Wednesday, April 17, 2024

'Told you so' moment regarding book ban is latest embarrassment for 'culture warrior' Ron DeSantis


Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

While many eyes are on Donald Trump's trial, former presidential candidate FL Gov Ron DeSantis is facing another embarrassment which comes from laws he pushed while hyping himself up as a conservative culture warrior. DeSantis pushed for certain laws in an attempt to get the GOP presidential nomination. Now that the road to the White House has been cut off from him (at least for now), Mr. "Never Back Down" is actually backing down.  And with rapid speed.

From The Associated Press:

Two years ago, Democrats repeatedly and forcefully warned Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis that a new law making it easier to challenge schoolbooks was so broadly worded that it would create havoc across the state. 

Now they can say, “I told you so." 

 DeSantis backtracked on the 2022 law on Tuesday when he signed a bill narrowing its focus. He blamed liberal activists for abusing the law, not the citizens whose objections to certain books account for the majority of book removals from school libraries and classrooms. 

 “The idea that someone can use the parents' rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” DeSantis said the day before the bill signing. “That’s performative. That’s political.” 

 But the organization which has been fighting DeSantis over this book bans, PEN, told the Associated Press that it's actually conservative groups like Moms for Liberty who have been "abusing the law." 

 “The majority of books that we see being removed are books that talk about LBTQ+ identities, that include characters of color, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the most broadest interpretation of that understanding,” said Kasey Meehan, Pen America's Freedom to Read program director.

Those challenges are being made by conservative individuals and groups such as Moms For Liberty, Meehan said. 

 According to the article, DeSantis's office provided one name as proof that the law was being abused by "liberal activists" - man by the name of Chaz Stevens who made challenges in several school districts claiming that the Bible iis obscene. However, Florida Democrat House leader Fentice Driskell disputed that claim. He told the Associated Press that DeSantis was warned in 2022 that the law would be abused. 

 “We told him so. The Florida House Democrats on the floor — in our debate, in our questioning — pointed out the vagueness in the original law and how it could be subject to abuse,” she said. “Chaz is not the problem. It's the folks who are taking liberties with the law who are the problem.”

DeSantis's backtracking on book banning is the second time he has backed away from a position he adopted in an attempt gain the GOP nomination.  In March, a lawsuit settlement practically gutted the centerpiece of his political narrative, i.e. the infamous "Don't Say Gay" law. DeSantis tried to claim that the settlement was a victory for the law, but others pointed out that it actually eliminated the law's most powerful element - it's vague wording.

According to The Tampa Bay Times:

DeSantis and others who backed the legislation insisted repeatedly that they had no intention of stopping discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in schools. Their goal, they said, was to eliminate what they called gender ideology. They did not provide clear definitions, though, nor did they offer detailed guidelines explaining what is and is not allowed in classrooms. 

Some claimed that not providing clear definitions or guidelines was a deliberate intent of the law. While it didn't offer clear instructions, but the penalties for breaking it were made very clear. This caused a lot of fear and confusion:

The critics claimed the result was a chilling effect that led teachers to stop talking about children’s families, remove books relating to LGBTQ+ characters and themes from their shelves, and to pull back support for LGBTQ+ students. As part of their defense, lawyers for the state pushed back against the allegations that the law lacked clarity. The settlement, announced by lawyers for the plaintiffs, took those arguments and made them real.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Trans youth and athletes win temporary but important court victories in West Virginia, Ohio, and New York



While the country's attention seems to be somewhere else (ugh), the trans community, particularly our trans kids and athletes, received three court victories on Tuesday. While they are temporary for now, each victory is of vital importance.

A federal appeals court has ruled that transgender students in West Virginia may play on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In a landmark decision on Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a West Virginia law that prohibited transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams, deeming it a violation of Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in education. The Associated Press reports that this ruling impacts the case of 13-year-old Becky Pepper Jackson, who has identified as a girl since the third grade and is undergoing puberty-blocking treatment. 
 According to the AP, in February 2023, an interim court decision prevented the state from barring Jackson from her middle school track and field team under this law. Judge Toby Heytens, in his ruling, emphasized that the so-called choice between not playing sports or playing on boys’ teams offered no genuine option. 

“B.P.J. has been recognized by her community and legally changed her name, and West Virginia has issued a birth certificate listing her sex as female,” Heytens wrote, supporting the view that denying her participation in girls’ teams was discriminatory.

 Lambda Legal, representing Becky, highlighted the discriminatory nature of the law. “West Virginia’s effort to ban one 13-year-old transgender girl from joining her teammates on the middle school cross country and track team was singling out Becky for disparate treatment because of her sex,” said Lambda Legal staff attorney Sruti Swaminathan. “That’s discrimination, pure and simple, and we applaud the court for arriving at this just decision,” she added.

 . . . The ruling reflects broader national debates and legal battles over transgender rights in sports, healthcare, and public accommodations. This decision aligns West Virginia with states like Arizona, Idaho, and Utah, where similar bans have been temporarily blocked, while states like Alabama and Texas continue to enforce such prohibitions. 

 The other victory has to do with a temporary block on Ohio's law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. From USA Today: 

 An Ohio judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked an impending law that would restrict medical care for transgender minors in the Buckeye State. The decision came weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the state on behalf of two transgender girls and their families. The measure prevents doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers, or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. Attorneys contend the law violates the state Constitution, which gives Ohioans the right to choose their health care.

 “Today’s ruling is a victory for transgender Ohioans and their families,” said Harper Seldin, staff attorney for the ACLU. “Ohio’s ban is an openly discriminatory breach of the rights of transgender youth and their parents alike and presents a real danger to the same young people it claims to protect.” 

 The legislation was set to take effect on April 24 after House and Senate Republicans voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. Proponents of the bill contend it will protect children, but critics say decisions about transition care should be left to families and their medical providers. 

And finally, a victory for trans athletes in New York. 


 A federal judge has opened the door for New York State Attorney General Letitia James to challenge a Nassau County executive order barring trans girls from participating in girls’ sports in Nassau facilities. District Court Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury summarily dismissed a lawsuit against James from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican official elected in 2021 and the architect behind the anti-trans policy. Blakeman’s suit attempted to stop James from being able to challenge the order. 

 “The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said in March. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.” 

 The order doesn’t just affect trans girls. It also impacts over 100 athletic facilities throughout Nassau County, according to Newsday, since trans girls and women are now banned from participating on women’s teams at those sites. Groups looking for permission to use Nassau County facilities like swimming pools, football fields, and basketball courts must “expressly designate” the team members’ “biological sex at birth” as male, female, or coed.
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Saturday, April 13, 2024

Franklin Graham decries Nazi concentration camp, gets reminded about his anti-LGBTQ comments and support of Donald Trump

 Folks who follow this blog know how much I despise Franklin Graham. From his vile comments about the LGBTQ community to his basic hypocrisy in supporting Donald Trump, there are a plethora of reasons why I think he represents just how far Christianity in America has fallen.

And just like Trump, there is no bottom when it comes to stooping for Graham. Case in point is the following recent tweet:

Using the suffering of Jewish people to encourage folks to embrace Christianity doesn't seem to be in good taste. Since I am not Jewish, though, I don't think it's my place to decipher Graham's intent in that respect. 

However, the basic hypocrisy of Graham's comment stands out. Gays suffered persecution during the Holocaust, including at Auschwitz. And over the years, Graham made some rather awful comments about gays. He's even praised world leaders who have cracked down on gay people in their own countries. In 2015, Graham praised Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin for passing laws which strip Russian gays of their basic rights:

I have met (Obama) on several occasions. He’s a very nice person. But he supports and promotes policies that contradict the teachings of God. As a Christian I believe that abortion is murder, he supports it. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage — those are sins against God, and the president is promoting them. I’m not against homosexuals as people. But God commanded that marriage should be between a man and a woman. And I very much appreciate that President Putin is protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda. If only to give them the opportunity to grow up and make a decision for themselves. Again, homosexuals cannot have children, they can take other people’s children. I believe that President Obama (and I’ll repeat, he’s a very nice person) is leading America down the wrong road. He’s taking a stand against God.

This was pointed out to Graham by some of the folks responding to his tweet about Auschwitz:


Other responses to Graham's tweet brought up his unwavering support of Donald Trump and convenient silence when Trump has lied, made bigoted comments about various groups of people, and implied desires of wanting to be a dictator:

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Thursday, April 11, 2024

When people whine about 'wokeism,' this is what they really mean

 It always amazes me when I hear some folks gripe about having to deal with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and basic other bigotries nowadays. I understand their exhaustion with it all, but it's still an incredibly naive opinion. 

Bigotry has been with us from the beginning and it's not going anywhere. It's simply human nature to feel fear and superiority against something you don't or won't understand. And it's relatively easy to be manipulated into believing that the unknown thing facing you is trying to hurt you.

The only thing society has progressed in when it comes to bigotry is developing new ways to disguise it. The cartoon strip below from the webpage The Devil's Panties illustrates this point rather well. 

When we hear people whine about wokeism, this is probably what they're actually disturbed about.



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Tuesday, April 09, 2024

Federal judge blocks FL anti-trans law, Nebraska legislators turn against their own anti-trans bill & other Tue/Wed news briefs




Federal judge blocks teacher pronoun restriction in Florida, citing First Amendment - A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Florida education officials from enforcing a law requiring a transgender teacher to use pronouns that align with her sex assigned at birth, saying the law violated her First Amendment rights. 


 Nebraska state Senator John Fredrickson is the first out gay man elected to the state legislature. Now, he has another feather in his cap. After an impassioned speech in opposition to a bill that targeted transgender youth, two of his colleagues changed their minds about the legislation that they had co-sponsored. The measure did not pass out of committee after they did. 

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report - The quicker Elon Musk gets dragged down, the better the world and the online community will be.



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Sunday, April 07, 2024

Right-wing social media 'influencer' mocked and proven to be a liar during failed attack on gender-neutral bathrooms

Morgonn McMichael is a right-wing social media 'influencer' who humiliated herself while trying to create a controversy about gender-neutral bathrooms.


Morgonn McMichael considers herself a "social media influencer" out to change the world and become famous while doing it. However, as a recent incident proves, she's nothing more than a desperate engagement-hungry ambulance chaser eager for attention, even if that attention includes widespread ridicule.

 From The Huffington Post:

A right-wing social media influencer was ridiculed and fact-checked after melting down over a gender-neutral bathroom at Kansas City International Airport. In a video posted on X, Morgonn McMichael filmed herself walking into the restroom, complaining that it was a “crazy” concept. “I hate this,” she says in the clip. “I have never seen an all-gender bathroom. I am not going in here.” 

 That would be this video right here:

However, the HuffPost said, folks who answered her back weren't sympathetic to her:

 But as commenters noted, she had no need to use the bathroom if she didn’t want to. A reader context note was added to the bottom of McMichael’s post, pointing out that there are gender-specific bathrooms available in addition to the gender-neutral one. The bathrooms are in the new terminal of the airport, which opened in February last year. 

The facilities were built under a policy supported by the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission. Justice Horn, chair of that commission, replied to the post personally.

 “First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too,” he wrote. “Finally, don’t use my community to create fake outrage―it’s sad.”

Horn was nice compared to other responses McMichael received. Aside from the Community Notes calling her out, other comments condemned her sad attempt at clickbait.
 

In her attempt to defend herself from the barrage of ridicule, McMichael later tweeted that she had never seen an all-gender restroom before.

 

McMichael was lying. She had done the same stunt in San Francisco in October 2023. And folks pulled out the "receipts."

 

As delightful as it is to mock McMichael, it's also a sad realization of how conservative operatives create chaos. They manufacture false hysterias by exploiting people's fears and ignorance. In this case, McMichael tried to simultaneously exploit people's ignorance and all-gender bathrooms and the false fear that trans women actually predators seeking to trap cis women and girls in intimate situations. She failed only because folks called out her out quickly and decisively. 

But unfortunately, McMichael isn't the only conservative doing this. There are many clout-hungry right-wing ghouls like McMichael attempting to replicate her action. And in an age when even proving yourself to be a fool gets you clicks, we are all going to have to fight much harder to stamp it out. Or at least contain it.

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Thursday, April 04, 2024

Media Matters: 'Expose' on trans healthcare organization filled with misinformation but amplified by media who didn't fact-check its errors




Media Matters just published an article regarding what appears to be an attempt to undermine gender-affirming healthcare on a large scale:
  
 Networks owned by the largest local TV station owners in the U.S., and mainstream outlets including The Washington Post and Newsweek, recently amplified a deeply flawed report by anti-trans activists. The outlets also failed to fact-check its misinformation or provide context for the extremists behind it. The report was covered widely by anti-trans figures and outlets, and some Republican state legislators are already using the report to call for expanding restrictions on gender-affirming care. 

 On March 4, anti-woke blogger and former California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger announced the release of “The WPATH Files,” a collection of leaked forum posts from an internal message board for members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The group is the leading body providing clinical guidance for medical professionals on gender-affirming care, and a frequent target of anti-trans activists.

The report included a loose collection of out-of-context clinical observations paired with inaccurate and editorialized commentary. An independent review from medical news outlet STAT described claims made in the report as false and oversimplified.

Specifically, as discussed by journalist and researcher Erin Reed, the report cites research that comes either from biased sources or is well over a decade old, with newer research refuting the claims. The report makes verifiably false claims about gender-affirming care and the commonality of detransition. Leaked material is inaccurately characterized throughout the report, and at other times, the content was presented without context, allowing readers to misinterpret what was said in the chat logs. 

The report was the product of behind-the-scenes collaboration between Shellenberger and Genspect, an anti-trans activist group that promotes conversion therapy and bans on transition care for adults. The report’s analysis was written by Mia Hughes, who has an extensive history as an anti-trans writer and acted as a spokesperson for an organization that supports conversion therapy for trans youth.

The article goes on to show how this expose gained traction in the news media who failed to adequately check its veracity. Feel free to read and share it. It underscores how war on the trans community and gender-affirming healthcare seems to be more intricate and deeper than the past attacks against the gay community but just as dishonest and deceptive. And unfortunately, members of the media became unintended co-conspirators.

Image above courtesy of Erin Reed.



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