A Washington city council cuts a pizza program for LGBTQ+ youth after concerns about turning kids transgender

[Magats_Love_NHB]

A Washington city council cuts a pizza program for LGBTQ+ youth after concerns about turning kids transgender

The Ellensburg community raised more funds than the city had previously allocated to rescue the program that provided pizza and a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens.

www.advocate.com

A small-town city council in Washington state has voted to cut public funding for a program that provides LGBTQ+ high school students with a safe space to gather, igniting outrage from advocates and sparking a grassroots campaign to save the initiative. The Ellensburg City Council’s December 2 decision to remove $1,400 earmarked for the Pizza Klatch program comes as debates over LGBTQ+ rights and representation in public spaces escalate nationwide.


The Pizza Klatch program, first explored in 2023, according to that year’s annual report, meets weekly at Ellensburg High School and serves as a critical support system for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, offering pizza and a safe environment for connection. Funded through the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission, the program averaged 27 attendees weekly in 2024, according to the commission’s most recent annual report. The DEI Commission has described the program as central to its mission of fostering inclusivity and addressing the mental health needs of marginalized youth.





Despite its success, Councilman Joshua Thompson led the charge to strip the program’s funding, claiming without evidence that it could influence students to join the LGBTQ+ community or pursue transgender identities. Councilwoman Sarah Beauchamp, the parent of a transgender child, strongly rebuked his remarks.

 

[Diogenes]

Good.

 

[christiefan915]

A Washington city council cuts a pizza program for LGBTQ+ youth after concerns about turning kids transgender

The Ellensburg community raised more funds than the city had previously allocated to rescue the program that provided pizza and a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens.

www.advocate.com

A small-town city council in Washington state has voted to cut public funding for a program that provides LGBTQ+ high school students with a safe space to gather, igniting outrage from advocates and sparking a grassroots campaign to save the initiative. The Ellensburg City Council’s December 2 decision to remove $1,400 earmarked for the Pizza Klatch program comes as debates over LGBTQ+ rights and representation in public spaces escalate nationwide.

The Pizza Klatch program, first explored in 2023, according to that year’s annual report, meets weekly at Ellensburg High School and serves as a critical support system for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, offering pizza and a safe environment for connection. Funded through the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission, the rogram averaged 27 attendees weekly in 2024, according to the commission’s most recent annual report. The DEI Commission has described the program as central to its mission of fostering inclusivity and addressing the mental health needs of marginalized youth./.,+

Despite its success, Councilman Joshua Thompson led the charge to strip the program’s funding, claiming without evidence that it could influence students to join the LGBTQ+ community or pursue transgender identities. Councilwoman Sarah Beauchamp, the parent of a transgender child, strongly rebuked his remarks.

It's truly depressing to learn how magas think. They're twisted and come across as having very little education, from all the bullshit conspiracy theories they're so willing to embrace. "Pursue transgender identities," as if life is cosplay and transgender is something you can slip in and out of. This guy must have been dropped on his head as an infant.

 

[Diogenes]

It's truly depressing to learn how magas think. They're twisted and come across as having very little education, from all the bullshit conspiracy theories they're so willing to embrace. "Pursue transgender identities," as if life is cosplay and transgender is something you can slip in and out of. This guy must have been dropped on his head as an infant.

Maybe you could organize a pizza delivery or something.

 

[christiefan915]

Maybe you could organize a pizza delivery or something.

For you, the gluten-free with pineapple.

 

[Bigdog]

Sexual messaging to children.

I thought they only did that on the internet.

 

[BartenderElite]

It's like we've traveled back a half century. Even further.

 

[Matt Dillon]

A Washington city council cuts a pizza program for LGBTQ+ youth after concerns about turning kids transgender

The Ellensburg community raised more funds than the city had previously allocated to rescue the program that provided pizza and a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens.

www.advocate.com

A small-town city council in Washington state has voted to cut public funding for a program that provides LGBTQ+ high school students with a safe space to gather, igniting outrage from advocates and sparking a grassroots campaign to save the initiative. The Ellensburg City Council’s December 2 decision to remove $1,400 earmarked for the Pizza Klatch program comes as debates over LGBTQ+ rights and representation in public spaces escalate nationwide.



The Pizza Klatch program, first explored in 2023, according to that year’s annual report, meets weekly at Ellensburg High School and serves as a critical support system for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, offering pizza and a safe environment for connection. Funded through the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission, the program averaged 27 attendees weekly in 2024, according to the commission’s most recent annual report. The DEI Commission has described the program as central to its mission of fostering inclusivity and addressing the mental health needs of marginalized youth.





Despite its success, Councilman Joshua Thompson led the charge to strip the program’s funding, claiming without evidence that it could influence students to join the LGBTQ+ community or pursue transgender identities. Councilwoman Sarah Beauchamp, the parent of a transgender child, strongly rebuked his remarks.