This may be the start of getting our democracy back. How far will the hard right Justices be willing to go to ignore racial injustice to remain white republican power? Hugs
Category: Diversity / Inclusivity
Let’s talk about time marching on and a secret I kept for thirty years….
I posted this last year when it first came out. I want to repost it. The message at the end is so vital and important to what is happening today. If you are not willing to listen to Beau and you should, he relates the tale that 30 years ago he was dating a girl who it turned out her father was a die hard racist bigot. The girl was mortified by this. The point that Beau makes at the end of the story is that just as the people who protested and railed against the mixing of the blacks and whites back then are thought of as weird stupid bigots the people doing this to the LGBTQ+ people today will be thought of in the same way. Of course Beau is more generous than I am, if these bigots manage to make the US the Christian nationalist theocracy they want then no one will be free to look back badly on them, look at Iran, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia among other religious countries that are ruled by church doctrines instead of secular laws acknowledging advancements in understanding of all things since their holy books were written. Hugs
Moms force kids to stomp on rainbow flags in horrifying protest against their LGBTQ+ classmates
Again, it is driven by fundamentalist religious people and their demand to have everyone live by their church / religious doctrines. The right claims that social acceptance and tolerance of people who are different from them, the LGBTQ+, is indoctrination. But teaching kids to stomp on a symbol of another group, teaching kids to yell insults to kids different from them, teaching kids to hate is somehow not indoctrination but good parenting to these bigots. Being kind and respectful of a kid’s feelings and respecting their desire to be addressed by a preferred name or pronouns is abuse, but including your kids in a violent shouting hate shouting when they might be either soon feeling or are feeling that they are different is again good parenting. These people want to close off young minds and deny young people the right to develop into more than clones of their parents. The pro-LGBTQ+ supporters showed up in great numbers and that is what we need in the US also.
One last point. These people scream leave our kids alone, but they are the ones attacking other peoples children. These peopel demand the right to not only teach hate to their children but to also they demand the right to teach that same hate to every other child regardless of those kids parents wishes. They demand parental rights not only for their children but yours as well, removing your parental rights over your own child. Leave our kids alone should be the slogan of the LGBTQ+ parents. These haters are terrorizing the LGBTQ+ kids and their teacher supporters in the schools, yet they claim others are indoctrinating or grooming kids. Hugs
Photo: Screenshot TwitterProtests against “gender ideology” in Canada’s capital city Friday brought far-right conservative Christians and Muslims together to attack Ottawa’s local school board for supporting LGBTQ+ students.
The unusual alliance was met by an equal or greater number of counter-protesters defending the rights of LGBTQ+ kids and denouncing “transphobic, fascist ideology.”
A new directive by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board inspired the demonstration, organized by notorious far-right Canadian provocateur Chris Elston, aka Billboard Chris.
The all-staff notice advised the use of they/them pronouns for students until their preferred pronouns were expressed.
Video from the demonstration shows Muslim women and others encouraging young children to stomp and dance on progress Pride flags strewn on the ground and clapping with joy.
The clip shows an older white man holding a large Canadian flag leaning down to shake one kid’s hand in solidarity.
“Right on, boys!” he declares, beaming.
Shouts of “Leave our kids alone!” were heard up and down the street where the protest took place, home to two high schools and a primary school.
“This is going to horrify Justin Trudeau,” posted Keean Bexte, with the far-right media site The Counter Signal. “All of these proponents of childhood mastectomies and penectomies are officially on notice. The minority communities that have propped up your governments have finally had enough.”
It is very rare for transmasculine teens to get mastectomies before the age of 18 and genital surgery is not performed on trans minors.
Police announced they made five arrests at the demonstration, without providing details. Scattered acts of violence were reported.
While a heat wave, fires, and smoke have enveloped the region since the beginning of June, Bexte laid recent high absentee rates at Ottawa schools at the feet of the school board and their nonbinary naming advisory, claiming parents were pulling their kids out in “silent protest” of Pride Month.
Hundreds showed up to counter the right-wing alliance.
The counter-protest “fills my heart,” said Emily Quail, an organizer and mom of a child at one of the nearby schools.
“The only way to correctly counter fascism is by showing up like this on the street and telling them we outnumber them,” she told The Canadian Press.
“We will not let them spread their transphobic, fascist ideology anywhere, here or anywhere else, and that starts with community strength and that’s what I’m really proud to see today.”
The Ottawa area school board condemned Elston for planning the protest in front of schools.
“It really raises doubts about a group that, I think it goes without saying, but it’s a group that is literally targeting children,” said Alex Silas, a school district official.
In 2020, Elston, a Vancouver insurance agent, paid for a billboard declaring, “I ❤️ JK Rowling”, and then wore the message on a sandwich board at protests after it was denounced as “hateful expression” and taken down.
Politician punched in face protesting transphobes, says he’d do it again “any day”
The hate is rising. There was a series of kids books I read as a child called The Dark is Rising, with each book having an individual title. The story is basically a good vs bad story built loosely around the King Arthur Merlin myths. I see that same evil hate that the book showed rising doing so today. But the evil devil that the good beings are fighting is the rising hate and threats of violence by the religious conservative right against the LGBTQ+ in the hope of bring back a dictatorship of a strict society based on their church doctrines.
One note on the story. He says he got punched in the back and the face. The story says that the video shows he got hit by his bullhorn where the cut is. But it is possible someone hit or pushed the bullhorn hard enough to cut the skin and feel like being punched. Hugs
Ontario MP Joel HardenPhoto: Screenshot TwitterOn Friday, a protest and counter-demonstration on a leafy street in Ottawa — normally home to students making their way to and from three schools in the area — was instead the site of hateful rhetoric and violence in the Canadian capital.
A local MP became the face of the melee, when he was “rabbit-punched” at the protest — he said he’d do it all over again to keep trans and queer kids safe.
“I’ll take a punch for queer and trans youth any day,” said Joel Harden, a member of Ontario’s provincial Parliament with the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The demonstration was organized by far-right Canadian provocateur Billboard Chris to protest a local school board advising staff to use they/them pronouns for students who had yet to share their personal pronouns.
Muslim parents joined a mostly White crowd denouncing the advisory notice. Some were seen encouraging their kids to violently stomp on progress Pride flags littering the street.
Harden, elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario five years ago, has been a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ issues, and attended the counter-protest in solidarity with LGBTQ+ youth and their parents.
The MPP recounted that during the protest, he noticed a woman berating another individual, with her hands in the person’s hair. He says he rushed over to break up the altercation.
“I felt a punch in the back and then a rabbit-punch to the face,” Harden recalled for Yahoo Canada. “It happened in a split-second.”
Photos of Harden reveal a cut below his right eye.
Video on social media shows the megaphone Harden was holding striking his face (where the cut now appears).
The day before the protest, the legislator warned in a speech to members of Parliament of the threat to queer and trans youth as the country celebrates Pride Month.
“As incidents of hate against the 2SLGBTQIA are rising, we have a message for queer and trans youth in #OttawaCentre and everywhere in this province,” Harden posted to Twitter afterward. “We see you, love you, value you, and we will not continue to let you be threatened by hate or bigotry.”
Harden says the far-right is weaponizing social media, calling it a “vitriolic cesspool,” and manipulating parents’ instincts to protect their kids in order to further conservatives’ own anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
“I am a father. What measures I wouldn’t go to in an effort to protect my own children? But what this movement is doing is convincing individuals that to protect your children, you have to hate trans and queer people,” he says.
Those supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ youth “are not your enemy,” he adds.
“History and present day has taught me that there are some of us who are willing to put the work in to de-program hatred, and I’m down for that,” said Harden. “If people want to come to my office and throw rotten tomatoes at me, come over.”
Fellow lawmakers and constituents alike expressed solidarity with Harden.
“My local MPP @JoelHardenONDP just got punched in the face at a counter rally, during an anti-trans protest,” posted Kathryn LeBlanc. “Queer and trans people are sounding the alarm on rising hate. It’s time to come together, mobilize, and build solidarity on this issue.”
While conservative Muslims joined far-right Canadians in protest, Sikh pol and federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had Harden’s back.
“I’m proud of you @JoelHardenONDP,” posted Singh. “Queer and Trans people — and kids — are being targeted by angry and hateful extremists. Governments must step up to protect the queer and trans community.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Jagmeet Singh is Muslim. We regret the error.
College Board says it won’t alter AP courses to comply with Florida’s laws
The pushback is beginning. The public is not going to accept nor tolerate the bigotry and racism of a small minority of fundamentalist conservatives who demand that only history that shall be taught is propaganda that shows the US is the best light, shows the greatness of white people, and minimizes any injustice or harm to black people. I cannot understand how DeathSantis got as much racism and bigotry passed into law as he did. I remember a few years ago in a Texas state education board meeting, the leader of the board said basically it was much better that students learn the made up history and believe it than that they learn the true history and act on it. The LGBTQ+ community exists and always has, even before we had the words we now use to describe it. There are LGBTQ+ kids in every school, most families, and history is full of contributions from gay people that the fundamentalist Christian nationalists want never mentioned, never taught, and deleted forever. But what is worse is that these laws as written would also prevent the use of heterosexual sexual orientation and heterosexual gender roles. The laws don’t just ban gay sexual orientation or gender identity different from assigned at birth as they are written but that is how they are being used. But the bigots that wrote them just wink it away. Look to separate bathrooms for boys from girls is gender. Miss teacher or Mr teacher is gender. Mrs teacher who is married to Mr teacher is OK to show pictures and talk about family which pushes heterosexual orientation, but Mrs teacher married to Mrs teacher is totally banned. But the law is written to ban all mention of gender or orientation. That is why they are called don’t say gay bills. Hugs
The College Board released a letter Thursday putting its foot down on further demands from Florida to change any of its Advanced Placement (AP) classes, the latest development in the ongoing feud between the company and the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
“[College Board] will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions on teaching essential, college-level topics,” the company told the Florida Department of Education Office of Articulation.
“Doing so would break the fundamental promise of AP: colleges wouldn’t broadly accept that course for credit and that course wouldn’t prepare students for careers in the discipline,” it added.
The College Board says the Florida office recently asked it to modify any courses that conflict with the new Florida rule restricting teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom through 12th grade.
In a May 19 letter to College Board, Florida demanded the company do an audit of its courses and relay which ones would need to be modified to comply with the new rule by June 16.
DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, had said in January that the AP African American Studies course would not be allowed in his state. Although the company says changes were in the works before the governor’s comment on the class, the course was regardless amended, causing outrage from those who believe the College Board bowed to DeSantis’s demands.
“We have learned from our mistakes in the recent rollout of AP African American Studies and know that we must be clear from the outset where we stand,” the College Board said.
Although Florida did not directly mention the AP Psychology course, that is the one the company focused on in its rebuttal Thursday.
It noted the American Psychological Association says college-level courses need to have a foundation on topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity.
“We don’t know if the state of Florida will ban this course. To AP teachers in Florida, we are heartbroken by the possibility of Florida students being denied the opportunity to participate in this or any AP course. To AP teachers everywhere, please know we will not modify any of the 40 AP courses—from art to history to science—in response to regulations that would censor college-level standards for credit, placement, and career readiness,” the College Board said.
The Hill has reached out to the Florida Department of Education for a response.
I cried also
Lincolnwood Public Library declines to remove books with LGBTQ content from children’s collection
https://abc7chicago.com/lincolnwood-library-childrens-books-il-news/12504956/
Yes the left is starting to fight back instead of giving in to the attempt by the religious right to erase those they don’t like or agree with from society. Also people are seeing through the fake claim that they are just trying to protect children from being sexualized. They don’t want to just mold their children, they want the right to mold your child in their image. They are demanding the right to take away your parental rights to raise your child, even as they are demanding more and more rights for themselves to dictate what children are taught. Be clear this is about removing any reference to the LGBTQ+ from first schools and then all of society. They are already moved on to banning drag, which in their written laws means wearing the clothing normally associated with a gender not assigned at birth in public. Why? It doesn’t sexualize kids if a man wears a nice skirt, but it does challenge the strict gender norms these fundamentalist are trying to return all the country to. These fundamentalist religious groups got a huge head start on their attempt to outlaw even the mention of what they don’t agree with, they pushed a false narrative on the public that many have bought into because they were not hearing the other side. Now we who are on the side of progress and advancement need to make sure people get the full story and real goals of these people. We have our work cut out for us, but to save the present and build the future we have to fight back. For the sake of the gay, lesbian, trans, and all the other non-cis and non-binary kids we must fight and win the right for them to see positive role models and see themselves represented in books and movies. We must grant these LGBTQ+ children the safety and security that we should give all children. Hugs
https://abc7chicago.com/lincolnwood-library-childrens-books-il-news/12504956/
https://abc7chicago.com/video/embed/12505241
A standing room-only crowd gathered at the Lincolnwood Village Hall Monday for a heated debate about a book with LGBTQ+ content on the public library’s children’s collection.
The monthly library board meeting was moved from the library to the village hall to accommodate a large turnout after last month’s meeting got heated and ended early with police being called.
Once again, library board members and the public came face to face.
“The library has decided that they, not you the parent, knows what is best for your child,” said Bryan Johnson, Lincolnwood resident.
“Gay people and drag queens have a right to exist and be themselves and have books written about them,” said Jen Mierisch, Lincolnwood resident.
At the board meeting, some attendees voice objections to certain titles with LGBTQ+ themes that are part of the library’s children’s collection. At least one formal challenge was filed against a book called “The Hips On The Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”
The nursery rhyme book features characters in drag, and was read aloud during a library-sponsored story time over the summer.
“I’m not here to ask for a ban on any books,” said resident Rahila Siddiqui. “I’m here to fight for my right to choose when my elementary school children should be exposed to complicated topics like drag queens.”
“If parents prefer their children not read a book, that’s their decision. But that does not give them the right to impose their short-sighted beliefs on anyone else’s children,” said Susan Ginsburg, Lincolnwood resident.
After reviewing the book, library officials declined to remove it from the children’s department. The library director told ABC7 such action would constitute censorship, adding, “Our goal is to respect everyone in our community and what they want to read.”
“When you’re at Macy’s and you don’t like a purple shirt, you can’t demand that they take it away. Just don’t buy it,” said Judy Abelson, Lincolnwood resident.
Library officials said they also declined a patron’s request to remove another book that some consider anti-transgender. That patron has now dropped that formal challenge on censorship grounds.
Illinois Gov Signs Bill Outlawing Book Bans By Libraries
Yes yes yes, we need more laws like this. Here are some great quotes from the https://abc7chicago.com/illinois-book-ban-bill-public-library-libraries-near-me/13373993/ article. Hugs
“Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies,” Pritzker said.
“Parents and only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict their children and only their children’s access to library resources,” said Secretary Giannoulias.
“Those pushing book banning say they are doing it to protect people. Well that’s just not true. Book banning is most frequently used to silence the voices of the LGBTQ+ community as well as people of color,” said State rep. Anne Stava Murray (D-Downers Grove).
Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports:
Governor JB Pritzker signed historic legislation Monday that would ban libraries from banning books. The law is the first of its kind in the nation, and would cut off funding to any libraries that remove books currently on the shelf.
The law was pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state’s librarian, and is a response to the backlash in many local school districts against controversial books, particularly some championed by the LBGTQ community.
“Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies,” Pritzker said.
Read the full article.
DeSantis: I Will Restore Army Base’s Confederate Name
Think how the black members of the military and other black workers at the base feel about working in a place named for someone who fought to keep them property to be used and abuse by whites. Of course, the racist white Christian nationalist DeathSantis would force black soldiers to work at a base named for a white man who fought to keep them slaves and property. Of course the racist white Christian nationalist bigot DeathSantis loves them confederates that attacked the very government he wants to lead as president. DeathSantis and his followers agree with the losers who committed treason against the US government, and formed a union based on the right to deny civil rights and human personhood to a segment of the population. They are doing it now to the LGBTQ+ community. The right / republicans seem driven to deny others their humanity, rights, and freedoms they demand for themselves. Think of it, they are demanding the right to oppress other members of the public, demanding that other people live according to the precepts of their church doctrines and racist bigotry even as they demand ever more privileges for themselves along with more accommodation of their beliefs. What scares me is how powerful DeathSantis has become, all due to right wing media and his willingness to gaslight and lie to the public to get what he wants. And make no mistake, what he wants is a white Christian ethnostate based on 1950s social norms. Hugs
The Raleigh News & Observer reports:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at the NCGOP convention Friday night, said if he’s elected president he would reverse the recent decision to change the name of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty.
The promise by DeSantis to restore the name of the major military installation just north of Fayetteville, which earned loud cheers and applause from a ballroom full of Republican delegates at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, came just as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden left newly named Fort Liberty after meeting with members of the armed forces.
“I also look forward to, as president, restoring the name of Fort Bragg,” DeSantis said to raucous cheers from the crowd. He added that he would “thank the people that have served there, and they’re proud of their service there.” “It’s an iconic name and an iconic base, and we’re not going to let political correctness run amok in North Carolina,” DeSantis said as the crowd continued to cheer.
Read the full article.
Braxton Bragg was not only a famously inept Confederate general who, per historians, “wantonly shot his own soldiers,” he personally owned over 100 slaves. USA! USA! As I did last week, I encourage you to watch the US Army’s excellent clip below about the name change.
LA School Board President Delivers Epic Pro-LGBTQ Rant: How Dare You Make Kids Afraid Because YOU Are
Sorry everyone. Today has been rather bad for me. I couldn’t sleep last night, but got up early and went to a lab to have my blood drawn. After I can home and ate my breakfast I just got so tired and over whelmed I spend most of the day in bed. I got up and mangaged to get this post done because I think it is so important. But my heart seems to be slaming in the viens of my neck, I am so tired. I had some instant oatmeal for supper and now I am going to bed even though it is only 6 PM. I love everyone and hope to do better getting the news out tomorrow morning. Best wishes, loves, and hugs. Scottie
The Los Angeles Times reports:
Los Angeles school board President Jackie Goldberg pulled out an oversized children’s book titled “The Great Big Book of Families” and turned a public meeting into story time, her own not-so-subtle statement to critics of LGBTQ+ education. “In real life, families come in all sorts of shapes and sizes,” she read, as the text by British author Mary Hoffman explained. Some children live with “mummy and daddy,” or just their mummy or daddy. Goldberg soon got to the line “Some children have two mommies or two daddies.”
“A great book,” she said after reading it from cover to cover. “I recommend it.” Her statement set up the unanimous school board approval of a resolution listing all the ways the nation’s second largest school district intends to raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community. Goldberg’s reading occurred on the same day that violence erupted outside the Glendale Unified school board meeting — which had its own gay pride resolution on the agenda — and once again, fights broke out among demonstrators.
Attitude reports:
She recounted from the assembly: “At the little discussion at the school after that, as soon as the book was over, one little girl sitting at my knees said ‘I have two mommies.’ A little boy on my other side said: ‘I have five grandmas. You better treat me the same way you treat everybody else. That’s how we live in this country.”
Getting more visibly emotional and angry Goldberg expressed her tiredness, shared by the LGBTQ community, of hearing the screaming on this type of issue. “What do you think that did to them?!” It made them afraid!” she screamed. “How dare you make them afraid because you are!” She continued: “I’m sorry I told you this was personal.”
Her son was once harassed for having two mommies. The fact that Goldberg’s grandchildren aren’t is a sign of progress. “Nobody has to accept me. I’m not looking for your acceptance,” she also said. “But you better treat me the same way you treat everybody else. That’s how we live in this country.
I insist that you watch every second this.
Again if you missed watching this short heartfelt clip please do!!!
The Right’s entire M.O. is premised on the false notion that if children never hear that gay people exist and that being gay is an immutable human characteristic like left-handedness and a natural variation of the human condition, they won’t end up being gay. They are not open to any argument that suggests they are wrong, which is why we’ve been treading water for the last half century, at least. I don’t see how we get past this impasse if the other side isn’t open to reasoned argument.
Our politicians could take a lesson from Jackie Goldberg. That is the kind of pushback we need to stave off the right-wing lunatics. Fuck decorum. Speak the damn truth.
What I take from this is we need to start YELLING THE FUCK BACK AT THESE PEOPLE!!!!
I HATE when the GQP cultists start a sentence with “we the people.” They’re trying to co-opt the Preamble without understanding what it means.
* Offer not valid in Florida
(love the T-shirt, though)
Early Week in Review.
I saw this yesterday
To be fair, the right-wing base is really fucking stupid.
A large fraction believe Noah’s Ark was real and that anthropogenic climate change is not. They believe that Trump won the last election and that Hillary Clinton murders babies for adrenochrome.
They’ll cling onto a false premise like a hungry tick, and no amount of facts, data, or antipsychotic meds will dislodge them.
Exactly. Just try debating with them. I stopped that a long time ago. They are completely resistant to truth and facts.
It’s the same playbook as sex education, ie … if you don’t teach them about sex they won’t have sex. Then they are shocked when they discover that their 16 year old is pregnant.
And then scramble to get her an abortion, but can’t because the politicians they voted for abolished that option.
So, when did the haters “choose” to be heterosexual?
What was this process like for them?
Did they try both gay and straight sex before making up their mind?
I swear the root cause of conservatism is a missing empathy gene. They are incapable of seeing anything from a perspective other than their own.
That is exactly what connected them strongly with Trump.
Keith Olbermann’s ‘Conservatism In Nine Words’ –
“Need help? Screw you!
I’m screwed? HELP ME NOW!”
Of course you know that the ant gay Saticoy Elementary Parents instagram group who protested last week feature make fun of and demonized Goldberg for being who she is. Those Christianism and in this case, Armenians, are lethal. They are the same “Leave Our Children Alone” t- shirt group that caused so much trouble for the Glendale SChool District Board the week following when all the board wanted to do was past a Pride resolution, but if course some how that all about sex and grooming. These people are really sick.
Longer version
Just a reminder:
Vote Democratic, get LGBT advocates.
Vote Republican, get theofascist haters.
Yet how difficult it is chasing the will o’ the wisp of ‘mainstream’ public opinion, when even the more progressive media still shy away from calling out the far right for the malignant genocidal cancer that it is.
The mainstream public gets exercised over the price of eggs (which seem to have come back down recently), and gasoline, and are easily duped and manipulated by a lot of the anti-trans rhetoric.
Even parts of our community are conned by the propaganda into thinking that trans children are a threat to cis children. And the Caitlyn Jenner types who are out there spewing the GQP’s vicious lies do not help. Even the Biden Administration’s proposed order partly throws trans kids under the bus.
Even the better advocates, like Katie Porter, are not equipped with the facts and figures to fight back. Watching her the other week looking brave but only weakly parrying the braying Piers Morgan on cissexist Bill Maher’s Real Time made me wish she had the ammunition to shoot them both down,. convincingly.
Yours — good and thoughtful observations, Joann. Thanks.
Re the “calling out” on commercial TV of (how you put it…) “the far right for the malignant genocidal cancer that it is” — even on, say, MSNBC — you see very little, if any, of that. The commercial sponsors don’t like it. MAGAts buy suppositories, soap, cereal and Medicare supplemental plans, too. Best not to offend them.
Re the general public’s knowledge/understanding of trans people and their issues, it’s almost non-existent.
There’s this thing called “Progressive Blog Myopia.”
We here in the progressive blogosphere know about trans people and their issues. We think, “Well surely everyone understands.”
I guarantee you, Joann, that 90% of the rest of the country knows shit about the subject.
Democrats HELP
Republicans HARM
ot: JMG culture moment
