CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The president of the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees asked Place 1 Board Member Paul Blake to resign earlier this week, following Blake’s recent public comments regarding the LGBTQIA+ community.

Blake’s comments came during a candidate question and answer forum hosted by Trinity Fellowship Church on April 23, before the May 6, 2023, municipal election.

During that forum, a pastor asked candidates for public office several questions from audience members, including the following: “How do you plan to use your voice and influence to combat the transgender LGBTQ agenda using our schools as a vehicle for its purposes?”

Blake answered, saying schools need to stay in their lane while referring to the LGBTQIA+ community as the “alphabet community.”

“Some people may not think that’s correct, but that’s what I did and it incited a teacher at Randall to get up at a school board meeting and call me a bigot and demand that I resigned,” said Blake at the forum. “I mean, I am not a bigot. I’m not racist. I just don’t think the school board has any business in sex education or promoting a perverse, degenerate, demonic thing that’s from the devil because there’s nothing right. You know, it’s a mental issue. It’s not anything that we need to be dealing with in school.”

Then, during Monday evening’s Canyon ISD board meeting, Board President Bill Jenkins denounced Blake’s comments saying, “I find it highly offensive. I’m appalled by it. I’m embarrassed by it and I find it unethical.”

The board then heard public comments for an item on the agenda regarding the renewed commitment of the board of trustees to the mission of Canyon ISD.

After a public comment from several citizens, the board approved that item with a 5-1 vote. Blake voted against the measure.

Following the vote, Jenkins asked publicly for Blake’s resignation. He cited Blake’s comments and noted he had also declined a committee appointment.

“For those reasons, and for the reasons stated tonight, I find you unethical, unfit, and ineffective as a board member and I personally asked for your immediate resignation,” Jenkins said.

Blake was unopposed in the May 6, 2023, municipal election and was duly elected to his seat on the board of trustees. He declined our request for comment on this story.

We have also reached out for comment from Canyon ISD’s superintendent and the other board members, who have not responded to our requests.

At least two Change.org petitions have been created, one in support of Blake and another in opposition.