3 Girls Walk Out After Teacher Attacks Boy's Gay Dads

Three fifth grade girls just proved that kids can be the best allies when adults fail.

Daniel was sharing what he was thankful for in his Cedar Hills, Utah classroom just before Thanksgiving 2019. When he told his class he was excited to finally be adopted by his two dads, his substitute teacher snapped.

"Why on earth would you be happy about that?" the teacher asked, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. She went on to tell Daniel that two men living together was "a sin" and "wrong," and that he had nothing to be thankful for.

That's when three girls stood up for their friend. They asked the teacher to stop, and when she kept going, they walked out of the classroom and went straight to the principal's office.

The substitute teacher was escorted out of Deerfield Elementary School that day. She was later fired from her position with Kelly Services, the staffing company.

Daniel's father, Louis van Amstel, a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars, was heartbroken when the school called. "She also tried to blame our son and told him that it was his fault that she went off," he shared in an Instagram video.

The worst part? Daniel worried the incident might make his dads change their minds about adopting him. "That's definitely not going to happen," van Amstel said through tears. "But this situation really hurt him."

The Ripple Effect

The community rallied around Daniel and his family in the most beautiful way. Neighbors decorated the couple's house with paper hearts covered in supportive messages.

The Alpine School District's spokesman David Stephenson praised the three girls who took action. "We are committed to having the best employees who care about all children in our schools," he said, confirming the district quickly investigated and took appropriate action.

One month after the incident, Daniel's adoption became official. Van Amstel and his then-husband Josh Lancaster welcomed him permanently into their family.

The girls who stood up that day showed something powerful: the next generation is learning to reject intolerance when they see it. They didn't stay silent when their friend was attacked, and they didn't wait for an adult to fix it.

Daniel got his family, his community showed up, and three brave kids reminded us all what real courage looks like.