When a Speech Becomes Bigger than the Words

Keeping a firm grip on the Constitution

Paulina Testerman’s speech at the February 6, 2024 Sarasota School Board Meeting was no longer about calling out the hypocrisy in Board Member Bridget Ziegler’s personal life. The cause and effect didn’t go as planned. It was Testerman’s hope and passion that by exposing false virtue, eyes would open wider that Ziegler is wholly disqualified to continue on with her role.

Testerman had no foreboding that her microphone would be turned off and as things went south, that she would be bellowing loudly: “I hope that you are not putting yourselves in the crosshairs of a lawsuit when you are making sure that people’s voices are muted here. You should know better.”

Ziegler is a former power player in anti-LGBTQ+ school policies throughout the state of Florida and taking that nefarious and hateful agenda nationwide. Her reputation and muscle came crashing down after learning that Ziegler is herself, a closeted member of the LGBTQ+ community.

This, along with a sex tape of her having sex with another woman, was found on her husband Christian’s phone during a Sarasota Police Department investigation of an alleged rape he committed. The police couldn’t find enough evidence to press charges, but a proposed felony charge of video voyeurism still hangs over his head.

The disgraced Florida GOP Chair was quickly voted out of his role, while his wife either resigned or was forced to resign from her position from the far-right organization The Leadership Institute. The operation she helped found, Moms For Liberty, distanced themselves from her.

The scarlet letter that she expertly painted on non-cis students resulted in creating an unsafe atmosphere of potential bullying. If these students didn’t want a target on their back, they would have to remain quiet about who they are. The “Don’t Say Gay” legislation enforced this with teachers K- 12 no longer being able to discuss gender within a classroom setting.

There is no safe place in Florida schools for students coming into their own self-expression. Students see condoned bigotry and homophobia, instituted by the adults in the room. Isolation, invisibility and punishment are the goals. This is certainly not conducive for “every student, every day” which is touted in the Sarasota Public School System.

Ironically, an elderly woman at a school board meeting said: “There weren’t any gay kids back in my day,” completely oblivious that students back in the 1950’s had to hide who they were. Or, excuses be damned, this was her tacit approval of such a straitjacket and ignorant, passe views on kids who simply yearn to be who they are openly.

When one is in a position of power to reinforce these peculiarities, they’re dangerous to the physical and mental well-being of an already marginalized community. This is Bridget Ziegler, who still serves on the school board, espousing how optimistic she is about the future for students, while not apologizing or even acknowledging the harm she caused.

Doubling down, she states that she wasn’t asked to resign from the Central Florida Oversight Tourism Board. This is a Governor DeSantis-appointed board that originated in retaliation to Disney’s objection of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, that Ziegler helped develop. The irony or gaslighting in this defense is Ziegler’s go-to playbook.

Testerman is a 47 year old, self-described empath with two students in the Sarasota Public School system.

During the first school board meeting after the news broke of the Ziegler debacle, Testerman noticed that the newly elected board chair, Karen Rose, was muting and censoring the public comments. In an attempt to avoid a lawsuit against the district, Testerman emailed the board chair on 12/11, forewarning Rose of the risk she was taking whenever she muted a microphone.

Dear Mrs. Rose,

During the last school board meeting, one of your first actions in your newly appointed role as board chair was to censor a speaker during public comments. You turned off the microphone of speaker Robin Williams & you infringed upon her first amendment right.

While the incident may have slipped under the radar of most, I worry that this may be your standard approach. Moreover, I worry that you are not knowledgeable enough on the rights of public speakers & that this may create a situation where our board may be opening themselves up to a lawsuit. I assure you, you do NOT want to censor me. I know my rights. If I wanted to live in a communist country that limits free speech, I would have stayed in Poland. 

I recognize that this is a double-edged sword. While we all want decorum & civility in the boardroom, the first amendment makes it crystal clear that citizens are allowed to hold their elected officials accountable & they do not have to be respectful, kind or supportive. While I personally strive to walk the tightrope of accountability, I support both sides of the aisle if they choose to be more aggressive in their approach.  Being an elected official is no picnic, but if you can’t handle being held accountable, then maybe the life of a public servant isn’t the one for you. . .

I am concerned about your general lack of knowledge when it comes to the law & how that may negatively impact our district and open us up for financial loss. At the very least, I believe that you owe Robin Williams a public apology & assure us that you now understand the rules & will be more mindful of them. I encourage you to speak with our board attorney to better understand the law & your limits. 

Yes, tomorrow is inevitably going to be a three-ring circus, but make sure that you remember who the ringleaders are. The ringleaders are the school board members who drag politics, drama & scandal to the forefront. Tomorrow’s speakers are simply the spotlights who shine a disinfecting light on the corruption & lies & debauchery.  

In a glaring disregard for the email, Testerman did not receive a response.

At the February 6 meeting, while citing facts verbatim from the Police report, Testerman’s speech was cut off and Rose called for a recess.

When the meeting recommenced, Rose told Testerman that she had two minutes remaining and to please not attack any board members personally. Testerman said she would resume her speech as written. When she did, Rose again muted her mic. Amid audience protests, Rose reprimanded:

“I will empty the chamber if outbursts continue. This is a formal warning.”

With the mic still not turned on, Testerman explained, “I just yelled like a lunatic, because I wanted to make sure that the community could hear my words. I shook like a leaf, but I just kept yelling.”

On the YouTube channel, Testerman can be heard begging for leadership. “Please someone lead. Mrs. Rose, show some integrity.” Repeatedly she stated she would wait until the mic was turned back on. “I’ll wait until I get my three minutes.” She continued:

“Everyone’s voice matters, Mrs. Rose. Not just what you want to hear or what fits your narrative.” Addressing the school board attorney, he - along with the rest of the board - remained quiet. It was Ziegler who finally spoke.

“Since the personal attacks are addressed at me, I’m alright with her continuing to speak,” Ziegler stated. Rose then directed Testerman to finish, allowing her the time allotted and ordering the microphone back on.

Testerman later described her refusal to have her “rights trampled on”.

“My family fled communism & applied for political asylum when I was 5,” she began. “I remember the level of fear that my family felt when they would call their family back in Poland who still lived under communist rule. We were careful what we would say on the phone calls because we knew that our family could get in trouble if anyone spoke too casually.

“When my mic was muted, I was really in disbelief. I replayed what I had said to make sure that I hadn’t personally attacked anyone. I also ran through the Rolodex of rules & knew that Mrs. Rose was inventing a rule that was neither in the policies nor the procedures. I’ve read both as I’m a stickler for following the rules. Mrs. Rose needs to be more familiar with what she can & cannot enforce. Respect is earned, not demanded.”

A speaker later, Sebastian Martinez, a graduate of Booker High School stated he had to change his speech, accounting Rose’s “absolute cowardice and spineless leadership”.

“You have no damn business being an American elected official if you can’t handle accountability; if you censor and mute - MUTE - public comment that you don’t agree with.” In Spanish, Martinez compared Rose’s leadership to that of a Communist.

---

The Ziegler’s have ramped up their defense, attempting through new attorney Matthew Sarelson to claim they are victims, per Marsy’s Law. This served as an attempt that no further phone records be disclosed to the public, as the claim is Ziegler is a victim of false accusations by the woman who claimed rape. The Sarasota Police Department did follow up that no charges against the alleged victim would not be pursued.

What further information that the Ziegler’s don’t want out publicly could possibly be the forced resignation of Ziegler and her school board position that the public and Testerman has been demanding.

At a Press Conference held today, Gov. DeSantis is still focusing on books being removed from Florida schools. In a continued obsession with Culture Wars, which derailed his aspirations to be the Republican nominee for President of the United States, DeSantis said that some classrooms covering the titles of books was political theatre. The removing of books and covering books with brown Kraft paper weren’t necessary.

I can’t imagine a teacher choosing politics over their students. Books were removed out of fear. DeSantis removed math books, so anything could be game. This is why parents like Testerman are attending school board meetings in droves.

Ziegler

Reflecting on the moment when her mic was turned off, she states:

“People treat you the way you let them treat you. They can’t claim to care about our constitution while refusing to respect citizens’ first amendment rights. I stood my ground because I was born in a communist country & if I wanted that kind of government, I would have stayed there. I appreciate & respect the tenets of our constitution & plan to fight for my rights. Don’t run for political office if you don’t know what you can & can’t enforce. They can mute me, but I will yell to make sure that the community can hear me. I don’t need a mic.”

---

Coming up in the next DearBubbie: The Wrong Words in Dealing with Friends Who Have Cancer. Also this month on a lighter note, we speak exclusively with Bobby - Kathy Griffin’s #1 Fan.