Depositions reveal how an Ohio school board’s hunt for LGBTQ+ ‘ideology’ began

This story, written by Ben Jodway, originally appeared on The Buckeye Flame.

Last February, the Little Miami School Board in suburban Cincinnati ordered a social studies teacher to remove a “Hate Has No Home Here” poster because it included images of LGBTQ+ and trans Pride flags, alongside other flags. Rather than remove the poster, the Little Miami High School teacher George McIntyre resigned from his job and sued the district for violating his First Amendment rights.

Depositions from the board president, superintendent, high school principal and an affidavit from a former teacher not only point to how the controversy started, but also to how the hunt for LGBTQ+ “ideology” has disrupted learning environments and could endanger students.

In the affidavit, a former Little Miami School District teacher said LGBTQ+ students are “often subject to sexual harassment, bullying, taunts, and slurs.”

“I believe that members of the LMSD School Board have demonstrated animus towards LGBTQ+ students,” the teacher said.

Here’s what we learned from reviewing the depositions.

Who told the school board about the poster?

McIntyre, the high school principal and school superintendent, each said in their depositions that they had never received a complaint about the “Hate Has No Home here” poster – which had been up for multiple years – prior to School Board President David Wallace’s first year on the board, and that Wallace was the only person ever to record a complaint about the poster.

Wallace said in his deposition he had heard complaints “from a few parents.” But he named only one person who complained: Silas Shelton, a local former pastor who pled guilty to multiple counts of sexual conduct involving a minor in April. He was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender.

“I believe he was the one that brought it to my attention … probably shortly after I got elected, if not during the campaign before I was elected,” Wallace said at the start of his deposition. At the end of the deposition, however, he said that “it may have not been [Shelton].”

Wallace also said he had problems with other displays in the school district, but the only ones he ever complained about were, in his view, related to the LGBTQ+ community. He said the “Hate Has No Home Here” poster was “sexuality content” because “the transgender flag and the Pride flag [were] predominantly displayed.”

“It’s when you put it with the sexual conduct and gender ideology that then I believe the message is being changed,” Wallace said.

“This does not have to do with the homosexuality,” he later said. “I guess these kids are so inundated with all this garbage, and I think parents need to be aware of what is being introduced to them in the classrooms on a daily basis.”

Board president’s history of disruptive behavior

Wallace first observed the poster in September 2025 while visiting Little Miami High School as a board member, he said. The superintendent and high school principal both recounted Wallace’s behavior during a visit in Fall 2025.

According to the school’s principal, Kevin Harleman, Wallace went to the high school to “conduct a building walk-through” after hours. He informed Harleman and Superintendent Regina Morgan of his visit, and said he would “not need any assistance.”

Morgan told Wallace that they would “follow the guest procedure today at check-in” and Harleman would escort him. Wallace replied that he wouldn’t need an escort, and showed up unannounced at the school.

Harleman did not know when Wallace would show up, he said. Wallace briefly waited for Harleman before conducting the walkthrough. Wallace then went to McIntyre’s classroom on his own and took photos while he was in the classroom.

Harleman met up with Wallace as the board president was leaving the classroom. After exiting, Wallace said his “intel was incorrect.” He said Harleman did not know what he meant.

The school administration was worried about a violation of students’ privacy if Wallace photographed a student whose parents requested to not be in any published photo or video. Harleman also said Wallace’s behavior was a “security risk.”

After this incident, Harleman said nothing was brought up about the poster or any other display-related issue until months later in January 2026. Wallace said this delay was because of the November 2025 election.

“Everything just kind of pumped the brakes until the new board took over,” he said.

What’s next?

The case essentially hinges on whether McIntyre was within his First Amendment rights to have the poster up in his classroom. McIntyre’s attorney, Joshua Engel, wrote in the motion that the depositions show McIntyre’s poster was him speaking as a citizen — not as a public employee representing the district — and it did not disrupt his class.

Engel filed a motion for the judge to rule on summary judgment, arguing that there is no reason to conduct a trial because the facts are indisputable and in McIntyre’s favor.

If the judge rules in favor of McIntyre, he will win the case. If not, the case will go to trial.

Engel declined to comment further on the lawsuit to The Buckeye Flame. The district’s lawyer, Omar Tarazi, did not respond to requests for comment.

Wallace, for his part, believes there are more displays to find.

“I’m a little afraid to walk through the building to see what I find until we can get this thing ironed out,” he said. 🔥

The Buckeye Flame is a newsroom dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ Ohioans to support community and civic empowerment through the creation of engaging content that chronicles their triumphs, struggles and lived experiences.