Conservatives accuse Tom Edwards of putting the well-being of "a small minority" ahead of everyone else because he's working for a local Pri
Alex Bollinger at LGBTQ Nation:
Republicans are demanding that a gay school board member resign because of his new position with a local Pride organization. The GOP is saying that he has “overt conflicts of interest” because of his work for the LGBTQ+ community, which they call “a small minority.” Tom Edwards is serving his second term on the Sarasota County School Board, the same school board that anti-LGBTQ+ Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler is on. In 2024, Zeigler and her husband’s three-ways with women were publicly revealed as part of an investigation into accusations of sexual assault made against Zeigler’s husband by one of the women the couple had sex with. Her husband denied the allegations and did not face any criminal charges because law enforcement believed that there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute.
But the Republican Party of Sarasota (RPOS) is now focused on Edwards, who was highly critical of Ziegler, saying that his position as executive director of Project Pride SRQ means he can’t be a school board member anymore. “Tom Edwards will have overt conflicts of interest,” RPOS said in a statement according to Florida Politics, adding that Project Pride SRQ supports a “radical ideology rejected by the vast majority of Americans.” Project Pride SRQ’s website says that it organizes local events for the LGBTQ+ community, provides scholarships, and partners with other organizations, businesses, and governments to advance LGBTQ+ equality.
“Tom Edwards can do whatever that he wants in his private life,” RPOS continued. “But this position leverages him as a School Board member to push programs in the public, taxpayer-funded schools of which he has enormous influence. He cannot hold this position and look out for the well-being of all students. He clearly is incentivized to prioritize a small minority.” RPOS Chair Jack Brill was more direct in a statement, accusing Edwards of having “radical LGBTQ beliefs… completely out of touch with what the Sarasota County community of parents want.”
Crybaby Republican zealots in Sarasota County, FL demand that gay SCPS School Board member Tom Edwards resign over a “conflict of interest” because of his work with LGBTQ+ rights organization Project Pride SRQ. Sarasota County’s school board contains the infamous anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Bridget Ziegler, who helped co-found right-wing extremist “parental rights” group Moms For Liberty.
