Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, says in May 2024, a fifth-grader named Shea Encinas was linked up with a kindergartener as part of a "buddy program" at LaCosta Heights Elementary School.
"He was forced to read a book called 'My Shadow is Pink,' which is about gender fluidity, encouraging kids to question their biological sex," Burt relays. "This was against his Christian faith, but he didn't want to say anything, didn't want to get in trouble."
Shea did tell his family, though. His parents were disturbed and wanted to make sure such a thing would not happen again, but Burt says the school "ignored and refused" their requests, saying that they have an obligation to teach gender ideology to students.
He calls it a "tragedy" that the school went on to blatantly disrespect the Encinas' religious views.
"[They] held a coordinated … 'pink out the hate' event, which targeted Shea and his young brother for their religious beliefs," the watchdog tells AFN. "The parents eventually pulled the kids out of school because they were being bullied and harassed and the administration was creating a very hostile environment for them."
The story gained national attention when Shea's family filed a lawsuit against the Encinitas Union School District; President Donald Trump even recognized Shea's courage and invited the now 12-year-old to speak at the Religious Liberty Commission:
Burt is glad that a federal judge agreed with the family earlier this year and that the school district has now given up its appeal. He applauds the parents for standing up for their constitutional rights to direct and oversee the upbringing of their own children.
The district's withdrawal upholds a preliminary injunction issued in May 2025 that requires schools to provide three days' advance notice and opt-outs whenever gender identity content is presented in the district's "buddy" mentoring programs.
