Mesa residents have rallied around a local teacher, pooling more than $19,000 to push back against the rising tide of online smears targeting LGBTQ+ people in education.
The effort began last October at Brick Road Coffee in Tempe, when co-owner Gabe Hagen talked with longtime customer and Mesa elementary school teacher Tami Staas. Staas, who is active in transgender youth advocacy, was preparing to file a defamation lawsuit against several people, including two conservative blog and opinion writers who had accused her online of “sexual grooming” students — allegations a judge recently ruled could move forward to trial.
“Teachers don’t make a ton of money,” Hagen said. “So, in conversation with her, that’s where the idea came from — what if we just used that roundup feature we have at Brick Road to create a community fund?”
Since then, customers at Brick Road and Empower Coffee Roasters in Mesa, which Hagen also co-owns with his husband Jesse, have been rounding up their purchases at the register to contribute to what’s being called the LGBTQ+ Teacher Legal Defense Fund. More than 9,000 small donations have poured in — most averaging about $1.50.
“Every month I’m writing almost $2,000 checks to support this lawsuit and to support this teacher that doesn’t make enough to actually defend her rights,” Hagen said. “It does give me hope … it shows that there’s space for more businesses to do this as well.”
The lawsuit has become a flashpoint in Arizona’s education and political climate. Earlier this summer, a judge dismissed two defendants, ruling their comments were protected opinion. But the court found that allegations by two others — including claims that Staas was “grooming” students — could be read as defamatory. That portion of the case is moving forward.
For Hagen, the fund isn’t just about one lawsuit — it’s about giving community members a direct way to act.
“One of the things we hear is that people feel helpless and they want to help, but they don’t always know how,” he said. “I’m not a rich business owner. But I have a community of people who are over it, and they want to support someone who is deeply respected in our community.”
The plan, Hagen said, is for Staas to reinvest any recovered legal fees back into the fund, building a reserve that could one day support other teachers facing similar attacks.
“Right now, it really only sustains this one case,” Hagen said. “But the hope is that we’re able to convert this into an ongoing fund that can continue to support teachers.”
Donations can be made at the register at both Brick Road Coffee and Empower Coffee Roasters, or online at Brick Road’s website.
