School Board Candidate: Being Gay Is Unconstitutional
Right-winger claims gay-themed books threaten "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" because gay people can't procreate.
A right-wing school board candidate in Nevada has been caught on video saying that being gay is unconstitutional because gay people cannot procreate.
John Carlo, who is running for the Clark County School Board, was filmed speaking to a church about a children’s book, King & King, about two kings who fall in love with each other.
Carlo declared that the book — as well as others promoting homosexuality or LGBTQ issues — should not be allowed in schools.
It’s unclear whether the book is actually being used in classroom instruction in any Nevada schools, or whether it’s simply available in school libraries.
“I believe in the Constitution,” Carlo says in the video, which was posted to Twitter by Patriot Takes, a group that monitors right-wing activism. “I believe in…the way our founding fathers believed in this country: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That means that homosexuals cannot procreate.
“This goes against our Constitution and this goes against what parents want in the school district, and this is only one book out of thousands.”
Clark County School Board candidate John Carlo: “Homosexuals can’t procreate. This goes against our Constitution.” pic.twitter.com/UPPmGcAp2s
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 17, 2022
The phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” appears in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. There is also nothing in the Constitution that requires people, regardless of sexual orientation, to procreate or explicitly establishes procreation as a constitutional right.
Carlo is running for the District G seat, which is one of three open seats on the seven-member nonpartisan board. The primary election is on June 14, with the top two candidates moving onto the November 8 general election.
Carlo is following a trend of right-wing candidates for office seeking to capitalize on voter anger over the inclusion of LGBTQ-related content — as well as race, class politics, and other “divisive” issues — in schools, in which candidates frequently claim that public schools are “indoctrinating” students into adopting particular points of view or lifestyles.
That anger is considered one of the primary factors motivating Republicans and conservatives to the polls, and forcing some previously Democratic voters to switch their party allegiance.
As a result, lawmakers in several state legislatures have introduced bills to strengthen parental rights and censor content that some parents might personally find “objectionable,” including LGBTQ-related materials or books.
Examples of this include recently enacted laws in Florida and Alabama, and efforts to remove certain books from school libraries in Texas.
According to the investigative journalism site Raw Story, Carlo has a history of far-right activism, having previously posted photos and comments expressing his support for, among other things, the Confederate flag on his Instagram account. He has since deleted his Instagram and Twitter accounts, but not before screen captures were taken.
Carlo’s comments about the constitutionality of being gay have raised eyebrows, leading several Twitter users to mock him or criticize his comments to the church congregation.
“I don’t remember that part of the Constitution,’ tweeted one user. “I do however recall the Dec. Of Independence saying: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal.
“They’d have been on England’s side during the Tea Party & the South during the Civil War. UNREAL.”
I don't remember that part of the Constitution
I do however recall the Dec. Of Independence saying: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal.
They'd have been on England's side during the Tea Party & the South during the Civil War. UNREAL
— Bleeding blue 🌊🌻🌊🌻🌊🌻 (@jen_jrbskb523) April 17, 2022
— Dean Gulberry DBTLA 🇺🇦 (@BassMajik) April 19, 2022
“To anyone making the argument that same sex couples should not marry or be represented because they can’t make babies, what about elderly heterosexuals? It’s perfectly fine for them to marry, but there won’t be any buns coming out of those ovens!” tweeted another user.
A third user replied: “[O]r anyone of any age who is infertile. Hope they’re running fertility tests before handing out marriage certificates, otherwise this is gonna look very bad on them.”
or anyone of any age who is infertile
hope they're running fertility tests before handing out marriage certificates otherwise this is gonna look very bad on them— Schrödinger's Gender (@GlimmerGuts) April 17, 2022
“First off, no. Secondly, he does realize that gay men still produce sperm and gay women can get pregnant, right? Or is biology one of those things we don’t discuss anymore?” tweeted a user named “jeepgirl.”
A fifth user replied: “Science, math and history are off limits.”
Science, math and history are off limits
— Cathy formerly sarismon (@CSarismom) April 17, 2022
Twitter user RockyMtnOyster replied with a tongue-in-cheek tweet, writing: “The Constitution has apparently gotten so much longer since I was in school. So much new content.”
The Constitution has apparently gotten so much longer since I was in school. So much new content.
— RockyMtnOyster (@Bmpalm9) April 17, 2022
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