Zoey Parker was removed from her Louisiana elementary school because she has lesbian adoptive parents. The 5-year-old attended Bible Baptist Academy in pre-K but was expelled two days before kindergarten started when the school found out that her lesbian aunt (and her wife) had adopted her.
Zoey’s adoptive parents, Emily and Jennifer Parker, explained: “We got called into the principal’s office for a meeting, they informed us that Zoey wouldn’t be able to go to school there anymore because of our lifestyle choices,” Jennifer said.
Emily and Jennifer are a married couple who adopted Zoey, Jennifer’s niece, after the girls’ father died in an industrial accident in 2020.
“On the 3rd (of August), we adopted her and we went to open house, we got the uniforms we got the fees,” Emily Parker said. “The pastor met us in the meeting room and started talking about gender identification and that they teach the words of the Lord and marriage was between a man and a women…They didn’t think this was a good fit.”
In a statement, the Academy said that the school is “committed to instructing and living in accordance with the teachings of Scripture.”
“We believe that the Bible teaches that every life has value and that there is dignity in all of us because we have been created in the image of God,” the statement continued. “The Bible also teaches us to love everyone with the love of God despite their personal choices.
“We strive to teach this to the students who attend. We encourage them to show love and compassion to everyone. As a Baptist academy, we are also committed to provide an environment that is consistent with the beliefs that we hold.
“We want our students to not only know our beliefs, but we want them to see them as well. Regarding personal relationships, we hold that those relationships, whether in dating or in marriage, should be between a man and a woman.
“We live in wonderful country! We have been granted the freedom to worship as we see fit. And as a Christian institution, we are protected by federal laws that give us the opportunity to teach and practice our beliefs.
“We feel deeply that our first obligation is to God and being faithful to Him. There are times where our commitment to upholding our Christian values will not line up with the values of other people. This should not be interpreted that we have any hatred or malice toward them.
“We are just as committed to loving all people as we are to holding to Bible principles that people may not agree with or may not understand.
“BBA is committed to academic excellence with rich Scriptural instruction.”
“She lost her father, she lost her mother and now she’s losing her school which she loves very much,” Jennifer Parker said.
