About a year ago, a right-wing group that advocates for conservative politics in schools made a stop at a school board meeting in the country town of Circleville, south of Columbus. The group, Turning Point, was appalled by the school district’s use of safe space stickers on classroom doors and wanted them to come down.
Dia Hildenbrand, a mom with two young boys in the district, wouldn’t let Turning Point have the last word, however. By then a regular at school board meetings, Dia posted on Facebook ahead of the group’s visit that she would speak out in favor of the stickers.
An out lesbian and a leader in local LGBTQ+ group HumanKINDness Alliance, Hildenbrand imagined what it would’ve felt like to see the affirming stickers in her own school growing up, and wanted that for her sons and all the kids in the district.
“All the stickers do is let children know they are safe and welcome,” she reflected. “What could people possibly take issue with about that?”
When Dia showed up to the meeting, she was shocked to find dozens of people who’d seen her post turn out in support of her position.
“It was a fantastic feeling that all my friends had told their friends, who told somebody else,” she said. “I realized, OK, we’re all in this together.”
After that, many people in Circleville, including teachers and sitting school board members, noted Dia’s passion and encouraged her to get more involved. When a school board seat opened up, she leapt at the chance to become Circleville’s first out elected official.
The Buckeye Flame spoke with the Hildenbrand about her candidacy.
First, tell us a bit more about the HumanKINDness Alliance.
There used to be a group in Circleville consisting of a few parents with LGBTQ+ children. As the members started getting older, they invited anyone willing to take the group over. My wife and I and a couple of friends decided to do just that, and we established the HumanKINDness Alliance as a nonprofit.
Circleville is a very small town with, dare I say, an old world-old ways style of thinking. We need an organization like this. We have members from as many different backgrounds as you can think of. It’s fantastic. Through the group, we put on our second annual Pride last summer, and we also organize clothing drives and other fundraising events to support at-need youth in our community.
On November 1, we’re hosting an event at Wicker House downtown from 6 to 8 pm to collect lice kits and cold-weather items like boots and coats, if any of your readers in the area would like to stop by or make a donation.
What are the biggest issues children in Circleville are facing right now?
In Circleville City Schools, the number of children considered homeless status is staggering for such a small town. Relatedly, there’s also a huge lice problem. Imagine – all these kids in the school system who aren’t eating enough, who don’t have adequate amounts of clothing, who have lice and their parents can’t afford treatment, who are itchy, uncomfortable, starving: How are they supposed to focus? The thought of that is just horrible.
Did that drive your decision to run for school board?
Definitely. I’ve been going to school board meetings since before my kids [now 4 and 6] even started school. I wanted to get a sense of what they were heading into. As a lesbian woman and an advocate for children, I want to make sure that every student is visible, is heard and has someone who will stand up for them.
After I spoke at the school board meeting where Turning Point USA showed up against the safe space stickers, one of the current school board members, Jeff Burrow, approached me about running. This surprised me because Jeff is a very right-wing person, but he recognized that I truly care about the community and that the school board needs diversity. It was refreshing. Later, I told my wife, and she said, “I’ve told you this for years. This is what you need to do.”
What will your priorities be if elected?
Supporting children and their mental health is major for me. I want to make sure our schools are a safe space for children, and I will show up to every school board meeting prepared for that fight. I’m also focused on supporting teachers. We’ve had 33 new hires in Circleville City Schools – that’s humongous for a school system of our size. I’ve reached out to teachers in our district and many who’ve left to find out what the school board could do better. I’ve gotten amazing responses that I plan to use if elected to support our teachers. Finally, I can’t tell you how many times parents have come to school board meetings to voice concerns or ask questions and they never hear back from the school board. I’ve been one of them! I want to do as much as possible to make sure parents are heard and their complaints are acted upon.
If elected, you’ll be the first out person on the Circleville School Board. How do you think having LGBTQ+ representation in this role will benefit your community?
I think it would open eyes. Our kids need someone who will stand up for them and show that LGBTQ+ people can be successful and play an important role in the community. By just being out and visible in Circleville, I’m letting people know that I’m not scared. Since I started this campaign, many people have had negative things to say, but many more have defended me. It’s amazing to see our town come together to support me. My wife and I were driving through town today and saw my yard signs everywhere! Visibility matters, and it is definitely doing well here. 🔥
Ignite Action
- To learn more about Dia Hildenbrand, visit her campaign Facebook page here.
- To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
Know an LGBTQ+ Ohio story we should cover? TELL US!
Submit a story!
Pingback: Safe-space battle turns Circleville mom into the town’s first out school-board candidate | Dailywise