The Right to Criticize What Your Kids Are Taught (Terms and Conditions Apply)

Just over a month ago, the Supreme Court handed parents a major victory in Mahmoud v. Taylor. The judge ruled that Maryland’s Montgomery County could not force families of faith to keep their kids in LGBT lessons that violated their values. The First Amendment protects parental rights.

Arizona parents just scored their own win… although, the fight isn’t over.

When Mesa parents discovered a third-grade teacher bragging on podcasts about teaching eight-year-olds to use pronouns and displaying LGBT flags in the classroom, they spoke up. The teacher’s response? She sued them. Last week, school board member Sharon Benson and parent Chris Hamlet were released from the lawsuit. The judge ruled their criticism was protected speech. But he let the lawsuit continue against two bloggers, raising questions about how far parents can go to expose classroom-focused activism.

The case shows what we’ve been fighting in courts across Arizona and America: students being exposed to harmful gender ideology without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Too often, gender advocates use the courts to advance their harmful ideology.

The Lawsuit

Tami Staas went on a podcast bragging about teaching eight-year-olds about pronouns and displaying LGBT flags in her classroom. She also leads the Arizona Trans Youth Parent Organization. When school board candidate Sharon Benson shared blog posts about Staas’s activism and raised concerns publicly, Staas sued her for defamation.

The timing wasn’t subtle. Sue your critic during campaign season, drain her resources, scare other parents from speaking up.

Benson won her school board race despite the lawsuit.

Now, she won in court.

“None of [Benson’s] alleged statements could be found defamatory,” the judge ruled. However, the court also suggested that calling out a teacher’s “sexual grooming” in the classroom, even when accurately describing what she does, might be defamatory if a jury decides the language is too inflammatory. The judge acknowledged the statements were about matters of public concern but still left it to a jury to decide whether parents crossed a line.

We’ve Seen This Before

This lawsuit is another example of the struggle over transgender issues across the country:

Arizona passed a law protecting fairness in women’s and girls’ sports. Activists immediately got it blocked in court while female athletes wait for basic fairness. The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear cases for similar laws from two other states. Hopefully, this means that Arizona’s support for female athletes still has a good chance of being revived.

Transgender advocates aggressively promote life decisions that are harmful with lasting impact. They push puberty blockers on kids despite evidence of bone loss and infertility. When Tennessee tried to protect children from these drugs, activists sued. When parents question why their daughters are forced to compete against male athletes, LGBT supporters call them bigots. When doctors raise concerns about rushing kids into medical transitions, they lose their jobs.

Why They Fear Parents

The facts aren’t on their side. Research shows up to 95% of gender-confused children accept their biological sex naturally if left alone. Studies find no mental health benefit from cross-sex hormones or surgeries, and no credible study has ever found an increased risk of self-harm when parents and family don’t affirm a child’s gender confusion. Young women who had their breasts removed as teenagers are speaking out about their regret.

So instead of defending their practices with evidence, activists attack anyone who questions them.

A teacher promoting gender ideology to third-graders at school gets exposed? Sue the parent who shared the story.
A state protects kids from experimental “gender treatments”? Tie it up in court for years.
Parents want to know what their eight-year-olds are being taught in the classroom? Label them extremists.

Parents Are Fighting Back

America First Legal defended Benson without charge because they recognized the nature of this lawsuit; an attempt to intimidate parents into silence.

“America First Legal will never back down in the face of intimidation by radical activists,” said James Rogers, Senior Counsel at America First Legal.

The dismissal for Benson and Hamlet comes as parents across Arizona are taking action. They’re running for school boards and winning. They’re choosing educational freedom through ESAs rather than leaving their kids in schools that hide information from them. They’re showing up at meetings and demanding transparency.

This Fall, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether states can keep males out of girls’ sports. Parents who were sued for speaking out are winning in court.

The Fight Continues

The Arizona case demonstrates that the struggle continues. The transgender activist used the legal system trying to silence criticism. Instead, she is proving the point. There is an aggressive agenda at work that requires a response.

More parents are running for school boards. More families are choosing ESAs over schools that promote gender ideologies. Arizona parents aren’t backing down. Neither will CAP.

The transgender movement targeted our kids, thinking parents would stay quiet due to fear of reprisal. Teachers brazenly pushed gender ideology in the classroom, and school districts kept it from parents, thinking we wouldn’t find out.

They were wrong. We’re defending our children in every venue: courtrooms, school boards, the Legislature, the ballot box. The Supreme Court vindicated parental rights in Mahmoud. And as this week’s dismissal shows…

With God’s help, we are winning.

Save the Date

Digital Discernment: Creating a Tech-Ready Home in the AI Age

Join us on September 23rd, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. for a townhall webinar featuring Chris McKenna, CEO of Protect Young Eyes. This townhall aims to equip parents and families with strategies for navigating today’s digital landscape and protecting children in an AI-driven world. Register for the webinar here!

New This Week

Engage Arizona at SoConCon 25: Fighting Gender Ideology with Laura Hanford

Bob Trent sits down with Laura Hanford of The Heritage Foundation to discuss protecting children from gender ideology, the dangers of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and why the U.S. medical establishment has pushed ideology over evidence.

Engage Arizona at SoConCon 25: Educational Freedom with Matt Frendaway

Bob Trent speaks with Matt Frendaway of Yes Every Kid Foundation about the future of education in America, Arizona’s trailblazing role in school choice, and why families are demanding more flexible options from ESAs to micro-schools.

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