Why Bellingham school workers and a local business were harassed over ‘Uncringe Academy’

Bellingham school employees, and a Bellingham business owner and her staff, again must endure harassing phone calls, threats and hate mail after right-wing media reports that portray sexual-education classes at the business in a false light.

Fox News, the Federalist and other conservative websites have been circulating stories about the “Uncringe Academy” that Jenn Mason will be offering at Wink Wink Boutique, her “woman-owned inclusive all-ages not creepy sex shop” in downtown Bellingham.

“It’s absurd that I have to clarify what I’m doing,” said Mason, who is also a member of the Bellingham school board.

“I’m not teaching inappropriate things to children,” she told The Bellingham Herald.

Recent criticism is part of a conservative onslaught against Bellingham Public Schools, Mason and Wink Wink that began several months after 58% of Washington voters approved Referendum 90 in November 2020, upholding a state law that requires fact-based sexual health education for all children in public schools.

Further, Bellingham Schools are facing a backlash against their 2019 commitment to a curriculum of equity, diversity and inclusion that aims to recognize people of color and religious, cultural and other minorities — including LGBTQIA+ students.

▪ In May 2021, right-wing reports sparked threats against Mason and harassment of Bellingham school employees when a parent complained about “I Am Jazz,” a picture book for first-graders that features a transgender girl. School administrators supported the teacher who read the book in class, citing the district’s commitment to inclusivity. Some of the threats against Mason, who is Jewish, used antisemitic slurs. Right-wing media published the teacher’s name and other identifying information about them.

▪ Criticism continued in April 2022 when Whatcom Middle School featured a drag show for youth.

▪ Protests outside Wink Wink and other harassment targeted a queer open-mic night that Mason hosted in advance of Whatcom Youth Pride in June 2022.

Voters back sex ed

Referendum 90 began taking effect with the 2021-22 academic year, and implementation continues into the 2022-2023 school session, according to the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Its curriculum includes social-emotional learning for children in kindergarten through third grade and adds age-appropriate instruction in grades 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

But Mason is not teaching in Bellingham schools, as the Fox-TV personality Tucker Carlson suggested on his July 5 show.

That issue is blurred in other conservative media reports that have prompted about 1,000 emails and phone calls to Mason and her employees, she said.

“(They’re) from people all across the nation, most of them vulgar, making threats against me and my employees,” Mason said.

At least two threats were specific enough to warrant police reports, she said.

School workers harassed

Bellingham school employees “have received many calls and emails,” spokeswoman Dana Smith told The Herald.

“Most callers appeared to be from out of our area and most seemed to have an inaccurate understanding of the role of a school board director as well as confusion about the facts, but little interest in learning more,” Smith said.

“Our staff who answered calls were sometimes called insulting and derogatory names, or yelled and sworn at on the phone,” she said.

“We are always willing and happy to hear and process feedback from our families and community and to help clarify questions about our schools and curriculum. Unfortunately, most calls we have been receiving did not seem to be open to conversation or understanding,” Smith said.

“The pattern we have seen is that those who live here call with questions and desire to learn and clarify. They may not agree, but they generally come in with good faith and a goal to share their perspective. However, those who call or communicate from other areas or following other media coverage are more interested in name-calling, threats and/or outrage,” she said.

‘Uncringe Academy’

Classes that are part of the “Uncringe Academy” will be next month at Wink Wink, and Mason told The Herald that she decided to offer them at the request of parents who wanted their children to learn more about healthy relationships, anatomy and consent than was being taught in public schools.

“We offer a space for kids to ask questions, and help get kids comfortable talking about these issues,” Mason said.

“Uncringe Academy” offers information for children age 9-12 and 13-18, according to the Wink Wink website.

Students in those age groups should already be receiving classroom instruction in sexual health at school, according to state law.

“There is absolutely nothing hands-on in the class,” Mason said at Wink Wink’s website. “We are not teaching children to pleasure themselves or others. I can’t believe we have to say that, but apparently we do.”

Further, Wink Wink’s classroom space is not part of the retail store, and has its own entrance.

Mason, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from Seattle University and is a sex educator certified with the American College of Sexologists, is serving her second four-year term on the Bellingham Public Schools board of directors.

In her last election, she won 76% of the vote.

Community support

On Saturday, July 9, when a protest against “Uncringe Academy” had been announced, several supporters of Wink Wink arrived as the store opened, Mason said.

“We had so many empathetic and enthusiastic people at our door,” Mason said. “It was a reminder that there are so many people who support what we do and recognize the need for sex ed.”

No protesters arrived that day, she said.

Culture of shame

Right-wing media reports over the past year have accused Mason — and others who advocate for fact-based sex ed — of “grooming” children for sexual exploitation, a preposterous claim, according to teachers and advocates for human sexual health education.

It’s part of a culture of shame around sexual health education, said Tracy Dahlstedt, a licensed marriage and family counselor in Bellingham.

“There’s this perpetuation of fear that any information about sex, any information about that, is going to have a negative effect,” Dahlstedt told The Herald.

“Young people who are provided with a comprehensive foundation of knowledge in the area of sex and human relations have better outcomes,” including fewer unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and a lower rate of unhealthy personal relationships, said Dahlstedt, who has a background in public health and human sexuality.

“That’s not ‘grooming.’ That’s something people jump to and where I see a lot of opposition,” she said.

Knowledge is power

Mason ‘s critics are “stoking fear among people who are victims of sexual violence. It really makes me mad because they are exploiting victims,” she said.

“More information helps keep people safe and sets them up for better relationships throughout their lives,” Mason said.

“There are people across the political spectrum who do support sex ed and are looking for solutions to keep their kids safe,” she said.

Kids and sex

“Most adults are uncomfortable about sex and when it comes to our kids, it’s hard for us to think of that part of their lives,” Dahlstedt said. “Making something discussable, making it OK to talk about, makes it manageable.”

Dahlstedt said that attacking an issue without fully understanding it “is just a way of silencing” people.

“When we can’t discuss it, we create silence and shame and fear. So much of my work is about helping (couples) talk,” she said.

“What Jenn is doing, and what makes people uncomfortable, is acknowledging the amount of diversity and variation of how people are and how people express themselves,” Dahlstedt said.

“She is really open and inclusive and she knows that there’s more to the story than we’ve been taught,” she said. “To fight that and to resist that is not going to help us move forward in a world with more diversity.”