CNN’s Elle Reeve spoke with Darcy Schoening, the Moms for Liberty chapter chair in El Paso, Colorado. Reeve asked Schoening if she thinks there is a high-level, coordinated effort to make more children become gay or transition, and she said yes. Reeve asked who she thinks is behind that effort. Schoening said, “Teachers’ unions and our president, and a lot of funding sources.” Reeve followed up, “Why would they want more kids to be gay and trans?”
Great dogs that love gravy. This is purely pushing their Christian religion and they admit it by refusing to prohibit proselytizing to vulnerable kids. Think if you were a parent of a different faith or no faith? Ask why it is only Christian chaplains allowed in the bill? Why do the religious leaders need no qualifications, but everyone else does? This is simply the end run of the Christian nationalist to make every school a Christian school, forcing their faith on every child possible with the backing of the force of law. You know that Christians wouldn’t tolerate it if a different faith was allowed to do this. You know this is because they can not stand secular proven fact driven studies in schools, which they have been trying to overthrow since evolution began to be taught. This is outright religious indoctrination and attempting to force themselves on to every family that has a child in PUBLIC schools. Again this is not about religious schools, but public schools where kids of families of different faiths and no faith go. As I am preparing this post I am listening to a video of a trans girl who went to school all her Jr / Sr high school years as a girl accepted by all the students. She was prevented from going to her graduation unless she dressed like a boy. She refused, and a trump appointed judge backed up the school. So this girl missed her graduation and another cis girl was told to change out of pants and wear a dress or she couldn’t walk on stage during graduation to get her diploma. Think on that people, the second girl couldn’t wear pants. 1950s stereotypes here we come. Hugs.
Speaking to state lawmakers last month, Rocky Malloy argued that putting unlicensed religious chaplains in schools could prevent youth violence, teen suicide and teacher burnout. And he rejected concerns that school chaplains might use their access to recruit kids to Christ.
Chaplains “are not working to convert people to religion,” Malloy, the head of the National School Chaplain Association, told the Senate Committee on Education. “Chaplains have no other agenda other than to be present in relationships, care for individuals and to make sure everybody on campus is seen and heard.”
What Malloy didn’t mention was that, for decades, he has led another group that promotes school chaplains as a tool for evangelism. Malloy is the founder of Mission Generation, which had been open about its desire to proselytize in schools.
The Texas Legislature has passed a bill that would allow schools to employ chaplains in addition to school counselors, with Republicans overriding objections by Democrats to send the proposal to the governor’s desk.
The bill will permit school districts to hire chaplains who, unlike school counselors, are not required to be certified by the State Board for Educator Certification. A version of the bill already sailed through the state Senate last month.
“I worry that this bill will lead to Christian nationalists infiltrating our public schools and indoctrinating our students,” Democratic Rep. James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, told Religion News Service. The chief sponsor of the bill in the House, Rep. Cole Hefner, refused to amend the bill to bar proselytizing,
A key supporter of a push to allow unlicensed chaplains to be placed in schools has rejected concerns that they might use their access to recruit kids to Christ.
But for decades he’s led a group that promotes school chaplains as a tool for evangelism.https://t.co/9Yd6WF3qn9
Recruiting children to their brand of snake oil — grooming, if you will — is the whole bleeding point of this law. Republicans would not be pushing it if they could not use it to indoctrinate kids.
“…chaplains who, unlike school counselors, are not required to be certified by the State Board for Educator Certification”
I’m guessing these “chaplains” also get to sneak into the schools without a criminal records check? And given this is happening in a neo-confederate red state, I’m guessing that, if not now then certainly later on, they will be empowered to take disciplinary action against LGBT+ kids without regard for the school’s regular processes?
They don’t give AF about keeping kids safe. The ONLY reason they want chaplains in schools is so they can be groomed and indoctrinated into their KKKristian cult.
I originally posted this from The Washington Post but I understand many couldn’t read it. I will add the original post here because Frank had a great comment on it. But I want everyone to realize the heartbreak of this family, the expenses they were forced to incur, and the risk to the woman’s life who had a child already who could have lost his mother, all due to some republicans on the right demanding to make the medical decisions for this woman and her family. They were forced to give birth to a child who couldn’t live risking the woman’s life, give that child a name, and then under law bury that child with all the emotions / exspeces that goes along with all of that. I cried reading this the first time, and I cried hard reading it the second time. I wonder if the radical fundmentlist religous right that forces this cry at all when they read it? Out of respect I wont color any of it as all of it is serious and important Hugs.
Frances Stead Sellers,Thomas Simonetti and Maggie Penman, (c) 2023, The Washington Post
·9 min read
Nobody expected Baby Milo to live for long.
He arrived in the world with no kidneys, underdeveloped lungs and a life expectancy of between 20 minutes and a couple of hours.
He lived for 99 minutes.
Milo Evan Dorbert drew his first and last breath on the evening of March 3. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law.
Deborah Dorbert discovered she was pregnant in August. Her early appointments suggested the baby was thriving, and she looked forward to welcoming a fourth member to the family. It didn’t occur to her that fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a half-century constitutional right to abortion would affect them.
A routine ultrasound halfway through her pregnancy changed all that.
Deborah and her husband, Lee, learned in late November that their baby had Potter syndrome, a rare and lethal condition that plunged them into an unsettled legal landscape.
The state’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation has an exception for fatal fetal abnormalities. But as long as their baby’s heart kept beating, the Dorberts say, doctors would not honor their request to terminate the pregnancy. The doctors would not say how they reached their decision, but the new law carries severe penalties, including prison time, for medical practitioners who run afoul of it. The hospital system declined to discuss the case.
Instead, the Dorberts would have to wait for labor to be induced at 37 weeks.
For the next three months, the Dorberts did their best to prepare for their second son’s short life. They consulted with palliative care experts and decided against trying to prolong his life with high-tech interventions.
“The most important thing for us was to let him know he was loved,” Deborah said.
The day before Milo was born, the Dorberts sat down with their son Kaiden to explain that the baby’s body had stopped working and that he would not come home. Instead, some day, they told Kaiden, they would all meet as angels. The 4-year-old burst into tears, telling them that he did not want to be an angel.
Without functioning kidneys, a fetus with Potter syndrome cannot produce the amniotic fluid that allows the lungs to expand and that cushions the growing body. The babies who survive until birth typically have contracted limbs, club feet and flattened features from being compressed against the uterus wall.
But after Deborah’s 12-hour labor, Milo turned out to be 4 pounds and 12 ounces of perfection, with tiny, flawlessly formed hands and feet and a head of brown hair.
– – –
“When he came out you could hear him gasping for air. He was really trying to breathe. … He didn’t cry when he was born and he didn’t open his eyes at all. But I mean, he struggled.” – Deborah Dorbert
– – –
“I thought I had my miracle,” said Peter Rogell, the baby’s grandfather, who attended the delivery. He allowed himself a moment of hope until the obstetrician cut the umbilical cord that for 37 weeks had performed the functions Milo’s underdeveloped lungs and missing kidneys would now take over.
– – –
“When they pulled the baby out I thought my miracle happened. ‘Cause he looked perfect to me.” – Peter Rogell
– – –
Milo remained blue, swaddled in a blanket hand-knit by his great grandmother.
He never cried or tried to nurse or even opened his eyes, investing every ounce of energy in intermittent gasps for air.
“That was the beginning of the end,” Rogell said, recalling the persistent gulps that he thought at first were hiccups but turned out to be his grandson’s labored efforts to inhale.
Lee read a book to his dying son – “I’ll Love You Forever,” a family favorite that the Dorberts had given Kaiden for Valentine’s Day – and sang Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”
For 99 minutes that lasted a lifetime, they cuddled and comforted their newborn.
– – –
“The baby just went to my chest, and we just cuddled with him. … My parents held him for a little bit. And we kinda just gave him all the loving until he passed.” – Deborah Dorbert
– – –
At 11:13 p.m., a doctor declared Milo dead.
The nurses took some photos, clipped a few pieces of Milo’s dark brown hair and made imprints of his hands and feet on the inside cover of Kaiden’s book before taking the infant down to the morgue. Milo’s organs were either missing or too damaged to be donated; his body was so small that even his heart valve could not be used to save another baby.
Milo would be cremated, with some of his ashes embedded in a pendant for Kaiden and two spherical glass ornaments.
Deborah feared that mementos would serve as reminders of her pain.
But gradually, she realized she might want something to hold onto, or as a teaching tool for Kaiden.
“Down the road he might have questions,” she said, imagining how she might pull out an object to help explain “what I went through, how the laws dictated this.”
Two weeks later, about 40 of the Dorberts’ friends and family members gathered at Lakeland Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens for a service.
A three-inch-tall silver urn – delivered by Amazon the previous day after other child-sized urns turned out to be too big – sat on a memorial table with two vases of flowers, carefully picked out at a nearby Publix supermarket, and a photo of Milo, wrapped in the hand-knit blanket and held by his parents in the hospital bed.
Deborah and Lee sat rock still and silent in the front row as Milo’s aunts and uncles and several cousins walked in and took their seats. Her usually free-flowing hair was pulled back from her face and held in a bun.
The service, which mixed Christian gospels and the Lord’s Prayer with “Three Little Birds,” lasted about 45 minutes – half as long as Milo’s life.
The pastor from a local Lutheran church had a message for the congregation. “Not everything happens for a reason,” she said, echoing Deborah’s own rejection that the manner of Milo’s birth and death carried some special spiritual significance.
– – –
“Milo. Milo. For such a little love, he leaves a giant hole in our soul and in our hearts. And nobody – nothing else – can completely fill that hole.” – The Rev. Pamela Smith
– – –
Deborah occasionally stifled sobs or turned to quiet Kaiden, until she could contain her feelings no longer, and Lee reached over to embrace her slender shaking frame.
Rogell lingered at the funeral home after others left, staring at the urn that contained his 16th grandchild’s ashes and trying to reconcile his own misgivings about elective abortion with the months of suffering he watched his daughter and her family endure.
Now, he was haunted by the sound of Milo gasping for air and the sight of his body struggling to ward off a death that had been inevitable for three long months.
“To me it’s just pure torture,” Rogell said. “The law has created torture.”
In many ways, the routines of daily life returned swiftly after Milo died.
Deborah shuttles Kaiden back and forth to preschool. The Dorberts take occasional outings to the aquarium or hike the trails near their house. They visit family.
Deborah held her brother’s baby girl, born a few days after Milo – the products of pregnancies that had followed parallel paths until Thanksgiving.
“I’m happy for my brother. He has a precious baby girl that brings so much happiness to his family, and that makes me happy,” she said. “Is it hard to see her because my son’s not here? Absolutely.”
Deborah says she is wrestling with anxiety and depression. She hasn’t returned to her part-time job filling Instacart orders. And she still hasn’t figured out how to respond to Kaiden, when he asks whether he can see his baby brother.
“We tell him he’s something he feels, like the wind. Or we point up to the stars and say he’s an angel with the stars,” she said. “We’re still kind of navigating that question, for him to understand.”
Kaiden brought a card home from preschool for Mother’s Day. It showed a family of four purple stick figures with bulging torsos – Mommy, Daddy, Kaiden and Baby Milo.
Deborah said her grief is complicated by ongoing anger that her decision to terminate her pregnancy early was thwarted by politicians she has never met and who are not experts about obstetrics.
The mail brings reminders of the Dorberts’ new financial burdens, invoices for all the things they wish had never happened: $12,320 so far in medical costs – not including induction and delivery, $7,000 for Milo’s cremation and funeral, and $500 for the keepsakes in memory of their son.
The bills keep coming. Deborah estimates that Lee’s health insurance will pick up about half of the medical costs, some of which will be offset by a GoFundMe appeal that one of her sisters set up.
The Dorberts have no idea how their grief will evolve, or if they will ever come to terms with losing control over the most painful decision of their lives.
“It’s really becoming our reality now,” Deborah said. “We don’t know what six months is going to look like. We don’t know what a year looks like. We’re just kind of taking it one day at a time. Because that’s all we really can handle, is just taking it one day at a time.”
– – –
“If people want to really know how I’m doing, I’m not doing okay.” – Deborah Dorbert
– – –
In the midst of that uncertainty, Deborah has endeavored to find some purpose in Milo’s short life, sharing the story of her pregnancy as broadly as she can, even as she has watched Florida legislators move to restrict state laws around abortion even further.
It surprises family members to see Deborah take such a public stance.
“I always thought of her as my shy child,” Rogell said.
But Deborah wants other people to know what happened, how politicians intervened in decisions about medical care with a law that made doctors fearful of terminating even hopeless pregnancies.
“If it helps another family or a mom, then good came of it because we’re all here to help one another,” Deborah said. “It’s not something easy to go through alone. You need all the support you can get.”
Join us as we delve into the intriguing clash between science and creationism. In this thought-provoking video, Did Dinosaurs Coexist with Humans? we explore the discrepancies between the existence of dinosaurs and the biblical timeline. From unravelling the age of dinosaurs to examining the compatibility of scientific evidence and religious beliefs, we uncover the truth behind Young Earth Creationism. Prepare for a captivating journey that challenges long-held assumptions and sheds light on the fascinating debate surrounding dinosaurs and the Bible. Don’t miss out on this eye-opening exploration of the Dinosaur-Bible Conundrum!
Information on puberty blocker medication used to delay the onset of puberty.
The changes to your body that happen during puberty can be distressing if they are not in line with your gender. Puberty blockers can help relieve this distress. Delaying puberty gives you more time to explore your gender identity, before changes happen to your body that can’t be reversed.
If you are under age 19, the criteria for getting a prescription for a puberty blocker are:
a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender non-conformity or gender dysphoria.
gender dysphoria emerged or worsened with the onset of puberty.
coexisting psychological, medical, or social problems, if any, are stable enough to start treatment.
the adolescent having given informed consent. The consent of your guardian is preferred but not absolutely necessary under the BC Infants Act
Usually an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) monitors puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youth, due to changing needs during adolescence. The endocrinologist can work with your primary care provider for routine monitoring.
The puberty blocker used most often in BC is called Lupron Depot. It is given through a monthly injection in the thigh. Lupron Depot is quite expensive; it costs around $400 a month. It is covered by BC PharmaCare; some families have the cost covered by the PharmaCare Plan G. Extended health care plans may also cover this medication.
Effects of puberty blockers
If you were assigned male at birth, puberty blockers will stop or limit:
growth of facial and body hair
deepening of the voice
broadening of the shoulders
growth of Adam’s apple
growth of gonads (testes) and erectile tissue (penis)
If you were assigned female at birth, puberty blockers will stop or limit:
breast tissue development
broadening of the hips
monthly bleeding
In both cases, puberty blockers will temporarily stop or limit:
growth in height
development of sex drive
impulsive, rebellious, irritable or risk-taking behaviour
accumulation of calcium in the bones
fertility
There are no known irreversible effects of puberty blockers. If you decide to stop taking them, your body will go through puberty just the way it would have if you had not taken puberty blockers at all.
Risks of taking puberty blockers
Puberty blockers are considered to be very safe overall.
We are not sure if puberty blockers have negative side effects on bone development and height. Research so far shows that the effects are minimal. However, we won’t know the long-term effects until the first people to take puberty-blockers get older.
If you have erectile tissue (penis) and think you might eventually want to have a vaginoplasty, talk with your primary care provider or endocrinologist for more information. Vaginoplasty is the surgical procedure that creates a vagina. If you start taking puberty blockers early in puberty you might not be able to have the vaginoplasty surgery that is most commonly used in Canada, later as an adult. There are alternative techniques available, such as the use of a skin graft or colon tissue.
Risks of withholding puberty blockers
Health care providers refusing to provide puberty blockers to youth can cause additional distress, and may lead to anxiety and depression.
Withholding puberty blockers and hormone therapy is not a neutral option and can result in an increased risk of mental health issues.
Again the devil is in the details of the bill. At first, it sounds normal, to protect kids from sex or nudity. But then the republicans give away the game by throwing in the words abnormal, unhealthy, degrading, shameful. All words the right wing fundamentalist religious haters use to describe men wearing clothing these religious people associate with female gender. This the goal, to outlaw men dressing as women or doing drag while keeping kids from seeing it in public normalizing it for them. Instead the point is to make men dressing as women and women as men to seem harmful and shameful. It is all about rolling back the advances in acceptance and tolerance in society of people who don’t follow the social norms of the 1950s, rolling back accepting of the LGBTQ+ people. Again this is an attempt by religious groups to force Christian moral dictates on the public. Look at what bills the people involved pushed, things like mandating the Christian 10 commandments in all schools forcing the Christian religion on all students regardless of their or their families religious affiliations. Hugs
The Texas House gave initial approval to a bill restricting children from seeing sexually explicit performances on Friday. Senate Bill 12 was originally designed to restrict kids from attending drag shows, but its most recent version seeks to criminalize any live performance that the bill defines as sexual.
It defines a sexually explicit performance as one in which someone is nude or appeals to the “prurient interest in sex.” SB 12 would fine business owners $10,000 for hosting such performances in front of kids. It would also slap performers violating the proposed restriction with a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in up to a year in jail, a $4,000 fine or both.
On Friday, Republican state Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s definition of prurient interests, which is defined as “erotic, lascivious, abnormal, unhealthy, degrading, shameful, or morbid interest in nudity, sex, or excretion,” though the language’s interpretation varies by community.
The original version of the anti-drag bill has already passed in the state Senate, which will have to revisit the amended version.
Rep. Matt Shaheen [photo above] first appeared on JMG in 2015 when he introduced a bill to nullify LGBTQ protections statewide.
The author of the bill, GOP state Sen. Bryan Hughes, appeared here in April for his bill that would defund public libraries that host Drag Queen Story Hour.
In March, he appeared here for his bill to raise taxes on bars that host drag shows. A Texas lesbian bar has since been denied insurance.
Last year Hughes appeared here when his bill to force public schools to display “In God We Trust” posters went into effect.
In 2021, he appeared here for his bill banning criticism of white supremacy in history lessons.
RELATED: Several Pride organizations in Florida have banned drag performances or canceled events since DeSantis signed a similar bill that criminalizes shows that would potentially be within the view of children.
Texas House lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill restricting children from seeing sexually explicit performances.
While the bill no longer targets drag performers, LGBTQ advocates say it's vague language could still be used to criminalize such shows.https://t.co/4wKpEVcIwk
I have never seen a drag show that I would say falls in this description. But someone will say it is “abnormal,” so it will be prosecuted. These bills are intentionally vague so they can suppress any activity these christofascists don’t like.
We have a few shows here in Houston where the performers are mostly trans and strip down to just a g-string… but they’re in bars where no one under 21 is allowed.
I am getting very worried for people like you Girlgoon, some of these laws include a ban on “impersonating the opposite sex”. Although impersonation has nothing to do with trans people, I fear the fascists will eventually include all trans people as “impersonators” and start criminalizing them. They already say trans women do not exist and that they are delusional and fake. Florida is already forcing parents to detransition their trans children!!! I don’t know where this is heading but we LGBTQ cannot let it go there!
I’m not sure how nude drag would even work. Aren’t the costumes (and wigs and make-up) the whole point?
Yes, I’ve been to some drag shows that were not G-rated. (Varla Jean Merman comes to mind.) But those performers would not do that material in front of children. Those were late night performances in a bar that carded. We were all adults and it was HILARIOUS! (Varla’s R-rated Schoolhouse Rock takeoff is a personal favorite.)
I’m not sure how nude drag would even work. Aren’t the costumes (and wigs and make-up) the whole point?
Yes, I’ve been to some drag shows that were not G-rated. (Varla Jean Merman comes to mind.) But those performers would not do that material in front of children. Those were late night performances in a bar that carded. We were all adults and it was HILARIOUS! (Varla’s R-rated Schoolhouse Rock takeoff is a personal favorite.)
Yes – will they also go after R-rated movies? Or PG movies that dare to have an LGBTQ person or character?? What about TV shows?? The internet?? These right wing fascists are out of control. All for the votes of their Christian and ultra conservative base. And just like Floriduh, I don’t believe the majority of people in Texas agree with this craziness. But also very noticeable that they aren’t passing any laws to screen potential sexual groomers, predators and molesters in their churches. They are the real threat. Not drag queens. It’s fucking ridiculous.
Greg Abbott is taking a brief pause from using immigrants as political pawns to attack trans kids in yet another Republican-led effort to harm LGBTQ+ people in America.
The gay-hating Texas governor announced yesterday that he plans to sign Senate Bill 14 into law ASAP. The bill, which is currently en route to Abbott’s desk, blocks trans kids from receiving gender-affirming care and effectively forces those already in the process of transitioning to de-transition and start over after they turn 18.
“I’m not going to make any secret about it. I’ll be signing it. This is about protecting children,” he misled reporters on Thursday. “A person under 18, they don’t have the mental capacity to make a life-changing decision.”
Authored by New Braunfels Republican Sen. Donna Campbell, SB 14 would prohibit trans Texans under the age of 18 from accessing transition-related medical treatments including puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries — though surgeries are rarely performed on kids.
The bill would also require trans youth who are already getting this care to be “weaned off” in a “medically appropriate” manner. This is slightly out of step with the abrupt cutoff mandated by the version the Senate approved last month, but the upper chamber has chosen not to ask for a conference committee to iron out the difference.
Other states have passed similar legislation but the laws have been stalled in the courts. The same will likely happen in Texas as the ACLU, Transgender Law Center, and Lambda Legal have already announced plans to sue, citing the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
“These laws are patently unconstitutional,” Paul Castillo, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, told reporters this week. “They interfere with the decisions of families in consultation with their doctors, and certainly no care should be stopped.”
Given the number of these laws being passed, as well as the number of lawsuits challenging them, it’s likely the matter will eventually end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, where things have gotten so chaotic that it’s hard to say which way the high court might rule on it.
Pollsters say the wave of bills targeting transgender healthcare in red states could backfire on Republicans in 2024 the same way the Roe v. Wade debacle backfired on them in 2022.
Things are certainly backfiring on Abbott and his colleagues on Twitter right now. Here’s what folx are saying…
Republicans are against big government unless when they want to make the lives of the LGBTQ community miserable
If you think racism is dead and doesn’t exist in Florida, you are wrong. It is being openly taught in Florida schools. A teacher is facing discipline and may lose her job because she showed a Disney animated movie that included a gay 16-year-old boy. That movie had no gay sex and very little talk about the boy’s feelings. But a teacher promoting: “Every year our state celebrates and memorializes that valiant, brave fight and the countless sacrifices by our men and women during what is known as the Civil War, but may be more correctly titled the War To Prevent Southern Independence,he said”, has been found to have done nothing wrong. Despite many parents complaining. Many upset parents. One parent complaint to get a teacher fired for showing just the existence of an openly gay character in a children’s movie, but many parents complaining and they are ignored when a teacher promotes racism. The entire reason the South started the civil war was they demanded to not only be allowed to keep humans as property, as slaves, but they wanted to expand that country wide. It was entirely about slavery, their own leaders wrote that themselves. Think if you are a person of color in that school, a black student maybe, think how that hits knowing a teacher is praising the very people who fought to keep you not only without rights but as their personal property to do with as they wish. Do you think black students can get fair grades, fair treatment, fair discipline compared to the white kids? Just as that teacher in Illinois said when she faced criticism for letting students read a book about coming out, she claimed that she figured she had gay students in her classes. I bet there are kids of color in the classrooms when this racist teacher showed that movie. Btw, Collier County is the next one below the one I live in. Hugs
A Florida middle-school teacher who had his class watch a self-made, pro-Confederacy video for Confederate History Month has filed a complaint against his school district for launching an investigation into his questionable teaching practices. Collier County Public Schools looked into a video that Manatee Middle School social studies teacher Jonathan Papanikolaou had his students watch during morning announcements on April 12.
Collier County Public Schools told The Daily Beast that its employee review committee met on April 27 and May 11, and went through a 90-page report about Papanikolaou’s Confederacy lesson. Ultimately the committee found that the lesson didn’t go against the school’s curriculum and there was “no just cause for discipline” despite outrage from parents and community members.
The school district wouldn’t identify the teacher but said they are investigating. “If you didn’t know, April is an officially celebrated month here in the State of Florida named Confederate History Month,” the teacher said in the video.
“Every year our state celebrates and memorializes that valiant, brave fight and the countless sacrifices by our men and women during what is known as the Civil War, but may be more correctly titled the War To Prevent Southern Independence,” he said.
So not only is the video no cause for discipline, the teacher is filing a complaint because it was even questioned. Collier County is on the southwest coast of Florida.
The social studies teacher filed a complaint against the review committee, claiming the investigation caused a “hostile work environment” because colleagues were asking why he’s racist.https://t.co/nEAveu8rGW
“Every year our state celebrates and memorializes that valiant, brave fight and the countless sacrifices by our men and women during what is known as the Civil War, but may be more correctly titled the War To Preserve SLAVERY.”
Or that Black people have worth and are an important part of our nation’s story. Or that there were people with rich history and cultures on this land thatE Europeans claimed they “discovered” and that these people still exist.
So Black history lessons can’t be taught in public schools because White children are uncomfortable but parents complaining about pro-slavery lessons must suck it.
Boycotting Florida is something every Black person should do. It’s a completely racist state.
I would like to remind all the former Ohioans in Collier Country (which there are many), we fought for the Union, were part of the Underground Railroad and Ohio was the birthplace of Grant and Sherman.
Let’s START with the fact that retitling the damn thing (“what is known as the Civil War, but may be more correctly titled the War To Prevent Southern Independence”) shows that you’ve got no grasp of the history behind slavery, therefore shouldn’t be pretending to “teach” it.
If one goes back and looks at the various letters and published speeches of the politicians of the time, not to mention the CSA Constitution and the Acts of Secession passed by the different states, they did not try to hide their motivations. A few years ago I read a history of the lead-up to the Civil War and the effects it had on the rebellious states after it was over.
The sort version is that it was essentially 14,000 people in a few hundred families who caused the Civil War. They were the most wealthy families in the United States and up in the top ranks for the world for that matter. But all their money came from slavery – either slaves used to pick cotton or tobacco or breeding slaves as if they were cattle and selling them.
In the Deep South, they essentially ran the entire state. If they did not have a family member in the governor’s mansion or the state/federal legislature, they bought one. Because of their effect on the economy, they not only exploited the slaves they owned but they financially exploited the white population as well. The slave owners used slaves as skilled craftsmen in carpentry and other skilled trades, and this meant that free white craftsmen could not economically compete. This lowered wages for the free workers. There was little cash available for the development of an diverse economy since all the money was tied up in the plantations’ economy and affiliated businesses.
When the Missouri Compromise died and territories were free to choose if they wanted to be free or slave states, they Southern elite knew it was only a matter of time before they were history. Cotton was rough on the soil and after a certain amount of time the fields had to be left fallow for a number of years until they recovered. So. they had to expand or they would die economically.
So, it really didn’t matter what Lincoln said or even if he was sincere in what he said. They knew that there were going to lose everything unless they did something, so they did something. They killed close to a million human beings, destroyed most of the South economically and physically, cemented the budding Northern Capitalist elites firmly in place, and sat back to economically exploit the Southern white and black populations right up to present. It took just over 100 years for the Southern economy to reach the same level it held just prior to the first shots over Ft Sumner.
But, these morons are still teaching the same lies about the Noble Lost Cause. It seems like 163 years is long enough to lies about that treason.
I find the while “heritage not racism’ meme to be very stupid. one of my nephew’s has this sign on the wall of his outdoor kitchen at his river cabin in southeast Missouri. funny thing is, his great great grandfather rode his horse to St Louis to join the Union Army and was a very staunch Union man. sigh…
Yes indeed, nothing like watching a film that idolizes the slave owning confederacy! But hey, at least it’s not “woke!” I’m trying to think of the proper name for it. Oh yeah, “FASCIST!”
A friend of mine who was successfully able to flee the swampland of Louisiana told me growing up in her school, it was routinely referred to as “The War Against Northern Arrogance.”
Pro-Confederacy Teacher Complains About School District’s Probe
The social studies teacher said that an investigation into his self-narrated, pro-Confederate video caused him “emotional turmoil.”
Brooke Leigh Howard
Reporter
Reuters/Jason Miczek
Listen to article3 minutes
A Florida middle-school teacher who had his class watch a self-made, pro-Confederacy video for Confederate History Month has filed a complaint against his school district for launching an investigation into his questionable teaching practices.
Collier County Public Schools looked into a video that Manatee Middle School social studies teacher Jonathan Papanikolaou had his students watch during morning announcements on April 12, local outlet ABC 7 Southwest Florida reported.
“Every year, our state celebrates and memorializes that valiant, brave fight and the countless sacrifices by our men and women during that known as the Civil War, but may be more correctly titled the War To Prevent Southern Independence,” Papanikolaou reportedly narrated in the video.
In the lesson, Papanikolaou allegedly taught about “slaves and property rights, over taxation and a variety of violations of state’s right and sovereignty,” according to ABC 7.
Collier County Public Schools told The Daily Beast that its employee review committee met on April 27 and May 11, and went through a 90-page report about Papanikolaou’s Confederacy lesson. Ultimately the committee found that the lesson didn’t go against the school’s curriculum and there was “no just cause for discipline” despite outrage from parents and community members.
A district spokesperson also told The Daily Beast that morning announcements had been evaluated, and were previewed before they were presented to students.
“The Manatee Middle School principal met with his staff to openly discuss the issues, and he continues to maintain open lines of communication for students, staff, and parents on this and any other school-related issue,” the spokesperson said.
But one Manatee parent, Christina Cooper, told ABC7, “I think there’s just cause for some type of disciplinary action.”
What’s more, Papanikolaou then filed a complaint against the review committee, claiming the investigation caused a “hostile work environment” because colleagues were asking why he’s racist.
In the complaint, Papanikolaou said the ordeal “has caused [him] grief and awkwardness in classroom and school exchanges” and that some students were no longer comfortable taking his class.
“This situation has created emotional turmoil for myself,” he said.
Collier County Public Schools declined to provide the entire contents of Papanikolaou’s video to The Daily Beast or comment on any requests the teacher made in his complaint against the district.
How is this not terrorism? Causing fear for political gain is the definition of terrorism. How can an adult think it is OK or good to scare kids, who are living with active shooter drills and having to go to schools in near prison environments. All so some ammo sexual’s can please themselves with no restraints with weapons of war. These types of guns are designed to kill and main. They are not hunting weapons unless the targeted animal is humans. Yes the man has a right to have the gun, he even in some states has a right to strut around with it as it seems to make him feel manly. But don’t the other people have a right to not be scared to death of him and his gun? Why do gun owners seem to think only their feelings matter? It is just like fundamentalist Christians in that regard. Only what they want is what they demand everyone follow and do. Hugs
Parents are concerned about a man who is regularly spotted carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a school bus stop in Severn. Jamie Sparrow, a Severn Elementary School parent, recorded a cell phone video Wednesday showing the man with an AR-15 in his hands at the bus stop where his 6-year-old daughter gets off.
Parents said the man, J’den McAdory, has been there for drop-offs for weeks. McAdory said what he’s doing is not about scaring parents or children — it’s about protesting the recent gun control measures Gov. Wes Moore signed into law.
“Guns can be safe if it’s controlled by the right person,” McAdory said. “I really wasn’t coming out here for the kids. I was coming out here to show people that this is legal.” As McAdory spoke with the I-Team, drivers stopped to react. Some cheered, while others shouted complaints.
Read the full article. As you can see below, on some days the man wears his MAGA hat.
“Both sides”? Seriously? I feel like I am losing my mind.
McAdory said what he’s doing is not about scaring parents or children — it’s about protesting the recent gun control measures Gov. Wes Moore signed into law.
Does Governor Moore take the school bus to work? Why don’t you protest on the steps of your capitol?
What he is demonstrating here is that gunnuts are bullies. Brandishing a weapon of war at a school bus stop when these kids have active shooter drills at schools is terrorism. Stop the fucking madness! No private citizen should have a fucking assault rifle.
‘The right person’ means him and the people he personally knows. If someone he doesn’t know approaches him while carrying an AR-15… especially if that person is someone of color or who dresses ‘weird’ (as he sees it)… this guy will quickly use his own gun to ‘stand his ground’ and stop what he considers to be a reasonable threat to his safety.
The story of Garrett Foster and Daniel Perry is a good example of this.
Protesting gun safety laws by demonstrating exactly WHY we need gun safety laws? You’re not sane enough to carry a gun, and you should never be allowed anywhere near kids.
I lived about 80% of my life in the US. For most of it, there was slow but positive progress. Civil rights both racial and sexual, environmental protections, expanded social services. Then, it all came to a screeching halt and began regressing. It’s too almost too depressing to think about.
The kids now are put through “active shooter drills” in which neither they nor their teachers are told it’s only a drill. They have no way of knowing if they are about to die or if this is just a rehearsal for what to do if that happens. There is no equivalent for my generation. We had fire drills and tornado drills but we knew they were drills. Imagine the trauma of hiding in your classroom thinking you are about to die. Okay so it wasn’t an actual danger, but the trauma would still be just as real as if it were. Now imagine knowing that is going on, waving a firearm around young children. Dude is a danger to the community.
The point I keep trying to show people that these laws are written to outlaw cross dress, wearing clothing stereotypically thought of as for a different gender. People have commented that these laws only try to stop sexual or adult entertainment of a sexual manner. But here is a quote from the article. The practical effect is to comply with the new law that appears to classify all live drag entertainment, regardless of content, as adult entertainment, and prevent drag performances on outdoor stages that will be set up all along Wilton Drive for the June 17 party. This is what these laws are about. Denying the people who like to dress in drag to do so, which then will progress to outlawing trans people dressing as the gender they identify instead of the gender they were assigned at birth. Just as they quickly moved from don’t say gay laws for K-3 to now K-8th grade in Florida and in other states in all schools in all grades. This is about removing the LGBTQ+ from society, from the public, and they are starting with the most easy to target. The goal is stopping the public acceptance of people who do not act / reflect the values of Christians who think the best time in history was the 1950s and get their moral code from a book written 2,500 years ago. By the way, Wilton Manors is a very gay place. These laws have scared even these long gay activists. I think a lot of people have forgotten why pride parades were started in the first place. Back in the late 60s early 70s the LGBTQ+ got tired of the religious conservatives trying to make our lives miserable and make us disappear from society. We wanted our rights, and we needed to be vocal and in people’s public view. We need to remind these people of the fact we are family members, we are in their lives in every aspect. We won’t go back into any closets nor hide from the public. “We are here, we are queer, get use to it”! Hugs
In the week since Wilton Manors’ city commission voted unanimously to amend the permit for the Stonewall Pride Parade & Street Festival, people on both sides of the issue on whether or not to comply with drag laws have lashed out.
The amendment ensures event producers follow all laws, including ones passed since the permit was issued in February. The practical effect is to comply with the new law that appears to classify all live drag entertainment, regardless of content, as adult entertainment, and prevent drag performances on outdoor stages that will be set up all along Wilton Drive for the June 17 party.
It appears people in drag will be allowed into the event and to participate in the parade. However, performing in the parade or on any exterior stage is likely to be prohibited due to being labeled adult entertainment. Producers of the event haven’t finalized standards for admission and participation, but have said there will be a “dress code” applying to all participants, vendors, attendees, and performers.
Commissioner Chris Caputo will be at the June 17 parade as “Lady Vote,” according to a post on his Facebook page. Caputo says he’s ready to test — and perhaps push to strike down — the new law that bans having children at live shows that “in whole or in part” depict or simulate “nudity, sexual conduct,” or the exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.
“Personally, I don’t believe drag performances at our Stonewall cultural event are illegal,” Caputo wrote. “I believe they are of artistic and political value, and I am comfortable showing up in drag. If the Governor disagrees with that, he is welcome to recall my seat and we can fight it out in the courts.”
The anti-drag bill (SB 1438) originally targeted food and beverage venues for criminal charges — a first-degree misdemeanor — if children were exposed to these “adult live performances.” But an amendment added on the Senate floor also subjects city officials to charges if they issue a permit for an event that exposes children to the same thing.
As Caputo notes, in addition to potential criminal charges, DeSantis has the power to remove city officials who defy the ban under a statute enacted in 2018. There’s much more at both links above.
LOCAL: It appears people in #drag will be allowed into #Stonewall and to participate in the parade. However, performing in the parade or on any exterior stage is likely to be prohibited due to being labeled adult entertainment.
I have, and will continue to encourage people to dress as their authentic selves or favorite drag icons — as I plan to do (albeit, poorly!). The city did not ban drag queens.
Personally, I don’t believe drag performances at our stonewall cultural event are illegal. I believe they are of artistic and political value and I am comfortable showing up in drag. If the Governor disagrees with that, he is welcome to recall my seat and we can fight it out in the courts. The amendment we passed protects city employees — since language in the law directly affected them. It’s one thing for the Governor to recall my elected seat; it would be poor leadership on my part to put city staff at risk of being unemployed for any duration. I can afford a protracted legal battle without my city position, they shouldn’t have to.
I understand emotions are high — the anti-LGBTQ legislation we are facing is deplorable. We need to stand together against it.
𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰: I disagree with the state’s supposed interpretation of what adult entertainment is (i.e., I personally don’t feel that drag performers at Stonewall are engaged in that) AND I am personally willing to take it to the courts to test it. I plan to be at Stonewall as “Lady Vote 🗳️,” which I believe isn’t illegal, and it’s an opportunity to clash with the Governor if he wants to push an abusive, inappropriate interpration of the law and infringe on my civil rights.
If you have any questions about that or my position, I am always here and happy to answer them. You can also text me at 954.557.2801.
That’s why I posted these warning signs from Berlin yesterday. At first, Jews weren’t allowed to join the Red Cross or auto club. And a few years later they were being massacred.
Freedom to DeSantis means “You have everything to lose if you don’t obey.”
I sure hope the actions of Chris Caputo and others leads to all these laws being overturned. Those actions are what John Lewis called causing good trouble.
Edit: I can’t imagine pride without the multi-colored queens performing everywhere you look and the leather folks walking around in full gear with strap-ons and every other adornment!
OMG!!! It’s SO good to see you, girl!!!! (big hugs)
Do it anyway. Fuck DeSantis and anti-First Amendment, unconstitutional laws. Fight back against fascism or step out of the way. Those bricks didn’t throw themselves.
Hence you plan to have willing folks be the target for the fight and pre-set the legal funding to ride the case up. You also work with national level orgs to figure out the best unified response as part of a national legal strategy.
I remember at a pride event, one private security guard threatening to throw members of the leather community out for bare asses, even tho it was completely legal in the city. Luckily, the people stood their ground and the Pride leadership and the police educated the guard.
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