It was recently discovered that Herman Rowland Sr., chairman of Jelly Belly Candy, recently donated $5,000 to a cause that isn’t so sweet.

Rowland made a donation in September (which was just recently discovered) to Privacy for All Students, a group that strives to repeal legislation that gives transgender students in California access to the bathrooms, locker rooms, sport teams and other school facilities and activities that students are bound to by gender-identities.

In a letter posted on Buzzfeed, four leaders from different LGBT groups – the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Equality California – said that California was not the only state in the country with the law, and that the piece of legislature provides students with an environment that enables them to learn and grow as individuals.

Of course, Rowland’s donation is a drop in a bucket of water. He was not the biggest donor to the referendum effort. The largest donor so far is Sean Fieler, of Equinox Partners, who has given $150,000 to the effort. Pacific Justice Institute, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills and Larry Smith of MHI Real Estate all donated $10,000 each.

“While we understand that some people may have never known a transgender person and may have questions and concerns, the full and equal inclusion of transgender students does not infringe upon the rights of any person,” the four individuals wrote. “Unfortunately, the campaign to repeal the law has relied on extremely misleading scare tactics, misrepresents who transgender youth are, and advances hypothetical scenarios that haven’t occurred in the years that these types of policies have been in place in California and across the country. Repealing the School Success and Opportunity Act would only serve to hurt promising young students who are often already marginalized.”

Rowland’s actions are disheartening. With the recent inclusion of gender-neutral restrooms in Philadelphia’s city-owned businesses, the situation is polarizing to say the least. While we’ve seen same-sex marriage slowly gain momentum over the past few years, at times it feels like transgender rights are still lightyears behind.

It’s a sticky situation Rowland, who is already getting serious heat from several other LGBT publications and blogs. The letter asks Rowland to set up a time to meet in order to discuss the future of the policy, but as of press time, the chairman has yet to respond.