Things to know about Board of Education District 2 Candidate Brenda Diaz.

     

[Oct. 14, 2024 NOTE:  FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE https://davidfishback.blogspot.com/2024/10/my-final-endorsements-for-board-of.html]

There are three BOE seats up for election this autumn:  District 2, District 4, and At-Large.  Every voter in the County may cast votes in all three races.  While way down-ballot, these elections are vital to our community's future.

1.  VACCINE DENIAL:  Every Montgomery County MD voter should know that Board of Education District 2 candidate Brenda Diaz is a follower of RFK Jr.'s approach to vaccines. Listen to her own words in Sunil Dasgupta's May 10, 2024, I Hate Politics Podcast, at 11:01 to 15:34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djYYTfvjqJs.  After Ms. Diaz challenges the use of Covid vaccines, Professor Dasgupta notes, at 13:36, "But vaccines have saved lives."  Ms. Diaz responds that that is "old data."  Professor Dasgupta then asks where she gets her information.  Ms. Diaz says "I like RFK, Jr." and goes on to discuss him at length.  This three-minute exchange is breathtaking, and is worth listening to.

2.  LGBTQ+ MATTERS:  In the District 2 primary, candidates who support the MCPS storybook policy (incumbent Rebecca Smondrowski and challenger Natalie Zimmerman) received 68% of the votes.  Ms. Zimmerman received 49%, Ms. Smondrowski 19%; Ms. Diaz is on the general election ballot because she came in second, with 22%.  I endorsed Ms. Zimmerman for the District 2 seat even before the I Hate Politics Podcast.  See https://davidfishback.blogspot.com/2024/04/endorsements-of-laura-stewart-natalie.html  In that endorsement, I noted Ms. Diaz's response to the Metro DC PFLAG candidate questionnaire asking about "Don't Say Gay" laws like those in Florida, in which she asserted that Pete Buttigieg's criticism of the Florida law was "disingenous,"  That for me was a red flag.  Here is the question and the relevant part of her answer:

5.   ATTEMPTS TO BAR DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR GENDER EXPRESSION.

 Background

 In some parts of the country, laws and regulations have been enacted to prohibit public schools from discussing or even mentioning sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  See, for example,  What You Need to Know about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” and “Don’t Say They” Laws, Book Bans, and Other Curricula Restrictions, published in 2023 by the National Education Association, the Florida Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers;  and 'Don't Say Gay' bill would limit discussion of sexuality and gender in Florida schools, reported by National Public Radio in 2022. 

In 2022, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg succintly explained the implication of such laws and regulations.

Question:  What is your view of these efforts?  What do you think of Secretary Buttigieg’s perspective?   

Here is the portion of Ms. Diaz's response I cited in my endorsement blogpost:  "In the interview, Secretary Buttigieg mentioned that a student would be restricted from sharing about his family life with his classroom peers during morning meeting. I believe he was disingenuous when he used that as an example of what this bill aims to do."

The entire questionnaire and her answers may be found here.  

The text and subtext to most of Ms. Diaz's  answers were an attack on MCPS's storybook policy, which has been attacked by right-wing groups like Moms For Liberty.   Efforts seeking to block the MCPS policy were rejected by both the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, although the plaintiffs are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse those courts. See https://davidfishback.blogspot.com/2024/09/becket-fund-for-religious-liberty-asks.html

For those not familiar with the issues raised by these attacks on the MCPS policy, please read https://marylandmatters.org/2023/07/11/commentary-we-cant-opt-out-of-diversity-in-our-schools-and-communities/

3.  MONTGOMERY COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY FORMAL SUPPORT OF MS. DIAZ:  It is also noteworthy that the Montgomery County Republican Party, breaking with longstanding traditions of political parties not being formally involved in the non-partisan Board of Education elections, is urging its followers to work and vote for Ms. Diaz. https://www.mcgop.com/newsletter?page=3   This endorsement is consistent with the Party's endorsement of Donald Trump, who has embraced the support of RFK, Jr. 

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