Parents protest graphic art course exposing teens to abortion and transgender themes
Parents in Central California are demanding explanations after a dual-enrollment art class showed students as young as 14 graphic abortion imagery and explicit transgender-related displays.
A summer dual-enrollment art class titled “Art 2 Introduction to Visual Culture” at Reedley College exposed Sanger High School pupils, ages 14 to 18, to a provocative exhibit named Wo/Manhouse 2022. The show included a statue of a bleeding woman with a coat hanger, breastfeeding imagery beside a cow-milk sculpture, and a bathroom labeled “Trans Bathroom” with signage about testosterone injections. Explicit phrases such as “DON’T FORGET FOREPLAY” and “ENCOURAGING BANNERS FOR ORGASMS” were also displayed.
Parents in the district voiced strong objections, prompting a response from Superintendent Dennis Weichmann, who emphasized that the college determines the course content and that families need sufficient information to decide on participation. The exhibition commemorated the 50th anniversary of a feminist art installation first opened in 1972. Instructor Jose Soria describes his work as drawing on personal memories and religious imagery, noting his background as a former closeted bisexual. The dual-enrollment program allows high-school students to earn college credit at institutions such as Fresno City College and Clovis Community College.
Why it matters
The controversy raises questions about age-appropriate curriculum and parental oversight in school-college partnership programs.
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