Category: Children / Kids / Minors / Teens / Family

Ron DeSantis promotes the “purity culture” of Christian Nationalism

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/ron-desantis-promotes-purity-culture-christian-nationalism/

The truth is DeathSantis and his ilk want to erase the LGBTQ+ and insure that only straight white Christians are the default and the only acceptable representation in society.   They do not want inclusion, diversity, or even the tolerance of others different from them.   This is about having the white straight homogenous society they think the 1950s had where white straight men were just assumed to be in charge having all the authority and say in society while those who were not straight white men were expected to know their place or not be seen in decent society.   Ask why the republicans and the right wing media are so against general respect for others that are different from them?  Not talking acceptance, but the right / republicans are going full speed on not even showing respect for anyone or anything different from them.   They have shown they can not tolerate much less respect anyone who has political differences from them.  They attack in mass anything said by a democrat regardless of what it is.   They have become so tribal that they will soon attack those with different hair colors in their own groups.    They make a mockery of the term land of the free.   This is a great short read.   I ask how just letting kids know there are gay kids, gay people, and same sex families with children is sexualizing them but letting kids know that straight kids, straight people and opposite families is not sexualizing kids?   That makes no sense.  Gay or straight are still sexual orientations that exist and are legal.   If reading about two boys or two girls holding hands is indoctrination so is reading about a boy and girl holding hands.    Hugs

Anti-wokeness is anti-awareness, and that is DeSantis’ intent.
 
Commentary by  
ron-desantis-libs-of-tiktok-raichik-dont-say-gay-christina-pushaw
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)Photo: Shutterstock

By his own admission, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has attempted to prevent residents, schools, and corporations in Florida from becoming actively attentive to important societal facts and issues – especially issues of racial and social justice. This is clear in his rhetoric and support surrounding the state’s so-called “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act.”

In addition to demonizing Latinx and Black immigrants coming from the U.S. southern border and using their bodies as props to promote himself and his far-right agenda, DeSantis and Republicans in the state legislature passed the Stop W.O.K.E act to supposedly provide businesses, employees, children, and families the legal means of opposing alleged “woke indoctrination.”

The bill bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other discussions around the country’s racial history in schools, and it also bans diversity and inclusion training in corporations.

During his second inaugural address on January 3, DeSantis declared, “We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional.” And then he pledged, “We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die.”

In his statement and actions, DeSantis is not allowing reality, facts, and truth to enter the public sphere.

DeSantis is not only criminalizing discussions of race and racism, but he is also preventing Florida residents from actively attending to important facts and issues of sexuality and gender as well.

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, a large van from the Broward County Florida public school department drove up in front of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale. In the van, Broward County school officials had filled boxes of children’s books on LGBTQ+ themes taken from county classrooms and school libraries for donation to the museum.

While county officials claimed the donations were the result of their attempts to clear shelves and office space for the accumulation of other subject matter, it is no mere coincidence that Florida’s so-called “Parental Rights in Education” law, referred to by opponents as the Don’t Say Gay law, was to take effect weeks later on July 1, 2022.

Passed primarily by Republicans in the state legislature and signed into law by DeSantis, the new law reads in part: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

Florida has positioned itself at the tip of the spear to cut and bleed to death school curricular materials on topics of race, gender, and sexual identity, but most schools, as reproductions of the larger society, function on an overarching system of racism, heteronormativity, and other forms of oppression.

A December 2022 progressive political panel in Denver titled “Straight White American Jesus” (after Podcast of the same name) focused on the topic of white Christian nationalism in the United States.  Speakers discussed the major components of Christian nationalism: “innocence” in history and “purity culture.”

Sara Moslener, a lecturer in religion at Central Michigan University, asserted that these concepts of “innocence” and “purity culture” are often located in white Christian nationalism, stemming from colonial history when whiteness was coupled with freedom and innocence.

“The innocence that is connected to white racial identity has been a… delusion that has worked really well in giving white people a sense of specialness, a sense of ‘we have something in common with one another,’” she said. “There is this sense that we are innocent of all of these things, and white Christian nationalism says: Well, this was all part of God’s plan.”

Moslener continued by explaining the concept of “purity culture,” taken from conservative evangelical Christianity, which opposes abortion rights and homosexuality and adheres to traditional gender roles and sexual abstinence before marriage for women. She claimed that this is also foundational to Christian nationalism. This “purity culture,” is mainly about “evangelicals gaining political power.”

“White Christian Nationalism is steeped in myths of national innocence and this idea that the founding of the United States was a God-anointed beginning,” Moslener said. And this is connected as a movement by a unified commitment to a social order of a shared theology of family, and a shared perception of gender roles, sexuality, and gender expression.

Katherine Stewart, an investigative journalist and author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism who was also on the panel said of Christian nationalism, “It’s not a single religion, it’s both an ideology – a set of ideas — and it’s also a political movement – an organized quest for power.”

“Many politicians have tried to ally themselves with this ideology to promote it,” Stewart said, citing Ron DeSantis, who identified himself with this ideology to gain votes in his political campaigns, and now it seems in his quest for the White House.

So, as DeSantis and the growing number of politicians and state and national conservative caucuses push for similar “anti-WOKE,” “anti-CRT,” and “anti-LGBTQ+” regulations and laws in the schools, as well as restrictions on diversity and inclusion discussions in businesses, their not-so-hidden agenda is intended to bring the nation closer to the patriarchal white Christian nationalist ideals attempted in other Fascist movements.

Power-hungry autocrats understand that an informed awake populace increases the chances of mass challenges to their authority, as history has clearly shown. But if the white power structure can severely restrict and downgrade the education of people they deem outside this structure – people of color, non-Christians, non-cisgender, and non-heteronormative individuals – then they believe their domination will be assured.

However, allowing free and age-appropriate discussions of the “hard” history connected to race and racism unmasks this Christian nationalist myth of “white innocence.” And free and age-appropriate discussions of topics around sexuality and gender knock out of the water the propagation of their invention of some sort of “purity culture” destined by God.

Anti-wokeness is anti-awareness, and that is DeSantis’ intent.

Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution

https://popular.info/p/florida-teachers-told-to-remove-books

Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other “unvetted” book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing advocacy groups, that teachers and librarians are using books to “groom” students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies. 

Kevin Chapman, the Chief of Staff for the Manatee County School District, told Popular Information that the policy was communicated to principals in a meeting last Wednesday. Individual schools are now in the process of informing teachers and other staff.

Teachers in Manatee County lamented the news on social media. “My heart is broken for Florida students today as I am forced to pack up my classroom library,” one Manatee teacher wrote on Facebook. 

 

Another Manatee teacher called the directive “a travesty to education” that interfered with efforts to “connect with books and develop [a] love of lifelong learning.” 

 

In an interview with Popular Information, Chapman said that the policy was put into place last week in response to HB 1467, which was signed into law by DeSantis last March. That law established that teachers could not be trusted to select books appropriate for their students. Instead, the law requires:

Each book made available to students through a school district library media center or included in a recommended or assigned school or grade-level reading list must be selected by a school district employee who holds a valid educational media specialist certificate, regardless of whether the book is purchased, donated, or otherwise made available to students.

In Florida, school librarians are called “media specialists” and hold media specialist certificates. A rule passed by the Florida Department of Education last week states that a “library media center” includes any books made available to students, including in classrooms. This means that classroom libraries that are curated by teachers, not librarians, are now illegal. 

The law requires that all library books selected be:

1. Free of pornography and material prohibited under s. 847.012.

2. Suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented.

3. Appropriate for the grade level and age group for which the materials are used or made available

Chapman says that school principals in Manatee County were told Wednesday that any staff member violating these rules by providing materials “harmful to minors” could be prosecuted for “a felony of the third degree.” Therefore, teachers must make their classroom libraries inaccessible to students until they can establish that each book has been approved by a librarian. 

In response to the policy, some teachers packed up their classroom libraries. Others covered up the books students are no longer allowed to read with construction paper. 

 

Restoring student access to classroom libraries is a complex process. First, someone must cross-check each book in their classroom library with the district library catalog. If the book is available in the district libraries, that means it was approved by a media specialist and can be made available to students again. But any book not currently held in the district libraries must be individually evaluated and approved by a librarian. 

And that’s just the beginning. Materials prepared for an upcoming Manatee County School Board meeting include a 21-point list of procedures to ensure that classroom libraries comply with the new rules. 

As a result, one Manatee teacher reported being forced to take Sneezy the Snowman and Dragons Love Tacos off the shelves pending review. Other teachers, fearing criminal liability, are telling students not to bring in “unvetted” books from home:

 

Chapman said he was not aware of teachers being told specifically to prohibit students from bringing books from home but, as a policy, “all materials we use in a classroom are all state approved.”

One high school teacher in Manatee County told Popular Information that they would not comply with the new policy. The teacher has spent the year carefully curating books donated by parents or sourced from their personal collection. “I’m not taking any books out of my room,” the teacher said. “I absolutely refuse.” The teacher spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing that speaking out about the policy could put their job at risk. 

Librarians in Manatee County are now expected to review thousands of books in classroom libraries to ensure compliance with the new law. Manatee County has 64 public schools and 3,000 teachers, many of whom maintain classroom libraries. Chapman said that every school in Manatee County has a media specialist but that the process could take a while because it is “one person” and “they are human.” Any book approved for K-5 students must also be included on a publicly available list. 

Similar policies will be implemented in schools across Florida. Some Florida schools do not have a media specialist, making the process even more cumbersome. 

That review must also be consistent with a complex training, which was heavily influenced by right-wing groups like Moms For Liberty and approved by the Florida Department of Education just last week. Any mistake by a librarian or others could result in criminal prosecution. This process must be repeated for any book brought into the school on an ongoing basis. But librarians and teachers are not being provided with any additional compensation for the extra work. 

Stephana Ferrell, a co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said the new policy followed “a pattern of fear-based decisions that prioritize staying in good favor with the Governor over doing the right thing for our students.” Ferrell said she blamed “the Florida Board of Education that passed this rule change last Wednesday without an ounce of consideration for its impact.” Now, “thousands of students are without classroom access to fun and engaging literature.”

Ironically, Manatee County is making thousands of books inaccessible to students just in time to celebrate “Literacy Week” in Florida, which runs from January 23 to 27. Only about 50% of students in Manatee County are reading at grade level. 

“Err on the side of caution”

 

Popular Information asked Chapman if Manatee County librarians and teachers were expected to remove books that violated the Parental Rights In Education Act, known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay” or the Stop WOKE Act, which limits classroom discussion of racial issues. Chapman did not answer the question directly, saying only that librarians are expected to apply the “specialized training for media center specialists” approved last week by the Florida Department of Education. That training, Chapman says, includes “new definitions of inappropriate material.”

The Parental Rights In Education Act prohibits all instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” in K-3 classrooms and instruction in other grades that is “not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” But the law applies only to “[c]lassroom instruction by school personnel or third parties” — not library books. Similarly, the Stop WOKE Act is limited to classroom instruction. 

The teacher training approved by the Florida Department of Education, however, does not inform librarians that the Parental Rights in Education Act and Stop WOKE ACT do not apply to library books. Rather, librarians are told: “There is some overlap between the selection criteria for instructional and library materials.” One slide says that library books and instructional materials cannot include “unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination.” 

 

A subsequent slide provides a list of “unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination,” which includes information about “sexual orientation or gender identity.” It also includes a variety of topics related to race, including “Critical Race Theory” and material that might make someone feel “guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress” as a result of their race. The training instructs librarians to “err on the side of caution.” 

As Popular Information reported earlier this month, Manatee County schools have already removed several books from school libraries because they contain LGBTQ characters or themes. 

This interpretation of the law runs directly counter to the arguments the DeSantis administration is making in court. In federal court filings, lawyers representing DeSantis insist that the Parental Rights in Education Act does not apply to library books. Nevertheless, the DeSantis administration, through its media specialist training, is encouraging a much more expansive interpretation of the law. 

Dad designs line of swimwear for trans girls named after his own daughter

https://www.today.com/parents/dad-designs-swimwear-transgender-girls-daughter-t206361

So now something so much more impressive and wanted to talk about.   Grand dad.    I love what this dad did for his trans daughter and other trans girls but it shouldn’t be such an issue in the first place.  Why some people are so hurtful and angry to those who are different from them I don’t understand.  Medical science has determined that gender identification that differs from assigned sex at birth is a real medical condition, and that affirming that gender identification is the best medical practice.   That is a fact.   Medical science and biologist have determined that sex is not binary but it is a spectrum.   That also is a fact.  To deny these facts is the same as denying evolution or to insist the earth is only 6 thousand years old.    Hugs

After watching his own daughter Ruby, then 12, struggle to find bikini bottoms that made her feel both comfortable and confident as a transgender girl, Toronto dad Jamie Alexander decided to solve the problem himself.

Alexander created a clothing brand, Rubies, with the specific goal of producing form-fitting clothing for transgender children up to a size 20. His first product: the Ruby Shaping Bikini Bottom.

Though he told TODAY Parents Ruby was drawn to high heels, Disney princesses, and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video as early as age 3, Alexander and his wife Angela were not sure at first whether her preferences meant anything significant about her gender. After all, who doesn’t love Beyoncé?

 

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With the help of their local public school system, the Alexanders gave their child space and support to figure out if she identified as male, the gender she was assigned at birth, female, or neither. By grade 3, it became clear she knew the answer.

But as Ruby grew into adolescence, Alexander noticed that transgender girls have one specific issue when it comes to fashion: finding bikini bottoms they could confidently wear in public — that can “magically turn a pointy poker into a dainty dune, no tucking required,” as the Rubies website explains.

“An item of clothing like Rubies swimwear can be a total game-changer for transgender and gender-creative children,” said Jessica Herthel, co-author of children’s book “I Am Jazz” with transgender activist Jazz Jennings.

“Being able to do something that most of us take for granted — namely, to go swimming without fear of being stared at or teased, or even targeted — can give a child a feeling of normalcy and belonging,” said Herthel.

Alexander, an entrepreneur and veteran of the tech start-up world, developed the swimwear with Ryerson University’s tech start-up incubator The DMZ, where he had access to a fashion accelerator and a garment engineer.

“Everything I saw was heavily branded just to trans people and had a quilted pad in the front. They didn’t look like normal bikinis,” Alexander said. “I wanted to create a garment that looks and feels like a regular bikini and a brand that resonates with kids, not just trans kids.”

He interviewed 50-60 different families he found in Facebook groups for parents of transgender children to see what they were looking for in swimwear. “The best businesses are ones that solve real problems,” Alexander said. “I knew we had a problem, but I didn’t know if everyone else did.”

His designer made a prototype bikini bottom using spandex on the outside with a mesh liner that is able to gently compress and “pull things in” without causing discomfort. Alexander sent samples to 25 families in North America and Australia in December 2019 to solicit feedback. “The key was, they had to functionally work,” he said.

Now, after finding children who have bought the bikini bottoms are wearing them as underwear because they make them feel so much more confident, Alexander is expanding the company to include real underwear made with a cotton fabric.

His goal, he says, is to make the lives of trans children like his own daughter better — and more unremarkable. “I want to focus on the positive stories about these kids and normalize them,” Alexander said. “They’re just kids. That’s how people need to see them.”

Herthel said the fact the swimwear line was developed by the father of a trans kid makes Rubies all the more inspiring. “The world needs more dads like Jamie Alexander who don’t just accept their children’s gender, but celebrate it,” she said.

 
 

Mom creates nonprofit for trans teens to get new wardrobe for free

https://twitter.com/Scottiestoybox/status/1616438971428667395?s=20&t=XAsgjv83z1GmgdbLT0W6Bw
 
 

Randy sent me some thought provoking tweets.

You should go to the actual tweet and read the comments.   Hugs

Why do kids need guns made for them?   They seem to do well with adult guns at shooting people.  But seriously everyone understands that kids emotional control and reasoning ability are limited.   Some adults never grow out of those limitations.  Again the comments are all over the map.  Hugs

I just started to follow this guy above on YouTube.   He has a veery reasonable take on things and is easy to understand.   Hugs

https://www.youtube.com/@TizzyEnt

The story below is amazing because it took kids to figure out something the adults should have seem a long time ago.   Grand kids.   Hugs

Let’s talk about school lunches….

New Arkansas Bill Could Ban White Chicks, Mrs. Doubtfire & Mulan?

Indiana Toddler Filmed Wielding Loaded Gun [VIDEO]

Indiana Toddler Filmed Wielding Loaded Gun [VIDEO]

Every gun owner is a legal gun owner until they are not.    The argument that gun safety laws only punishes the good gun owner trying to protect their home and family.   But the truth is every gun that was in some illegal used started out as a legally bought gun by someone.   Hugs

Yahoo News reports:

January is not even over, but this weekend’s On Patrol: Live aired what may end up being the most shocking TV moment of the year.

At the beginning of Saturday’s episode of Reelz’s law enforcement docuseries, police in Beech Grove, Ind. responded to reports of a diaper-clad child roaming the halls with a firearm at a local apartment complex.

When the officers arrived, they spoke to neighbors who had reported seeing the toddler with the gun, which he pointed at them, prompting them to retreat inside and call police immediately. The police then questioned the boy’s father, who denied having a gun in the home.

Read the full article.

 

Cackalaquiano4 hours ago

But let’s talk about how dangerous drag queens are for kids

Lestat3 hours ago

I’ve heard of the infantry but this is ridiculous.

Elagabalus4 hours ago

There’s your “Pro-life” at work.

thatotherjean4 hours ago

Of course Dad said he didn’t have a gun in the house. His toddler son was walking around outside with it in his hand. /s

Ragnar Lothbrok4 hours ago

Maybe he’s a good toddler with a gun?
Yes, that must be it

Fearsome Beard Ragnar Lothbrok4 hours ago

He was practicing to stop the mass shooter at the pre-school.

JackFknTwist4 hours ago

It’s all about the availability of guns.
There’s no other issue.
And for that availability I blame Scalia as much as the NRA.

marshlc4 hours ago

Shitty parenting all around. That kid is too little to be wandering around outside his apartment without an adult, but is also too big to be wearing diapers. Too lazy to toilet train their kid.

Bruno4 hours ago

How can anyone with half a brain call this a great country?

BartmanLA5 hours ago edited

I saw this on On Patrol Live on Saturday it was horrific to see this kid walking around pulling the trigger on the gun pointing it at random people, the father was totally responsible and LIED about his access to the weapon, he was arrested for child endangerment and also felon in possession of a gun. Thank god the gun while the clip was loaded there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber so the gun could not fire, if the kid had been able to figure out how to “rack” the gun to load a bullet it would have been much much worse.

BartmanLA TrollopeReader5 hours ago

He knew he shouldn’t have had the gun, initially when the police asked to search the apartment, he granted them access, but they found the gun inside a closed rolltop desk, which was obviously his attempt to hide it, he didn’t answer the door immediately so the police assumed he was secreting the weapon. He also claimed it belonged to his brother and he sometimes left it there when he didn’t think he should be carrying it around. The police knew it was suspect and kept searching and once they found it, that started the process of identifying him, contacting Child Services and eventually his arrest, the child was turned over to his grandmother who also happened to live in the same apartment complex, but was warned that DCS would be contacting her about the eventual disposition of the child’s welfare.

Dan BartmanLA4 hours ago

We were watching it live too and I was pissed off for the neighbors who told the cops what happened only for them to say, “Call us if it happens again since we don’t have proof” and they only stopped halfway out the door because another neighbor came out with their Ring doorbell footage.

Harveyrabbit 🐱6 hours ago

Not the only one.

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Republican wants to expand definition of “child pornography” to make it easier to ban LGBTQ+ books

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/republican-wants-expand-definition-child-pornography-make-easier-ban-lgbtq-books/

I cannot get over the fact that there are people today in 2023 that think just the mention of LGBTQ+ or any depiction of LGBTQ+ characters in books or movies is obscene.   And by this womans definition of “Child Pornography” any depiction of sex in any media even if it only depicts adults is classified as child porn.   Why are right wingers so afraid of sex between consenting adults and why won’t they accept the science that says kids are born / know their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Young people don’t read a book about LGBTQ+ people or watch a movie with an LGBTQ+ character suddenly becoming gay or trans.  If that was the case every kid who watched cartoons would be trans and gay just from watching Bugs Bunny, who while being associated with the male gender often dressed as a woman and kissed a lot of guys.   This is like people who believe in a flat earth or in young earth creationism, it defies all the science and advancement in medical science.    Hugs

“Reasonable people everywhere recognize these books as obscene and reasonable people do not want their money used to subsidize obscenity.”
 
By  
November ‎7, ‎2019 Santa Cruz, California - Various books by different authors for sale at Bookshop Santa Cruz
Photo: Shutterstock

A freshman lawmaker from Wyoming has already begun efforts to remove LGBTQ+ books for youth from both school and public libraries in the state.

Republican Rep.-elect Jeanette Ward has introduced House Bill 87, which expands the definition of “child pornography” to mean “any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, cartoon, drawing, computer or computer generated image or picture, whether or not made or produced by electronic, mechanical or other means, or any other form of depiction of explicit sexual conduct.”

The bill also repeals a law that gives exemptions for those who “possess or disseminate obscene material” for activities related to schools, universities, colleges, museums, and public libraries.

Based on this definition, many books that provide sexual health information to youth would be banned, along with several books that help LGBTQ+ youth learn about their identities.

“Not requiring tax payers to pay for obscenity is reasonable and just,” Ward told the Casper Star Tribune. “These books will continue to be available in the marketplace, but not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Reasonable people everywhere recognize these books as obscene and reasonable people do not want their money used to subsidize obscenity.”

According to the Tribune, Ward, herself, has passionately advocated for the removal of two LGBTQ+ books from a high school library in her district – speaking at multiple school board meetings against the acclaimed graphic memoir Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and a trans resource guide called Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.

Ward also helped members of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty get elected to the Natrona County school board. Moms for Liberty members have been running for school board positions across the country as part of the right-wing effort to shift schools toward a more conservative ideology.

On boards where Moms for Liberty is in control, curricula is likely to exclude LGBTQ+-inclusive and anti-racist education.

In Florida, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, himself, helped Moms for Liberty members get elected to local school boards. The newly seated members repaid DeSantis by ousting school officials who dared defy his orders against school mask mandates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ward’s bill in Wyoming currently has 13 Republic cosponsors. If it passes, it will go into effect on July 1st.

 
 

Florida lawmakers consider extending Don’t Say Gay law up to sixth grade

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/florida-lawmakers-consider-extending-dont-say-gay-law-sixth-grade/

What the right is claiming is any discussion of gay, trans, or same sex couples is sexualizing kids.    Even talking about the existence of same sex families and of gay / trans kids in class is harmful to kids.   It again is the Russian model and it is easier to pass regressive restrictions on society if you claim it is to protect kids.   We all want to protect kids, but the truth is the right only wants to protect straight white Christian kids.  The rest are going to hell anyway and might even have demons in them.   This will not stop until they get what they want, a regressive white straight Christian state that enforces their view of religious values.   Rufo has admitted the goal is to make New College over in the image of a deeply conservative Christian school, and use it as the model for all education systems.   And they are coming for the entire country unless people wake up and fight against them now.  Oh and the point is to indoctrinate the kids and then the public in the deeply right republican mode of how society must be without exceptions.   the indoctrination they claim they are fight the left over is inclusion, diversity, and tolerance of others.   That is something the right is fighting with all they have.  They cannot have acceptance or even tolerance of those different from themselves.    We must not let them win this fight and become the US Taliban.    Hugs

A DeSantis staffer often expresses his belief that “the purpose of our education system is to educate kids, not indoctrinate kids.”
 
By  
Gov. Ron DeSantis
Gov. Ron DeSantisPhoto: Shutterstock

The office of Florida Gov. DeSantis (R) has confirmed that the anti-LGBTQ+ governor is supportive of extending the stipulations of the state’s Don’t Say Gay law – known formally as the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Right now, the law bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity up to third grade, and a staffer for the state’s Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R) told The Daily Mail that lawmakers are thinking about introducing legislation to expand the law up to sixth grade.

In a press conference in December, Passidomo expanded on this, saying that she doesn’t think she’d “be supportive of high school because kids in high school are, hopefully, a little more mature, or at least they should be, but you know, the middle school, maybe go up to 6th grade or something like that.”

DeSantis Press Secretary Bryan Griffin then said that “The governor would certainly consider the merits of such a bill in final form if it comes to his desk as a product of the forthcoming legislation session.”

Griffin said DeSantis often expresses his belief that “the purpose of our education system is to educate kids, not indoctrinate kids.”

In addition to banning classroom instruction on LGBTQ+ issues up to third grade, the law as it currently stands also requires in vague terms that discussions on the topic in older grades be “developmentally appropriate.”

Instead of defining those terms, the bill allows parents to sue schools if they believe the law was violated.

DeSantis’s support for increasing the age range for the Don’t Say Gay law is not a surprise, as he has made it clear he is virulently opposed to protecting LGBTQ+ students.

In December, it was revealed that DeSantis helped members of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty get elected to local school boards in his state.

An educational anti-censorship expert says this development is part of DeSantis’ plan to shift his state’s schools toward a conservative ideology. With Moms for Liberty in control, curricula will exclude LGBTQ+-inclusive and anti-racist education.

And more recently, DeSantis appointed the far-right anti-LGBTQ+ activist Christopher Rufo to the board of trustees of the New College of Florida – a school with a reputation for being progressive and queer-friendly.

Rufo told the New York Times the board is planning a “top-down restructuring” of the school that will involve designing “a new core curriculum from scratch.”

“If we can take this high-risk, high-reward gambit and turn it into a victory,” he said, “we’re going to see conservative state legislators starting to reconquer public institutions all over the United States.”

 

Revelations | Short Film

At a religious summer camp, Joey meets and falls for a boy named Adrian. In an environment that he realizes might not accept him for who he is, Joey must decide if it’s worth it to tell Adrian how he truly feels.