Red Bank Official Slams Ciatterelli's Stance On LGBTQ+ In Schools

RED BANK, NJ — Borough Councilman Ed Zipprich has criticized the comments made by the Republican nominee for governor vowing to roll back the LGBTQ+ curriculum in New Jersey schools.

Jack Ciattarelli, who is the Republican candidate running for governor against Phil Murphy in November, was recorded at a June 26 event saying he was "going to roll back the LGBTQ curriculum" in schools if elected. The comments and the recording were first obtained and reported on Tuesday by the news outlet Gothamist. (Read the full report here)

"I feel lucky [our kids] are in their 20s and I don't have to be dealing with what you're dealing with right now. You won't have to deal with it when I'm governor, but we're not teaching gender ID and sexual orientation to kindergarteners. We're not teaching sodomy in sixth grade. And we're going to roll back the LGBTQ curriculum. It goes too far," Ciattarelli said in the video.

Zipprich, a Democrat and member of the LGBTQ+ community, released a statement Wednesday criticizing Ciattarelli's remarks.

"New Jersey has been a leader in civil rights for decades. Here, gay and queer people have stood shoulder to shoulder, fighting to have our voices heard and to obtain rights as human beings in order to be treated fairly and equally. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I will not stand silently by to allow someone like Mr. Ciattarelli to set aflame the history of LGBTQ+ progress we and our straight allies have achieved," Zipprich said.

"Jack, love is love. People are different. New Jersey is populated by people of many faiths, ethnic origins, colors and sexual orientations. If you truly want to lead in NJ once again, take a look around and see who we are that populate the Garden State. Hate has no home here. Inclusivity unites it doesn’t divide," his statement continued.

The councilman went on to note that teaching LGBTQ+ history and having an inclusive curriculum in New Jersey schools results in the youth being more accepting.

Ciattarelli said the remarks he made in the video had to do with mature content being taught to children, and that it should be done by parents, not teachers, according to the Gothamist report.