normative, Judeo-Christian, patriarchal, imperialist, capitalist system that oppresses them."

She added: "95% of kids will know they're trans when they are 3, 4, or 5 years old."

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, whose district includes Glendale, condemned the anti-LGBTQ+ education protest in a statement posted on Twitter.

He said: "These continued acts of violence and hate towards our LGBTQ community—especially towards students, parents, and teachers—are horrific.

"All of our children deserve to both feel safe and be safe regardless of who they love or how they identify."

Conservative group GUSD Parents Voices, which backed Tuesday's protest, said it was dedicated to opposing "indoctrination in our schools."

In Reading, Pennsylvania, a man was arrested on Tuesday morning for repeatedly shouting Bible verses at a Pride event, despite repeated warnings from the police to stop.

Update 6/9/23, 2:55 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from the Glendale Unified School District.