Lafayette community expresses dismay over school board member Hockema’s anti-gay comments – Journal & Courier
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Over the past several days, current and former community members from the Greater Lafayette area have shared their dismay regarding the anti-gay, anti-“woke” opinions of the newly elected school board member, Charles “Chuck” Hockema.
On Friday, the Journal & Courier published an interview with Hockema, elected Nov. 8 to the Lafayette School Corporation school board, where he expressed how he wanted to preserve “traditional values and beliefs” and wanted teachers to stop promoting the “gay agenda” and “woke’ ideology.”
While Hockema said that he did not have a problem with gay individuals outside the classroom, he would work to keep any individual expressing the gay “ideology” from working on an LSC campus.
“If there’s a teacher that wants to be gay, that’s OK,” Hockema told the J&C. “That’s their prerogative. I’ve hired gay people. I’ve had them work for me, but I would not allow a gay person to push his feelings and his ideology off on other employees.
“If they did that, they’d be gone.”
Hockema will be one of seven members on the LSC school board, when his term begins, and any agenda item he presented to the board would need a majority of the votes for passage.
The comments from Hockema raised alarm within the community, with individuals expressing their concerns in a multitude of ways.
Parent: ‘My child is transgender’
November’s meeting Monday was packed with community members, with almost every seat in the Hiatt Administration Center taken.
Not everyone was there to share their dismay with Hockema’s statements and beliefs. About half of the room seemed to be celebrating the appointment of Lafayette Jefferson High School’s newest assistant principals.
Others hoped Hockema would be present to share their opinions with him. Hockema was not present.
When the time came time for public comment, the LSC school board asked if anyone wanted to speak. Initially, the room held quiet and motionless.
That was until the board prepared to move from public comment section of the meeting. One parent who was sitting in the back of the room stood up and said, “If I may.”
Lyle Janney, whose child attends school in the Tippecanoe School Corporation, came up to the podium to speak to the board. He acknowledged the fact that his child doesn’t currently attend a school in the district but said to the LSC board, “Since one of your soon-to-be newly elected board members has spoken at the TSC board meetings, I feel free to speak here briefly.”
“I want to urge all of you to bear in mind that children’s minds are only going to grow as much as you let them,” Janney told the board. “They need to be encouraged. They need to be nurtured. And they need to have all the ground they can find to stand on.”
This is when Janney shared with the LSC board member and those in attendance that his child is transgender.
“My own child is transgender and is fully supported. And there are people in this world today that would probably, well, by their very own words, want to string me up for securing for my child gender-affirming health care.
“At least one of your soon-to-be newly minted board members seems to have it out for children who want or need to explore their gender identity, their sexual orientation. I urge you not to let that happen. Thank you.”
After the meeting, members of the audience and the board went up to Janney and thanked him for sharing with the board.
The Journal & Courier spoke with Janney after the meeting to see how he felt when he first learned of Hockema’s victory.
“At my core, angry, but anger is tied to other things. It’s tied to hurt; it’s tied to disappointment. It’s tied to a lot of different things to different people to different times. To me that anger, mostly at its core is complete disappointment and the people in this town that would promote such an agenda as what he has openly espoused, just disappointment,” said Janney.
“That there are people in this world that are against the notion of kids discovering who they are, because that’s all it is. It’s kids discovering who they are.
“I want kids to feel safe and able to learn who they are. From their inside out.”
Joe Heath: Do better, Lafayette
After Hockema’s comments were published, the Journal & Courier received a letter from a familiar name, Joe Heath, the same name as the man who once played basketball for Jefferson High School and Purdue University in the 1950s. Joe Heath, the letter writer’s great uncle, later became a coach at Jefferson, earning a 191-60 record in 10 years. He went on to become the principal of the school and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Heath’s great nephew now lives in Colorado, sharing his opinion with the J&C’s readers.
“Lafayette School Corp.’s new school board member, Chuck Hockema, is antithetical to the education I received at Jeff High School,” reads the start of Heath’s letter.
“My name is Joe Heath, a name probably very familiar to the readers of this community. It was my late, great Uncle Joe who made such an impact on Jeff High School. I transferred to Jeff my sophomore year from TSC because I wanted more out of my education. I wanted to learn in a place I would be accepted for who I am as an artist and musician.
“During my time at Jeff, I was surrounded by teachers who made me feel at home. Also a lot of them understood and supported those who were openly gay during a time when gay marriage wasn’t even legal yet. Those kids needed that support, and to see Chuck now taking a 1930’s Germany approach to posters, attacking the trans community and baselessly claiming students are being taught CRT, is a sad and depressing reality.
“I am ashamed that the community of which I graduated would elect such a person to this position. It is completely out of line with the morals and principles LSC has upheld for years, not only under the first Joe Heath, but also under the second.”
Heath closed his letter with, “Do better, Lafayette.”
Beyond his letter to the editor, Heath also shared more of his feelings regarding the situation in a post on his Facebook.
“I was not indoctrinated at LSC, no one is or has been. It’s a false assumption that this even happens, but what I will tell you, is that LSC taught me a whole lot of empathy when it comes to different people and cultures,” reads the Facebook post.
“It’s shameful that this man was even elected, that bigotry and hate is given a voice at the table. I hope that LSC checks and stops this man at every turn and opportunity. The ilk of this worldview should be returned to the ashbin of history where it belongs so students can progress to brighter and more learned futures.
“One man will not define this school board, at least I hope, but it is a grim reminder that these people – these racist, sexist, homophobic morons – are electable and will influence things directly for thousands of students. What a shame. I’ll leave you with a quote, one that I hope resonates.”
An Open Letter to Chuck Hockema – A dialogue with a Jefferson Teacher
On Sunday, Drew Humphrey, an English teacher at Jefferson High School, published an open letter to Hockema on his blog.
The idea of the letter was to have an open dialogue with Hockema and the opinions he shared with the local reporters.
“In the days since your election victory, you have been unapologetically vocal about your agenda as an incoming board member. As a teacher and the parent of four LSC students, I appreciate your honesty. It’s helpful to know what you stand for and how you plan to fulfill your new role.
“That being said, I am one of many educators, parents, and community members who has serious concerns with the posture you have taken. I’m not the only one to find your comments inflammatory, uninformed, and in many cases, downright hurtful.
“Perhaps you wear that criticism as a badge of honor; at the very least, you seem perfectly comfortable with the prospect of stirring up controversy. But since you have been so open with the community in voicing your opinions, I would like to honor that sincerity by responding in kind. I do so in good faith, assuming that you are a reasonable man who is willing to listen, learn, and adjust your course of action when necessary.”
Humphrey goes on to create a dialogue directed at Hockema, both trying to highlight that he understands why Hockema may believe certain aspects of his position, but also expressing his disagreement with them as well.
“Mr. Hockema, I’m willing to take you at your word that you want to see ideology kept away from public education. And believe it or not, I agree with you. I agree that our schools should be places where children are educated and given the tools to exercise free thought, honest inquiry, and critical reasoning. I agree that our classrooms should never be used to force one person’s doctrine, creed, or conviction upon another.
But isn’t it a little bit ironic that someone who wants to keep ideology out of public education is so adamant about infusing it with his own?”
He highlights that the new platform that Hockema finds himself on shouldn’t be used as “a personal soapbox”, but as a “position of public service”.
Humphrey ends his letter by inviting Hockema to leave his biases at the door and to put the betterment of the students first and foremost.
“But if you truly want to make our school corporation the best institution it can be, then I invite you to leave your paranoia and censorship at the door, and instead to step into your new role on the LSC school board with only one motivation and only one agenda: love for the students you will be serving.
“This isn’t about you. This is about them. Do your part to help them thrive. Do your part to help them succeed. Do your part to cultivate classrooms in which they belong, in which they feel safe, and in which they can become the free thinkers they were born to be.
“In other words, love them.
“That’s why I’m here. I hope that’s why you’re here, too.”
Humphrey also noted that the opinions and views expressed in his letter were purely his own and do not necessarily represent those of any school or other employee within LSC.
IN Care – Call for Chuck Hockema’s Resignation
On Monday, the group IN CARE: The Indiana Coalition for Anti-Racist Education, created a petition calling for Hockema to resign from his position on the LSC school board.
“Hockema’s statements are disgusting, but more than that, they’re actively harmful to the LGBTQ+ students of Lafayette School Corporation and in Indiana. We’re calling for businesses and individuals to sign our petition calling for Chuck Hockema’s resignation,” reads their website.
At the time of reporting, the website had collected around 220 signatures from individuals and around 10 signatures from businesses within Tippecanoe County.
It should be noted since Hockema is an elected official, facing no methods that would force Hockema to step down from the position involuntarily.
The IN-CARE organization initially started back in 2020, under the name WL CARE. “IN CARE began when a group of West Lafayette Community School Corporation alumni came together during the summer of 2020 to ask the WLCSC administration for education reform,” reads their website.
The group gathered over 800 letters written by alumni with seven demands, including asking for curriculum reform, anti-racist professional development for staff and teachers, the removal of WLPD from WLCSC campuses, and more. After organizing several other actions with the city of West Lafayette, the group decided to extend its mission statement to address issues across Indiana and, in turn, change the organization’s name to IN CARE.
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.