And yet history is repeating itself again. The very acceptance of homosexuality and personal sexual freedom experienced by German People was attacked by a movement that wanted to villainize it and made a virtue of not just all things heterosexual but of attacking the homosexuals along with those things that symbolized them or support for them. The things happening in Florida, on the Daily Wire, and in the fundamentalist Republican Party are the same steps taken by Nazi’s in 1930 Germany and in Russia more recently. As yourself, if the Nazi’s stopped with just the homosexuals or trans? Are you comfortable with the direction of the Russian / openly Nazi supporting Republican Party today? Hugs
The conversation had been growing and growing by the week. What started as murmurs of far-right thugs had developed into a fear of a coming political party. Across the bars and meeting places all over the country, the LGBT community of Germany could feel a storm coming. Homosexuality was illegal at the start of 20th century Germany but was counterweighted by a healthy thriving gay culture. Yet what was once angry grandstanding from a fringe socialist worker’s party soon became national policy. In 1933, Adolf Hitler would become Chancellor of Germany and enforced a thoroughly phobic policy agenda by the day. Barely a year later, following a Night of long knives, the Nazi police state made Germany’s homosexual population a primary target. Persecution, arrests, physical abuse, castration, and even the fate of the concentration camps lay ahead. Welcome to History on Fleek, today we examine the unspeakable fates of gay men in Nazi Germany.
The craziest Qanon fundamentalist Christian conservative ideologists have figured out that public schools teaching facts keep them from taking over. So they are going after the schools. That we have known for a few years. They have this idea that they can indoctrinate kids into myths, misinformation, and hateful ideas and the kids will continue that way all their lives, letting the crazies run the country as a dictatorship unquestioned. Here is an example. This person is going to be forcing the batshittery she spouts on public school kids whose parents do not have the time or energy to school their kids against her lies. She wouldn’t even let her children go to public school, she homeschooled them. Yet she will now have a say in what other parents kids learn. The US better wake up, public schools have been under attack in the US for generations with defunding and Christians trying to force their religion back into schools as factual learning material. Now the most fundamentalist crazies are taking over to finish destroying what is left of public schools. But notice this stuff is not taught in the wealthy elite private schools. Hugs
Last week, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) announced that he had appointed Laurie Cardoza-Moore to serve on the Tennessee Standards Recommendation Committee to oversee “Social Studies materials being reviewed for use in classrooms statewide.” Cardoza-Moore, known for holding extremist views and promoting conspiracy theories, has called “U.S. history textbooks” currently used in classrooms the “greatest national security threat to the United States.”
With her new appointment, Cardoza-Moore will have the power to “submit final recommendations for [Social Studies] standards to the State Board.” In a statement about her new position, Cardoza-Moore said, “[t]he materials we will be reviewing can only accomplish the mission of educating good American citizens if our Tennessee textbooks are devoid of left-aligned historic revisionism and the toxic material found in the antisemitic Critical Race Theory; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Social-Emotional Learning and Ethnic Studies.”
Cardoza-Moore homeschooled her five children and has criticized the existing public school curriculum for exposing children to “anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-Judeo-Christian content in our public schools.” In a radio interview on the Tennessee Star Report, Cardoza-Moore said, “[i]t’s ruining our children’s lives. Our children are depressed and unless we as parents… stand up and speak up and take back control of our children’s education, we are going to lose this country.”
In 2021, Cardoza-Moore was also appointed by Sexton to the Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission, which is in charge of “recommend[ing] an official list of textbooks and instructional materials for approval of the State Board of Education.”
Sexton appointed Cardoza-Moore to important positions shaping state educational standards despite her repeated embrace of conspiracy theories. Over the years, Cardoza-Moore has promoted claims that 9/11 was an “inside job,” that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, and that January 6 insurrectionists were actually “Antifa.” In 2011, Cardoza-Moore claimed that former President Barack Obama was causing “horrific tornadoes” because he made a speech that discussed the plight of Palestinians. Asked if she still held these views, Cardoza-Moore did not respond.
Cardoza-Moore has few academic credentials, which she has attempted to bolster by padding her resume. She refers to herself as “Laurie Cardoza-Moore, ThD.” But her “doctorate” is “an honorary doctorate degree in theology from the Latin University of Theology,” an unaccredited diploma mill. According to Chalkbeat Tennessee, the only degree Cardoza-Moore holds is “an associate degree from the KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts in Dallas.” It’s unclear how this qualifies her to set standards for millions of Tennessee students. Sexton did not respond to a request for comment.
Cardoza-Moore and 9/11 conspiracy theories
Cardoza-Moore is the founder and president of the nonprofit Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN), a Christian Zionist organization that claims to fight the “global war against antisemitism.” The group, which was once classified a hate group, has been a profitable endeavor for Cardoza-Moore. In 2019, she paid herself $145,000, paid her husband’s business $85,000, claimed $50,000 in occupancy expenses for her home, and spent $23,000 on meals and entertainment, among other things. The organization is also rated as a “two-star charity” on Charity Navigator, indicating that the organization “needs improvement.”
In March 2021, during a Tennessee State Senate hearing for Cardoza-Moore’s appointment to the Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission, Democratic Chair Raumesh Akbari asked Cardoza-Moore about PJTN’s statements questioning basic facts about the September 11 terrorist attacks.
According to Akbari, when reviewing a textbook passage, PJTN “suggest[ed] removing” a sentence stating that “members of al-Qaeda carried out” the September 11 attacks. PJTN cited a “plethora of evidence” for the suggested removal, stating, “This is a highly contested (per [A]rchitects and [E]ngineers for 9/11 Truth, and demolition experts) argument.” Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth was a group that falsely claimed that 9/11 was an “inside job” because they believed the impact of the planes into the World Trade Center towers could not have resulted in their collapse. According to Akbari, “the quote was pulled ‘directly from a review that [Cardoza-Moore] made.”
In response, Cardoza-Moore attempted to distance herself from the controversy. “I need to see the quote in the context that you’re pulling it [from],” Cardoza-Moore said. “Is that a Powerpoint presentation that I put together? Because I would never say that al-Qaeda didn’t participate.”
Cardoza-Moore and January 6 conspiracy theories
Cardoza-Moore also pushed false claims about the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. On December 9, 2020, Cardoza-Moore tweeted, “Calling on all citizens of the USA. Please contact your State Attorney General and let them know that as a citizen of your state, you want them to join the State of TX in the lawsuit filed against GA, WI, MI and PA for the fraudulent way their elections were held.”
On December 17, 2020, Cardoza-Moore responded to a tweet from former President Donald Trump claiming that there were “[t]remendous problems being found with voting machines.” Cardoza-Moore tweeted, “[w]hy aren’t these people being arrested? If the lawless get away with this, our Republic is lost! You’re a Churchill President Trump, PLEASE EXECUTE JUSTICE!” There is no evidence that any widespread voter fraud occurred in the 2020 election.
According to the Memphis Flyer, Cardoza-Moore also encouraged people to travel to D.C. on January 6, 2021, posting, “I’ll see you in DC on 1/6.” In a now-deleted post from December 28, 2020, Cardoza-Moore said, “Will you join me in DC to defend our Constitutional Republic? This is it! If we can’t defend our Constitutional Republic, we WILL LOSE IT! Make arrangements now!”
Cardoza-Moore continued to push conspiracy theories after the insurrection occurred at the Capitol on January 6, claiming that it was actually “Antifa” and not Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol. “Antifa stormed the Capitol! It wasn’t led by Trump Patriots,” Cardoza-Moore tweeted on January 7, 2021.
Cardoza-Moore defends plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan
In spring 2020, Cardoza-Moore celebrated on social media as armed protesters stormed Michigan’s capitol to demonstrate against the state’s COVID-19 response. “ARE WE WATCHING THE BEGINNING OF A REVOLUTION IN AMERICA!” Cardoza-Moore wrote.
Later that year, when news broke that right-wing extremists were planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D), Cardoza-Moore also expressed support for the kidnapping plot.
“Am I missing something here? Didn’t the Founders address removing a tyrant from office in the Constitution?” Cardoza-Moore wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post. “Michiganders, it’s time to step up and defend your Constitutional rights!”
Cardoza-Moore and anti-Muslim bigotry
Cardoza-Moore is also notorious for spewing anti-Muslim rhetoric. She first came to public attention in 2010 when she led opposition to the construction of a Tennessee mosque and argued that the mosque was a “terrorist training camp.” That year, she also falsely claimed that 30% of Muslims are terrorists while speaking at a rally against the Islamic Center in New York City. She would go on to repeat this baseless claim on The Daily Show.
Aside from this, Cardoza-Moore has also spread rumors that Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2021, during her confirmation hearing, Cardoza-Moore stood by her anti-mosque comments and falsely alleged that there were “absolutely” terrorists in the group. Despite this, she told Chalkbeat in 2022 that she’s not anti-Muslim.
Cardoza-Moore and racial discrimination
Endorsed by the right-wing parents group Moms for Liberty, Cardoza-Moore has also frequently accused schools of indoctrinating students—despite the fact that all five of her children were homeschooled.
Cardoza-Moore is also a staunch opponent of Critical Race Theory, calling it “anti-semitic.” She believes lawmakers should eliminate “socialist propaganda” from education and is against virtually any curriculum that makes mention of race or inequity.
During her hearing in 2021, she “declined to answer questions about her beliefs around teaching students about the nation’s history of colonialism and slavery.” At the time, she said this was because she was only reviewing math textbooks, “therefore her thoughts on history and social studies were not relevant,” the Tennessean reports. With Cardoza-Moore’s new appointment, however, she will be tasked with reviewing social studies standards.
Cardoza-Moore also doesn’t believe that systemic racism exists. In an email sent this month, she criticizes the incoming Tennessee education commissioner and writes, “To suggest that Americans are racist in 2023 because of our history is outrageous!”
“We, the majority of our society, have overcome that ideology. We elected a Black president; we have a Black Supreme Court Justice; we have Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Jewish leaders and on and on and on… Are there pockets of hate, racism, and antisemitism? Absolutely! Is it systemic? Absolutely not!”
According to Cardoza-Moore, acknowledging the country’s “systemic racism and social and financial inequity” is the “nightmare facing Tennessee.”
The Jesuits used to say ‘give me a child of seven and I will give you the man.’ They don’t any more, probably because a priest using the words ‘give me a child of seven’ will prompt any responsible parent to call child protection before the rest of the sentence is out of his mouth.
WHERE are the good people standing up to this bull shit. All this crazy isn’t happening in a vacuum. We are at a tipping point and it is getting tooooo risky for comfort. These nut jobs are evil. This fuck head is right out of central casting as an officer in the SS. My morning cup of madness is running over.
Everyday I get more and more ashamed of being an American. We put absolutely lunatics into office and think nothing of it. We have an entire party that is dedicated to turning the United States into a fascist theocracy. I honestly never thought I would see the day this would happen.
Never underestimate the damage even just one highly motivated individual can do. In fact, there’s a portion of the evangelical movement that dwells in a space believing in the power of positive thinking, and making a difference by being an influence on others.
That maybe doesn’t sound so bad, until you witness the reality of where it leads when paired with a religious agenda. It ends up manifesting with the sort of people who believe they must be an active force for spreading Christianity in the workplace. I once quit a job where the new personnel director was exactly such a person, and insisted on leading people in prayer before meetings.
I’m not talking about some small business. It was at the headquarters for a large business covering the midwestern United States, with sister companies covering other regions of the USA, and all of them just one piece of a much, much bigger international business.
The republicans don’t care about the economy, they want political power. To get it, they need to crash the economy or wipe out every thing Biden got done while getting concessions on the border and fewer regulations / more leases for drilling. This is a power play for 2024 elections. It has nothing to do with the debt limit other than causing hurt to the public that they can blame on Biden. They are already just making up things like how Biden is working for China. And stupid people believe their bullshit. Hugs
Republicans have often bristled at accusations that they are resorting to hostage tactics by refusing to raise the federal debt ceiling without securing spending cuts.
But on Tuesday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz leaned into the charge as he explained to reporters that he and his fellow hardline conservatives would likely reject any sort of compromise deal that watered down the party-line bill Republicans passed through the house.
“I think my conservative colleagues for the most part support Limit, Save, Grow, and they don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage,” Gaetz told Semafor.
“I think my conservative colleagues for the most part support Limit, Save, Grow, and they don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage,” Matt Gaetz told @josephzeballoshttps://t.co/v96X36BMiB
Republicans have been trying to “starve the beast” for years. I don’t get how they think that helps the country but it might make the wealthy wealthier for the short term. Beyond that, the infrastructure will crumble and all supportive services will fail. And THEY WILL CELEBRATE THE COMING DYSTOPIA. This is what terrorism is about and why they are holding the country hostage – to ultimately destroy the government.
I honestly think this will backfire on the GQP. If McCarthy brings it to the House floor and can’t get enough of his “majority” to vote for it, any fault will have to be his.
Every government shutdown or other hostage-holding the USA that they’ve done in the past has backfired on them, every time.
The problem is that every time, Fox News then works incessantly afterwards on erasing their viewers fruit-fly-sized memory cells, and two years later they’re right back to spouting the same total bullshit that Tucker/Sean/Laura/Jesse/Maria spoonfeed them.
I figure he’s been set up as the fall guy by the ‘freedom’ wing. They’ll push for unreasonable things, negotiations will fail or result in a bill they’ll torpedo. Then they’ll use the “one vote to remove the speaker” option they set up at the start of all this and send him back. Then we’ll have more weeks of chaos as they all (including McCarthy) grift the cult even more. Most of them are in areas where they have safe seats, so it won’t matter either way – whoever has the R next to their name gets the vote.
So ultimately they don’t care about the harm this may cause. Working from that point of view, the rest of this follows.
And yet the very smart people are still both sidesing this and covering it like a back and forth sporting event.
It’s time for lawmakers to end the drama and come to terms and increase the debt limit. There has been little economic fallout from the political back and forth so far. But that is set to change quickly. https://t.co/ZA1mGWtWfb
It isn’t only our heritage at stake in this discussion. It’s our history. We’ve already spent that money, Doofus, with the approval of congress. Now you want to turn us into a deadbeat nation.
This “game” has been played all too often. In the past the GOP has paid the price, and I’d like to think they know this. So I have to wonder, are they really this stupid (evidence points to this), or do they have something new planned?
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!
Under Trump's watch, the National Debt increased by $7.8 trillion, from $19.9 trillion to $27.7 trillion, due to tax cuts for billionaires. The Republicans want to make these tax cuts permanent. This will cost the Treasury another $3.5 trillion. So much for fiscal responsibility. pic.twitter.com/bHeV1lJGxW
Sen. Van Hollen: "The farce of this whole thing is that under Donald Trump, we raised the debt ceiling 3 times, 40% of our national debt was actually accumulated under Trump, and now they're not willing to talk about any revenue from very wealthy people as part of this effort." pic.twitter.com/VrkrFwj3Iv
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.
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.
When I tell people about this they think I am crazy. This is how far modern religious Puritan morality has pushed into the public. We went from times when boys being nude was OK, fun, and pretty normal to now just the idea of young people seeing a nude statue like David of Michelangelo got a Florida principle fired. How ridiculous has this become. Seeing a nude human, even one in a painting or work of art, will destroy a child? Will cause the downfall of a nation? There are states trying to outlaw watching porn for adults because the religious people have to regulate all behavior, even adults private consensual behavior. It is time to stop this march of the moral vice police / the US Christian Taliban. I know I have enjoyed the times in my life I was able to swim nude, in public and private. I think growing up if more boys had been forced to be nude for more than a quick run under the locker shower, they may have been less self-conscious about themselves and their development. I know it surprised me when I went to church boarding school that the male dorm showers were just a large room with many shower heads on the wall but most of the kids except a few were OK with it. In fact me and my friends often planned our mornings to shower together. And it was not a sexual thing, it was the normal start of the day when we first got together. Hugs
• Naked Swimming In… Part 3- 
Scottie's Playtime 