Satan is winning in Broward County—and the school board is screaming for mercy

The Satanic Panic comes full circle

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The following is a guest post by Chaz Stevens. He runs the company ESADoggy, which helps people who want “animal-assisted therapy.” He’s also running for mayor of Deerfield Beach, Florida.

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Remember the ‘80s when conservatives were screaming about a Satanic Panic in schools? They imagined dark rituals in the cafeteria, Ouija boards in the library, and kids sacrificing goats behind the bleachers.

Well, guess what? Now, they’re panicking once again over Satan.

And I’m the reason why.

For 30 years, I’ve been using malicious compliance to expose religious favoritism in government. I forced Florida lawmakers to accidentally weaken their own book-ban law, sent 3,000 Arabic “In God We Trust” signs to Texas and Louisiana, and now I’m taking on Broward County Schools for their unconstitutional religious bias.

Turns out, religious favoritism stops being fun when Satan shows up.

But let’s set the record straight:

I don’t believe in Satan as a creature; I said as much in a deposition. But like the cross to a Christian, Satan is the central conceit of my beliefs. When it comes to “Satanology,” I have religious fervor—not in the Prince of Darkness, but in the First Amendment. Because long after politics go blue, then red, then purple, the Constitution will still be here.

I’ve devoted my adult life to protecting it.

The Bible Ban that made Ron DeSantis retreat

Florida’s book ban was designed to silence “dangerous” books—the ones that talk about LGBTQ+ people, racism, or anything else that might make fragile conservatives cry.

So, I did the obvious thing: I demanded they ban the Bible, too.

Because, let’s be real:

• Incest

• Slavery

• Rape

• Dashing babies against rocks

If Gender Queer is “too explicit” for school, surely the Good Book deserves the same treatment?

Cue total meltdown.

School boards scrambled to explain why the Bible—despite all its R-rated content—should be exempt.

And guess what happened next?

DeSantis and his allies quietly rolled back parts of their own censorship law to ensure the Bible stayed on the shelves… and blamed it all on me.

The Associated Press asked DeSantis’ office for examples of liberal activists abusing the law and it provided one: Chaz Stevens, a South Florida resident who has often lampooned government. Stevens raised challenges in dozens of school districts over the Bible, dictionaries and thesauruses.

The change to the law “ensures that book challenges are limited for individuals, like Chaz, who do not have children with access to the school district’s materials,” DeSantis spokeswoman Julia Friedland said in an email. She didn’t reply to follow-up emails requesting more examples.

I’ll take that for the win! They played themselves.

The Broward schools’ smoking gun letter

Last year, I noticed that the Broward County Public Schools were allowing religious groups to advertise outside public schools using banners outside the buildings. So I asked them to put up my church’s banners, too, right next to the football field:

They never responded to me, so I kept the pressure on, and eventually the school board agreed… to take down the church signs. Equal treatment is equal treatment, but at least one of the churches had a problem given that they’d paid for their banner to be up for a full year and it was coming down after eight months.

In order to avoid a costly legal battle, last summer, Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn sent a response letter to Liberty Counsel (a far-right Christian legal group) attempting to settle the issue before it ever went further. He said the board would consider revising its policy and the district, “at its own cost,” would create a banner for the church that was suing and hang it up for a full year.

Let’s break that down:

• The school board was suggesting purchasing a religious banner with public funds.

• And giving a church free advertising for an entire year.

• All while telling me my religious expression wasn’t allowed.

With that level of unconstitutionality, you’d think they’d try to hide it, but no, they wrote it down for the world to see.

This wasn’t about “neutral” policies. It was about government-endorsed Christianity—and they just admitted it in writing.

That’s why I’m now taking my own religious freedom case to court. (The case later moved to federal court and survived a motion to dismiss. The case is currently heading to trial unless anything changes.)

Why this case matters to you

If I lose, here’s what happens:

• Government-endorsed religion gets even harder to fight.

• Christian messaging stays. Everything else gets banned.

• Folks will have a harder time challenging unconstitutional religious favoritism.

The hypocrisy is the point. They push these laws, assuming no one will force them to follow their own rules.

Well, I’m here to force them.

I recently filed intent to depose nearly 20 Broward school officials, in strong pursuit of (what I believe will be found) stunning religious discrimination. Those depositions, however, are expensive. I’ve asked several church/state separation organizations to help me take on this case and they have decided not to. I’ve prayed to all 3,000 gods and Satan himself—now I’m turning to you heathens.

You can donate here to help me keep this First Amendment battle going. Every dollar helps expose the hypocrisy and hold these public institutions accountable. I’ve won these battles before and generated countless headlines in the process.

Let’s keep it that way.

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Timothy “Chaz” Stevens is a relentless author, public speaker, and disruptor who uses creative, legally sound tactics to challenge government overreach, expose hypocrisy, and defend the First Amendment. Known for his provocative stunts and policy-driven activism, he has spearheaded national campaigns on religious freedom, book bans, and LGBTQ+ rights, earning widespread media coverage and legislative impact.

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