I’m a firm believer in the “gray area.” In my opinion there is very little that is black or white, this or that. But when it comes to harming children in any way? That gray area completely disappears. It’s one of the few types of crime I find completely unjustifiable. Children are among the most vulnerable in the population, and there is no excuse for betraying their trust, their bodily autonomy, or their mental health. A pedophile is guilty of harming all three and more.
It’s a take I would assume most of the world has, but if recent headlines have proven anything, it is that there is a level of protection that surrounds these monsters. And sadly, it is people like former Texas educator Amber Parker who protect them.
In 2022, the El Paso English teacher was recorded making a ‘controversial’ statement.
In the 18-second clip, the Franklin High School teacher appeared to be defending pedophilia.
“Stop calling them that. You’re not allowed to label people like that. We’re not gonna call them that,” NBC News reported Parker was heard saying in the video at the time. “We’re gonna call them MAPs, minor attracted persons. So don’t judge people just because they wanna have sex with a 5-year-old.”
It was reportedly “unclear” what discussion was being had prior to that statement.
The school district was made aware of the incident and launched an investigation.
“After a thorough investigation was conducted, on September 6, 2022, during a Special Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a decision to notify a Franklin High School teacher of proposed termination,” spokesperson for the district Liza Rodriguez said. “Any allegation of potential misconduct is investigated thoroughly, and the safety of our students is a top priority.”
The buzz around the school and within parent groups, however, was that the clip was taken entirely out of context.
“Let the School Bells Ring” Facebook group leader Kendal Brown Jessup claimed multiple parents said it was actually part of a mock class debate and Parker had made it clear she does not condone pedophilia, USA Today reported at the time.
The investigation led the school board members to unanimously vote for her termination process to begin.
NBC News further explained that the decision to fire her came following another thorough investigation after the mock debate claims were made.
“Initially I was shocked and horrified when I saw the video,” the board vice president, Daniel Call, told NBC News in September 2022. “Then when I heard that she was trying to be sarcastic, I felt bad for her. However, when the district’s investigation into this situation helped me understand the full story, I have no doubt that terminating this teacher is the right thing to do. Any reasonable person that heard the results of the investigation would vote to terminate her.”
A viral Instagram post recently recirculated asking people what they thought about referring to pedophiles with the more empathetic label, and people were none too pleased.
“You should absolutely judge a person that wants to abuse a child,” wrote one follower.
“Call them pedophiles. Calling them ‘minor attracted people’ is just a way of making it sound more palatable. They’re trying to normalize the whole thing. CHILDREN CAN’T GIVE CONSENT,” added another commenter.
“We should be referring to them in the past tense,” quipped another.
Parker was fired, and we wholeheartedly agree with that decision. Boy, would we like to know exactly what was uncovered in that investigation, though. Even if she wasn’t actually defending pedophilia, putting the idea out there was entirely inappropriate. Pick a different topic to debate because this one is not debatable. Period.
