ADA, Mich. — Justin Sheldon is running for Forest Hills School Board, which is a volunteer position.
He didn't know he'd be volunteering to be attacked for his sexual identity when making the decision to run.
In 2020, when Sheldon ran against a Republican for County Commissioner, he and his partner of 15 years discussed that Sheldon being openly gay could possibly come up and be used against him.
It never did. Sheldon says his opposing candidate in that race was respectful. In 2022, Sheldon decided to run for Forest Hills School Board.
Sheldon and his husband don't have any children of their own. But Sheldon says, he remembers the difficulties and complexities of growing up LGBTQ+. He wants to help other young people, so they don't have to go through the same amount of bulling he did.
Sheldon says a lot of that bullying happened in the locker room. Which is part of why he's advocated that locker rooms be monitored by adults of the same sex and that locker room spaces for transgender students be created, so those students can be kept safe from harm while at school.
A week before election day, Forest Hills parents were sent a mailer. It shows a high school-aged boy taking photos of a girl taking her shirt off in a locker room. The mailer claims that Sheldon advocates for "biological males" to be allowed in the women's locker room.
“They’re saying because I’m gay, I’ll allow biological men into locker rooms. To clearly take pictures of naked women. Which is entirely absurd,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon says that couldn't be further from the truth, and that advocating for safe spaces for children who are LGBTQ+, or different in general, is exactly why he decided to run.
“It’s time that somebody stands up and protects people that are getting abused,” Sheldon said.
Two percent of students identify as transgender, and according to the CDC, one-third of those students will attempt suicide.
Forest Hills Parent Colleen Fuelling says this type of thing needs to be condemned by all adults.
“There are a lot of kids, and students, where you know what you know. A lot of this is sinking in to the schools. The bullying has to stop,” Fuelling said.
The political group that put out the ad did not initially respond to FOX 17 when asked for comment, but later provided the following statement.
FH4JE PAC advertising is paid for with regulated funds and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
This election season we've seen a massive increase in partisanship within traditionally non-partisan races such as that for school board. The Democrats continue to deny this fact, even as we see school board candidates being endorsed by extremely partisan organizations such as state and local teachers unions and the Michigan Democratic Party itself. Even so, these clearly partisan candidates don't want to answer the tough questions that many, not just Republican, voters are concerned about. Mr. Sheldon is no exception to this trend as he continues to deflect pertinent questions such as the one in our most recent mailer.
Unfortunately Mr. Sheldon chose to sensationalize this mailer as an "attack" on his sexuality, when in reality it is nothing of the sort. The mailer merely sheds light on the fact that the transgender restroom issue is an extremely valid question and concern for ALL students and parents within the K-12 school community today. We want ALL students to feel safe in school, regardless of their differences, and the lack of a clear-cut policy in this area leaves the door open to a potentially unsafe environment for ALL students.
Mr. Sheldon could swiftly clear up any confusion related to his stance on transgender restroom and locker room policies in K-12 schools by simply answering the yes/no question as presented on the mailer.
