Teacher who told 5th grader with gay dads that 'homosexuality is wrong' gets perfect response from other students and school

The world has progressed a lot but same-sex couples still face a lot of stigma. The bigoted section of society continues to degrade homosexual couples, including the children they adopt to build a family. Daniel, a boy studying at the Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills, Utah, had an unpleasant encounter with a homophobic substitute teacher back when he was a fifth grader. The ABC News reported how the offensive incident took place in a classroom a week before the 2019 Thanksgiving. The substitute teacher had asked the fifth graders to share what they were thankful for and the students started answering one by one.

“I’m thankful that I’m finally going to be adopted by my two dads,” Daniel answered when his turn came, reported The Salt Lake Tribune. That was when the substitute teacher snapped at him and questioned, “Why on earth would you be happy about that?” The teacher started her monologue and controversial views on homosexuality, saying that "two men living together is a sin" and "wrong." She additionally told Daniel that there was nothing that he should be thankful for. At that point, Daniel's classmates came to his defense and three of the girls asked the substitute teacher to stop. When the teacher continued rambling, the three students walked out of the classroom to inform the principal.

Soon after, the substitute teacher was escorted out of the school as the authorities informed one of Daniel's fathers, Louis van Amstel. "She also tried to blame our son and told him that it was his fault that she went off," Amstel revealed in an Instagram video. "We are committed to having the best employees who care about all children in our schools, whether it be the teacher, the custodian, the secretary or a substitute teacher. When situations come up like this, we quickly investigate and take appropriate action. That was done in this situation," the Alpine School District's spokesman, David Stephenson, said and applauded the three girls who supported Daniel.

“He was so fearful that this could make us think that we don’t want to adopt him,” Amstel said, trying to hold back his tears in his video. “That’s definitely not going to happen. But this situation really hurt him. This person really hurt us.” Amstel's neighbors and the community came forward in solidarity after the incident made headlines. They even decorated the couple's house with paper hearts that had sweet messages written on them. A month after the incident, Daniel was adopted by Amstel and his then-husband Josh Lancaster — they are divorced now. The substitute teacher who had obtained the job through staffing company Kelly Services, was ultimately fired. In 2024, Amstel created a video on the YouTube channel, The LVA Podcast, detailing Daniel's adoption journey. 

People in the comment section of his Instagram video also came forward to voice their support and remarked how the teacher was straight-up disrespectful. @queenclaudiab commented, "I read your son's story about the sub. So, disheartening to have an adult treat a child like that. You have such a beautiful family and the love shows. Raising children is such a privilege." @jillerb1988 shared, "What a beautiful message and family. Thank you for being strong and bringing others joy during this difficult time." @amkvre added, "I just saw the video of you and your husband and son. Your son is so freaking awesome. How he stood up for all of you to the sub. Love his attitude in the interview. I love how his friends stood up to the teacher too. So happy she got fired. She doesn't need to be a sub if she is talking to kids that way."