A 12-yr-old boy, flanked by President Donald Trump, shared his story about what a school in California forced him to do during a recent hearing of the White House Religious Liberty Commission, which was formed by the president.
The fifth-grade boy also shared how his family was treated when they spoke up about the gender ideology being forced on children.
“I’ve been a Christian my whole life, and Jesus means everything to me,” Shea Encinas, 12, told the commission. “When I was in fifth grade, my school forced me to teach my kindergarten buddy about changing his gender using a book called My Shadow Is Pink. The book said you can choose your gender based on feelings instead of how God made us.”
“My school forced me to teach my kindergarten buddy about changing his gender using a book called My Shadow is Pink.” A 12 year old, standing next to President Trump at the White House Religious Liberty Commission. Forced into it in fifth grade. Bullied for his faith after his… pic.twitter.com/mwZ8u3HRTm
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) July 2, 2026
“I knew this was not right, but I was afraid of getting in trouble,” the young boy continued. “And the school did nothing to stop it. It hurt a lot, but I kept trusting God. I believe kids like me should be able to live our faith at school without being forced to go against what we believe. I hope no other family has to go through what mine did.”
Shea’s mother, Jennifer, addressed the commission on efforts to “shame” children who did not go along with the program.
“We were told by several community members that principal Kay coordinated with the PTA board room, parents and others to plan a ‘Pink Out the Hate Day,’ specifically to shame our children,” she said.
“Some of my friends’ parents even told them not to spend time with me, but I kept trusting God. I knew He was with me and would carry me through,” Shea added. “Sadly, my family felt we had no choice but to withdraw from the school district I had loved. We transferred to a private school where we now feel loved, supported and safe every day.”
President Trump addressed the hearing, stating that Americans will “never apologize for our faith.”
“America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our faith—ever, ever, never, never. We will never surrender our God-given rights. We will defend our liberties, our values, our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom,” the president said.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.