This article quotes an alleged instance of hate speech. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources.

A federal grand jury indicted a California woman for allegedly threatening to bomb Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a Catholic all-girls school in Northwest Washington, D.C., over its decision to publish same-sex wedding announcements in its alumnae magazine.

Sonia Tabizada pleaded not guilty to federal charges of obstructing religious exercise by threat and transmitting bomb threats in interstate commerce at her hearing Jan. 3, according to court records. Tabizada will remain in jail until her Jan. 21 detention review hearing, at which the court will determine whether to detain her without bail.

Tabizada’s lawyer Carmen Hernandez wrote that at an initial appearance in court, a defendant ordinarily pleads not guilty, because at that stage the prosecution has not yet produced the evidence regarding the charged offense.

“Neither the defendant nor her criminal defense lawyer have had a sufficient opportunity to investigate the charges, research the law, nor discuss the events with the defendant,” Hernandez wrote in an email to The Hoya. “So it is prudent to plead not guilty.”

Tabizada allegedly left two threatening voicemails for the school two days after a May 13 letter to the school community from Visitation President Emerita Sister Mary Berchmans Hannan announcing a new policy to include all alumnae marriage announcements in the Visitation alumnae magazine, according to The Daily Beast. 

“Remove the f–cking gay motherf–ckers from your magazine, or I’m going to f–cking kill your kids,” she allegedly said in the first voicemail. “I’m gonna f–cking blow up the school and call it a mission from God. You guys are going to get terrorism within your f–cking school, motherf–ker. And you’re going to be guilty. And I warned you!”

Tabizada did not graduate from Visitation and has no known ties to it, a Visitation official told NBC News. 

Despite the threats, the fall 2019 issue of the school’s alumnae magazine featured announcements of same-sex marriages, according to Visitation Director of Communications Caroline Handorf.

“We did publish news of several same-sex unions in our most recent class notes, which were printed and distributed in December,” Handorf wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The school, located on 35th Street, was established in 1799 and is one of the oldest Catholic girls schools in the country. The decision to publish news of alumnae same-sex marriages came after reflection from school leadership on forging a more inclusive relationship with LGBTQ alumnae, according to Berchmans’ letter. 

“The Church is clear in its teaching on same-sex marriages,” Berchmans wrote in the letter. “But, it is equally clear in its teaching that we are all children of God, that we each have dignity and are worthy of respect and love.”

The announcement received some pushback from Visitation alumnae who viewed the school’s decision as a betrayal to Catholic community.

“In claiming a ‘contradiction’ between Church teaching and the gospel message of love, your letter betrays a deep misunderstanding of Catholic sexual teaching,” four Visitation alumni wrote in an open May 23 letter. “Catholic doctrine is intrinsically unified: The Church’s teaching on sex and marriage is of a piece with its teaching on the value of human life, the urgency of caring for the poor and marginalized, and the promotion of peace.”

In response, Berchmans, Head of School Dan Kerns and Principal Mary Kate Blaine sent a joint letter to the Visitation community May 31 reaffirming the school’s commitment to its Catholic identity.

“The editorial change to our magazine in no way lessens our fidelity to the Catholic values that have governed Visitation for over two centuries,” the letter obtained by The Hoya read. “It continues to be our firm belief that we can uphold Church teachings, while, at the same time, welcome all members of our community.”

The Catholic faith emphasizes that all members of the community should be accepted, according to the letter.

“As Catholics, we are blessed with both the richness of Church teaching and the abundance of the Gospel commandment of love. They are compatible and the fullness of our faith invites us to lives that embrace both,” the letter read. “It is God’s love that inspires us to ensure all members of our community feel equally valued and respected.”

Resources: On-campus confidential resources include Health Education Services (202-687-8949) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (202-687-6985); additional off-campus resources include The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth (866-488-7386).