Idaho’s Teacher of the Year Flees State After Being Harassed as LGBTQ Ally
Idaho Tribune accused Lauritzen of being a “left-wing activist” who “follows drag queens on social media, promotes LGBT events, promotes transgenderism, Black Lives Matter, and is active in local politics, promoting liberal ideology.”The outlet also criticized her for liking posts about “social and emotional learning” — a style of learning which has become a bogeyman among conservatives for promoting self-awareness, decision-making, and interpersonal skills — which it classified as “left-wing ideology.”The conservative website Action Idaho went further, speculating that she was pushing a pro-LGBTQ agenda on her students despite the presence of a school district policy restricting teachers from providing instruction or discussion of sexuality or sexual orientation.“Would Lauritzen be happy to cultivate transgender ideologies among your children? Probably,” Idaho Action wrote. “She is getting her PHD in advanced education at University of Idaho, no doubt learning all the latest trends in queer theory and social and emotional learning.”But the press led parents in her rural community in western Idaho to begin emailing her and accusing her of including inappropriate content in her lessons.