October 26, 2019 at 12:50AM
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CASTROVILLE — Chris Anderson, a burly youth football coach in Monterey County, broke down and cried when he read about allegations that Wilcox High School football players chanted homophobic slurs at a male on the school's cheerleading squad.
The story, as he put it, struck a sensitive nerve.
One of Anderson's sons is an all-state football player at North Monterey County High. Another of his sons is a sixth-grade, nationally competitive cheerleader who has experienced the emotions of anti-gay taunts on an elementary-school playground.
Riley Anderson, 17, poses for a portrait in his bedroom in Salinas, California, on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. Riley is a strong safety on the North Monterey County High School football team. (LiPo Ching) For Anderson and his partner of the past five years, Flor Montejano, the Wilcox story paints a frightening picture as they envision what their 11-year-old son, Adrian, might encounter as he chases his dream of becoming a high school, college and NFL cheerleader.
"It was heartbreaking," said Montejano, Adrian's biological mother. "To see this happening, as a mom, it scared me a lot, to think that could possibly be our son."
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In a mixed family of nine children ranging in age from 6 to 20, Adrian gave flag football a try before turning to his true passion about three years ago.
He flourished as a cheerleader and now competes for Golden State Elite, a cheer and dance studio in Salinas.
"I guess I would equate it to putting your kid in travel baseball because the local little league wasn't very good," Anderson said. "That's what we did with Adrian. He's going to cheer in high school. His heart is set on it. He's going to cheer in college."
The passion began as Adrian sat in the bleachers at football games. Instead of focusing on the field, he watched the cheer teams.
"I just wanted to do it," he said, joy emanating from his voice. "I got to do something that I wanted to do for a long time."
Brent Bagley, a former president of the Alvarez Titans Youth Football and Cheer, remembers the transformation in Adrian when the boy stopped playing football and started to cheer for the Titans.
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He described Adrian as an "insanely good" cheerleader.
"I saw a whole new kid," Bagley said. "Once they let him try cheer, he totally came out of his shell. I have two daughters who did competitive cheer and dance for seven, eight years. I considered them great. But this kid is jump-off-the-stage electric. He is much, much happier than he would've ever been had he been forced to be a square peg in a round hole playing football."
Adrian's pursuit of his dream hasn't been filled entirely with claps and pompoms.
Anderson's biological daughter is in the same grade as Adrian and has come to her brother's defense against bullies.
She was suspended during the last school year for getting in a physical altercation after some boys called her brother gay, Anderson said, adding that his daughter's response was not appropriate.
"I am not a proponent of that," he said.
The taunting has tapered off this fall, perhaps because Adrian is now in the eldest grade at the school, Anderson noted. But the family worries that the bullying could resurface when the boy moves on to seventh grade.
"Do I have some fears about what's going to happen when he gets to middle school next year? I'd be lying if I said that I don't," Anderson said, "because you kind of reset the deck."
Montejano lauded her son for his courage and wished that she had his bravery.
She tells her boy that no matter what is said to him, he is loved.
"The first time they called him gay, they were chasing him around; he said, 'Yes, I am gay. Duh, I am always happy,'" Montejano said. "He doesn't think about stuff like that. He's so naive. My son, no matter how bad a day he can have by getting bullied, he will always have a smile on his face. That's the thing that kind of scares me because I don't want them to take that away from him."
Montejano's voice quivered as she made that comment. 
(LiPo Ching)
Adrian said of the bullying, "It just goes right through me."
Kyle Rush, Adrian's cheer coach at Golden State Elite, believes that Adrian's personality is strong enough to overcome taunts from bullies.
Still, there is a concern even as Rush has noticed more boys gravitating toward cheer and dance since the California Interscholastic Federation made cheerleading a competitive high school sport two years ago.
"I worry about that sometimes when it comes to Adrian because I know how words can hurt you," Rush said. "But Adrian is so comfortable with who he is that he doesn't mind what anyone says. I have no doubt that any words that you'll probably say aren't going to hurt him. He is someone that builds off of those type of things.
"He's definitely one-of-a-kind in our area. We're very lucky to have them at our studio. I am excited to see where he goes in his future because I've seen dance become his thing. This is what he does, this is what he wants to do."
Just as Adrian performs at a high level as a cheerleader, older brother Riley Anderson has made a notable impact as a safety on the football field for North Monterey County. As a junior last fall, he received all-state recognition by Cal-Hi Sports after averaging 15 tackles per game.
Riley said he is wholeheartedly behind his little brother's cheerleading pursuits and disappointed by the Wilcox allegations.
"People these days, this society, can be cruel sometimes," said Riley, who wants to play football and study criminal justice in college. "Honestly, I am very, very proud of my little brother. He is a strong individual going through all the conflicts in life. He's been shooting for a goal that he set out for himself and he's continuing it and not letting the distractions get in his way."
Emotional and angry when he read an account of the Wilcox allegations to Montejano on Tuesday afternoon, particularly the tweets from the male cheerleader, Chris Anderson used the story as a teaching tool for the middle school football team he coaches.
He had talked to the players about bullying and slurs a few weeks earlier, so the Wilcox story served as an extension of that conversation.
"Remember when we were talking about it a couple of weeks ago when we said we don't use these certain words because of this, that and another?" Anderson said he told the team. "Here is a real-world example of what happens when we can't control ourselves when we say things without thinking about it and the opinions that people then generate about you for making the poor decision of making a comment like that."
The Wilcox allegations stem from a pep rally last week in which a male cheerleader alleges that he was targeted with homophobic slurs. A change.org petition in support of the cheerleader, posted anonymously last weekend, had more than 7,300 signatures as of Friday morning.
The Santa Clara Unified School District asked the Santa Clara Police Department to investigate the matter, saying in a statement Monday, "We proactively work to create an environment that embraces diversity and we do not tolerate harassment or bullying of any kind."
The school district sent out a vague update Thursday night, noting that the investigation was complete and punishment, ranging from removal from athletics to suspension from school, had been doled out.
"Unfortunately, student privacy rights prevent us from being more specific," spokeswoman Jennifer Dericco said when asked for more details.
Montejano would like more transparency.
"We just have to stop being so judgemental and be more open-minded and accepting of one another," she said. "For coaches not to step up and say something, it's sad and very disturbing."
Click here if you're having trouble viewing the slideshow on your mobile device.
CASTROVILLE — Chris Anderson, a burly youth football coach in Monterey County, broke down and cried when he read about allegations that Wilcox High School football players chanted homophobic slurs at a male on the school's cheerleading squad.
The story, as he put it, struck a sensitive nerve.
One of Anderson's sons is an all-state football player at North Monterey County High. Another of his sons is a sixth-grade, nationally competitive cheerleader who has experienced the emotions of anti-gay taunts on an elementary-school playground.
Riley Anderson, 17, poses for a portrait in his bedroom in Salinas, California, on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. Riley is a strong safety on the North Monterey County High School football team. (LiPo Ching) For Anderson and his partner of the past five years, Flor Montejano, the Wilcox story paints a frightening picture as they envision what their 11-year-old son, Adrian, might encounter as he chases his dream of becoming a high school, college and NFL cheerleader.
"It was heartbreaking," said Montejano, Adrian's biological mother. "To see this happening, as a mom, it scared me a lot, to think that could possibly be our son."
SEASON PASS DIGITAL OFFER
If you have not already, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a digital subscription, which gives you access to all content on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories — and much more — to your screens. Here's where to sign up for the season pass: Mercury News, East Bay Times.
In a mixed family of nine children ranging in age from 6 to 20, Adrian gave flag football a try before turning to his true passion about three years ago.
He flourished as a cheerleader and now competes for Golden State Elite, a cheer and dance studio in Salinas.
"I guess I would equate it to putting your kid in travel baseball because the local little league wasn't very good," Anderson said. "That's what we did with Adrian. He's going to cheer in high school. His heart is set on it. He's going to cheer in college."
The passion began as Adrian sat in the bleachers at football games. Instead of focusing on the field, he watched the cheer teams.
"I just wanted to do it," he said, joy emanating from his voice. "I got to do something that I wanted to do for a long time."
Brent Bagley, a former president of the Alvarez Titans Youth Football and Cheer, remembers the transformation in Adrian when the boy stopped playing football and started to cheer for the Titans.
Click here if you're having trouble viewing the slideshow on your mobile device.
He described Adrian as an "insanely good" cheerleader.
"I saw a whole new kid," Bagley said. "Once they let him try cheer, he totally came out of his shell. I have two daughters who did competitive cheer and dance for seven, eight years. I considered them great. But this kid is jump-off-the-stage electric. He is much, much happier than he would've ever been had he been forced to be a square peg in a round hole playing football."
Adrian's pursuit of his dream hasn't been filled entirely with claps and pompoms.
Anderson's biological daughter is in the same grade as Adrian and has come to her brother's defense against bullies.
She was suspended during the last school year for getting in a physical altercation after some boys called her brother gay, Anderson said, adding that his daughter's response was not appropriate.
"I am not a proponent of that," he said.
The taunting has tapered off this fall, perhaps because Adrian is now in the eldest grade at the school, Anderson noted. But the family worries that the bullying could resurface when the boy moves on to seventh grade.
"Do I have some fears about what's going to happen when he gets to middle school next year? I'd be lying if I said that I don't," Anderson said, "because you kind of reset the deck."
Montejano lauded her son for his courage and wished that she had his bravery.
She tells her boy that no matter what is said to him, he is loved.
"The first time they called him gay, they were chasing him around; he said, 'Yes, I am gay. Duh, I am always happy,'" Montejano said. "He doesn't think about stuff like that. He's so naive. My son, no matter how bad a day he can have by getting bullied, he will always have a smile on his face. That's the thing that kind of scares me because I don't want them to take that away from him."
Montejano's voice quivered as she made that comment. (LiPo Ching)
Adrian said of the bullying, "It just goes right through me."
Kyle Rush, Adrian's cheer coach at Golden State Elite, believes that Adrian's personality is strong enough to overcome taunts from bullies.
Still, there is a concern even as Rush has noticed more boys gravitating toward cheer and dance since the California Interscholastic Federation made cheerleading a competitive high school sport two years ago.
"I worry about that sometimes when it comes to Adrian because I know how words can hurt you," Rush said. "But Adrian is so comfortable with who he is that he doesn't mind what anyone says. I have no doubt that any words that you'll probably say aren't going to hurt him. He is someone that builds off of those type of things.
"He's definitely one-of-a-kind in our area. We're very lucky to have them at our studio. I am excited to see where he goes in his future because I've seen dance become his thing. This is what he does, this is what he wants to do."
Just as Adrian performs at a high level as a cheerleader, older brother Riley Anderson has made a notable impact as a safety on the football field for North Monterey County. As a junior last fall, he received all-state recognition by Cal-Hi Sports after averaging 15 tackles per game.
Riley said he is wholeheartedly behind his little brother's cheerleading pursuits and disappointed by the Wilcox allegations.
"People these days, this society, can be cruel sometimes," said Riley, who wants to play football and study criminal justice in college. "Honestly, I am very, very proud of my little brother. He is a strong individual going through all the conflicts in life. He's been shooting for a goal that he set out for himself and he's continuing it and not letting the distractions get in his way."
Emotional and angry when he read an account of the Wilcox allegations to Montejano on Tuesday afternoon, particularly the tweets from the male cheerleader, Chris Anderson used the story as a teaching tool for the middle school football team he coaches.
He had talked to the players about bullying and slurs a few weeks earlier, so the Wilcox story served as an extension of that conversation.
"Remember when we were talking about it a couple of weeks ago when we said we don't use these certain words because of this, that and another?" Anderson said he told the team. "Here is a real-world example of what happens when we can't control ourselves when we say things without thinking about it and the opinions that people then generate about you for making the poor decision of making a comment like that."
The Wilcox allegations stem from a pep rally last week in which a male cheerleader alleges that he was targeted with homophobic slurs. A change.org petition in support of the cheerleader, posted anonymously last weekend, had more than 7,300 signatures as of Friday morning.
The Santa Clara Unified School District asked the Santa Clara Police Department to investigate the matter, saying in a statement Monday, "We proactively work to create an environment that embraces diversity and we do not tolerate harassment or bullying of any kind."
The school district sent out a vague update Thursday night, noting that the investigation was complete and punishment, ranging from removal from athletics to suspension from school, had been doled out.
"Unfortunately, student privacy rights prevent us from being more specific," spokeswoman Jennifer Dericco said when asked for more details.
Montejano would like more transparency.
"We just have to stop being so judgemental and be more open-minded and accepting of one another," she said. "For coaches not to step up and say something, it's sad and very disturbing."