Baker sends cookies to school authorities in protest against right-wing Christian politics
Meet Annie! She is one of two new therapy dogs at York Day Early Learning
Meet Annie! She is one of two new therapy dogs at the York Day Early Learning Center in York City, pictured here on Friday, August 2, 2024. The dogs will be at the center full-time beginning in September.
This year, Jessy Aumiou’xx watched with growing dismay as local school authorities pursued far-right policies that often aligned with a particular evangelical interpretation of Christianity.
Aumiou’xx, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” joined protests against the growing influence of the Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center, but wanted to do more.
She didn’t have to look for long.
“People definitely don’t realize how influential a few well-placed cookies can be,” they told The York Dispatch.
Aumiou’xx, who runs Sugar Anarchy Bakery in Mechanicsburg, plans to drop off cookies at school board meetings throughout September while sharing messages highlighting the influence of the ILC, the PA Economic Growth PAC and other issues often covered in the York Dispatch.
The initiative, which they have dubbed “Operation: Truth Bomb,” is funded in part by anonymous donors who can target their donations to specific school boards. Aumiou’xx hopes to bake enough cookies for all the board members and residents who attend these meetings, as a silent protest against recent book bans, censorship, and anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
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Such issues are very personal for Aumiou’xx. Her great-grandfather was separated from his family and forced to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a government institution that sought to integrate Native American children into white culture, including forcing them to convert to Christianity.
“My family has suffered and seen how religious pretense affects children in school,” Aumiou’xx said in a previous interview during a protest outside the West Shore School District office with her 9-year-old daughter by her side. “Religion in school has destroyed my culture and killed my ancestors.”
Last month, the Northern York County School Board suspended voting on adopting several anti-LGBTQ+ policies drafted by the ILC. A week earlier, the Dover Area School Board passed a policy restricting LGBTQ+ student athletes while also postponing voting on a pronoun policy.
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Earlier this year, the Dispatch reported that an influential conservative political action committee invited school board members from at least 12 school boards to quarterly meetings, the first of which was held in March. The board members were told not to bring more than four members to avoid violating Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act. They were also told they were not allowed to record the meetings, but the information would be shared with members who could not attend. The Independence Law Center and other items were also on the agenda.
Aumiou’xx wants to bring the truth about these groups to light and support those fighting for inclusion and more. To do this, the company is using cookie decorations that will be featured on the bakery’s social media pages. There will be three different shapes: a grenade, a torpedo-style bomb, and a “Mario-style” bomb.
The project launched last week and people took notice, donating nearly $500 to the bakery. Aumiou’xx has already received requests to deliver cookies to four school districts: Dover Area, West Shore, Cumberland Valley and Upper Adams.
Donations are broken down into four tiers and the donor receives some souvenirs in return. The first tier costs $10, which means three cookies go to a board and the donor receives an Operation Truth Bomb sticker. The next tier costs $20, which means the donor receives a sticker and six cookies from the September menu. The board also receives six cookies. The third tier costs $30 and gets the donor the souvenirs from the previous tier, plus a car magnet and a donation of 10 cookies.
The top sponsor, $50, is called the “Personal Vendetta Sponsor.” Donors receive everything from the previous tier and a t-shirt. The donation also provides 15 cookies for the boards.
The fundraiser runs until September 3rd.
To give context to the cookie decorations, Aumiou’xx also creates videos called “The Sugar Coat.” For example, on Monday they posted a video explaining their project. On Tuesday they posted a video about their research on the Independence Law Center.
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Aumiou’xx has provided links to news reports and other sources of information about the ILC on his bakery’s website.
When Aumiou’xx started their company in 2019, they targeted conservative politicians with cookies that highlighted their political positions. For example, several senators received cookies telling them to stay away from women’s wombs. In the wake of the North York After School Satanic Club controversy, they switched to Satan-themed cookies to support free speech.
But now the baker is focusing on school boards to inform people about what is happening in their school districts.
Aumiou’xx said the only reason they started watching school board meetings was because local residents were attacking them and their business. After all, they were supporting the Satanic Temple.
Now they realize that parents who don’t go to board meetings may not be aware of everything that’s happening in their district. For example, Aumiou’xx didn’t learn about it until a West Shore resident told them that the Cumberland Valley School District, where two of her children attend, had rejected gay actor Maulik Pancholy, who had been booked to give an anti-bullying speech at Mountain View Middle School. The board later retracted the offer.
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The baker hopes the videos and cookies will help inform other parents who may have missed what’s happening in their district if they didn’t watch the meetings or the news.
“As a nonbinary person, inclusivity is important to me, especially because my child also happens to fall into the LBGTQ category,” Aumoiou’xx said, explaining that it is important to maintain that inclusivity and for people to know who is pulling the strings in the districts.
Aumiou’xx is prepared for any setback, as their business has already been targeted. They have been suspected, harassed, and told they must be “driven out of the state.”
“Part of it,” Aumiou’xx said, “felt like my revenge, my personal revenge.”
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