A Kentucky school board meeting turned tense this week when community members confronted board member Donald Yarber over his anti-LGBTQ Facebook posts. Yarber, who has served on the Union County Public Schools board since 2021, wrote in a now-deleted post,
“Keep letting those queers influence the minds of your children…They won’t have any sickness except AIDS, mental instability, suicidal thoughts, jobs, wealth, self-respect or righteousness”
Outraged parents, teachers, and residents packed the meeting, where dance teacher Mark Lamb delivered a powerful rebuke. As tensions rose, Yarber abruptly stood up and left, with parents calling after him. The school board later distanced itself from Yarber’s remarks, stating,
“The views expressed on personal social media accounts by staff or board members are not representative of the official values or positions of our school district or Board of Education.”
UCPS also made it clear that it does not have the legal authority to regulate staff’s actions and as an elected official, Yarber cannot be removed by the district. In an unsurprising move, the next day, Yarber went to a social media platform posting,
“Once again the gay community has been allowed to say, ‘It’s OK to be gay.’ And I have not been allowed to say, ‘No it’s not.’”
