“I see this as a political spectacle”: Tom Edwards dismisses resignation demands following new LGBTQ leadership position.

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Tom Edwards, a Sarasota County School Board Member, is standing firm against calls for his resignation following his new role as executive director of Project Pride SRQ, a nonprofit dedicated to LGBTQ inclusion and community programs.

Openly gay, Edwards commenced his position last week amidst growing controversy.

“I view this as another version of bullying that I’ve faced since joining the board,” he remarked, labeling the backlash as “political theater” and “hypocritical.”

Edwards maintains that his roles on the school board and within the nonprofit sector are distinct, asserting that many elected officials juggle multiple positions while regarding their school board responsibilities as part-time commitments.

The Sarasota County Republican Party has labeled his new job as “radical,” claiming it advances ideas “far outside the mainstream.” Party spokesperson Rod Thomson expressed concerns about a potential conflict of interest, as Project Pride SRQ aims to establish programs in local schools.

School Board Member Tom Edwards is a supporter of radical LGBTQ beliefs and has pushed them as a School Board member — completely out of touch with what the Sarasota County community of parents want. But now he has been named Executive Director of Project Pride SRQ, which consistently pushes ideas far outside the mainstream.
In his new role, Tom Edwards will have overt conflicts of interest. The press release announcing this new job said Edwards will work to establish multiple programs in the schools and after school to further this radical ideology rejected by the vast majority of Americans.
Tom Edwards can do whatever he wants in his private life. But this position leverages him as a School Board member to push programs in the public, taxpayer-funded schools of which he has enormous influence. He cannot hold this position and look out for the well-being of all students. He clearly is incentivized to prioritize a small minority.
We call on Tom Edwards to resign his School Board seat if he wants to be Executive Director of this organization. Holding both positions is antithetical to ethical behavior and harmful to public school students.

Republican Party of Sarasota County

Thomson elaborated, “If he was the executive director of a development company, that wouldn’t matter. The real concern is this organization’s goal to implement programs in schools, which creates a conflict as a board member.”

He highlighted that while other school board members have held outside jobs without issue, the key difference lies in whether those roles directly impact the educational environment.

This is not the first instance of conflict for Edwards regarding LGBTQ issues. Two years ago, he walked out of a board meeting due to what he described as homophobic slurs directed at him.

“I am the poster child here in Sarasota for the LGBTQ community,” Edwards stated. “The politicians keep bullying, and that’s precisely what Project Pride aims to address.”

Edwards insists he has no intention of resigning from either his school board position or his role at Project Pride SRQ.

The Sarasota County School District has declined to comment on the situation.

Article original publish date: 2025-08-15 00:00:00

Article source: www.wfla.com

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