Banning Trans Women from Chess Tournaments is Ridiculous

https://charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/banning-trans-women-from-chess-tournaments

This shows just how stupid the anti-trans movement has become. In the republican debate last night, one of the republican governors was asked why he signed an anti-trans in sports bill when there was not one trans student in the state on a sports team or wanting to be on one. He was asked if it was a cause fishing for a reason to be. These anti-trans people have gone from saying men by simply being born male are superior just for that. Now it goes to saying that people born males are superior mentally simply by being born male. Misogyny anyone? All the science says by the end of one year of transitioning males lose most if not all of the advantages they may have had and by two years they are actually at a disadvantage. The famous case the anti-trans women in female sports people like to cite is Lia Thomas and the terf signature anti-trans victim Riley Gaines. Gaines went on every right wing media to say she was cheated out of her titles by Thomas, a trans woman. What those right wing media did not tell the viewers is that both tied for fifth and were beaten by four other cisgender women. But she wouldn’t have gotten fame for hating on the four women who beat her so she had to attack the one trans-woman in the swim meet. This is more of the same stupidity. Hugs

No one asked for this.

CHARLOTTE CLYMER

AUG 17, 2023

(Me getting my ass kicked at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. Credit: Tim Hanks.)

[This blog will always be free to read, but it’s also how I pay my bills. So, if you like what you read, please consider a paid subscription. And yes, I do speaking engagements.]

Last week, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the international chess governing body, introduced new regulations that, among other things, essentially ban trans women from FIDE-sanctioned women’s tournaments and jeopardize the safety of all trans chess players. The news wasn’t widely reported until yesterday, shocking many notable chess players across the globe.

In their regulation posting, FIDE (pronounced FEE-day) wrote that the participation of transgender players is “an evolving issue in chess” and these new regulations may be changed in the future “in line with research evidence” (it’s not really clear what this is supposed to mean, however.)

I’m gonna walk y’all through how absurd and unnecessary this all comes across to competitive chess players, but because I understand there’s very little context for folks who don’t play competitive chess, it would be wise to answer some of the questions I’m sure have come to mind for those unfamiliar.

For example, I’m sure y’all are wondering: why are there women’s tournaments?

Competitive chess is notorious for being a predominantly-male world. This is not because boys and men are naturally better at chess. It’s primarily because competitive chess has historically excluded and otherwise marginalized women and girls. It wasn’t until the past few decades that sexism in the culture of competitive chess was confronted, and even now, problems persist.

One of those problems is sexual harassment and assault. This year, prominent U.S. grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez was finally investigated after he was accused of assaulting more than half a dozen women and girls, with incidents going back to 2016.

Action was only taken after the insistent advocacy of Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion and one of the most well-known chess celebrities in the United States.

Ms. Shahade had been sounding the alarm for years, and even with her considerable influence, chess authorities (virtually all men) were reluctant to take action.

And yet, this is still a problem! This week, Chess.com (the world’s leading website for chess competition and news) announced it would be cutting ties with the St. Louis Chess Club after it failed to investigate Ms. Shahade’s claims back in 2020.

St. Louis Chess Club in Missouri is widely considered the nation’s preeminent club after philanthropist Rex Sinquefield started poured tens of millions of dollars back in 2007 and successfully lobbied to get the World Chess Hall of Fame moved to the area. It’s also where Ramirez has primarily spent his professional career, as both a coach and grandmaster-in-residence.

Essentially, for the world of chess, this situation would be like ESPN cutting ties with the New York Yankees after the club failed to investigate numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against the team captain.

Again and again, the message to women and girls in chess has been they are not as welcome as their male colleagues and do not deserve equal support.

Back in March of this year, there was significant controversy at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix after several players withdrew, in part, because of an astonishing lack of organization by tournament organizers, something that would never occur at a tournament predominantly played by male elite players.

There’s another reason that the world of competitive chess is predominantly male: as with so many other areas of life, women are far less likely to participate due to time-consuming labor such as caregiving. It’s very common to see fathers of school-age children play competitive chess; it’s rare to see mothers in tournaments.

All of this amounts to a competitive playing environment that is far more accessible to boys and men, and it shows. In 2020, FIDE stated that just under 10 percent of its members are girls and women, the vast majority of them being girls under 18.

Ms. Shahade, who has built a sterling reputation in the chess world over the past two decades, has emphasized that girls in chess typically stop playing around 12 or 13 because of the lack of social or parental support.

Because chess is an intense, skill-based discipline, it almost always takes many years to reach the highest levels of competition, and it’s nearly impossible for adults to pick up the game and reach that level. Starting young is essential, and if girls aren’t supported or are sexually harassed or otherwise feel unwelcome, they leave the world of competitive chess, and we lose yet another potential future champion.

Thus, tournaments that are restricted to girls and women have become essential spaces for the development of great players. It doesn’t mean girls and women don’t play in open tournaments (meaning, tournaments open to all genders)—nearly every girl or woman in competitive chess does—but gender-restricted spaces offer safety and dignity and community to learn and grow in the discipline.

This is the same reason for women-only titles. What are titles? Y’all have heard of “grandmaster,” right? That’s a title. It’s earned through a complicated system based on consistent excellence in competitive play. Most chess players will never come close to earning a title. It is exceedingly difficult.

There are four “open” titles (open to all genders), descending in order of difficulty to obtain: grandmaster (GM), international master (IM), FIDE master (FM), and candidate master (CM).

There are also four titles restricted to girls and women: woman grandmaster (WGM), woman international master (WIM), woman FIDE master (WFM), and woman candidate master (WCM).

Gender-restricted titles were introduced to encourage girls and women to stick with competitive chess and recognizing that girls and women face unfair obstacles in their development that are not experienced by men.

It’s important to emphasize that women and girls can earn any of these titles, and some girls and women choose to only earn the open titles and reject the gender-restricted titles. On the other hand, many prominent women players, including Ms. Shahade, a WGM, have encouraged their use to motivate girls to stay with the game.

While it’s understandable that some feminists would be incredulous that there are woman-only titles, it needs to be understood, again, that the world of competitive chess has been historically hostile to girls and women to the point that gender-restricted titles have sustained some participation.

An unfortunate byproduct of this system is that outsiders who are already under the false impression that males have a biological advantage in chess ability perceive the gender-restricted titles and tournaments as confirmation of their perception.

To be clear: there is no evidence that boys and men have a biological advantage in chess. None. Zilch. The belief that girls and women can’t compete with boys and men in chess is deeply rooted in sexism. It holds no water.

I repeat: the reason girls and women are rare at the most elite level of competitive chess is not because of biological aptitude but because of very low rates of participation due to a lack of social support.

I have been playing competitive chess (tournament chess), off and on, since I was a 12 year-old in 6th grade. I won probably a dozen or so tournaments when I was a kid, including a state championship. I am also a trans woman, and I’m telling y’all: trans women do not enjoy a particular advantage in chess ability.

I have played in three women-only tournaments: the 2019 and 2021 U.S. Women’s Opens and the 2021 World Open Women’s Championship. I got my ass kicked in all three tournaments. Soundly. I lost nearly 70 percent of my games. I never came close to even being within shouting distance of placing or winning a prize.

Compare that with my win rate of just over 50 percent of games in open tournaments; I have literally had far more success in tournaments that included men than in tournaments restricted to women.

I am not a bad player. I’m not an amazing player, but I’m decent. I can typically hold my own with a good opponent. But the cisgender girls and women who beat me at these tournaments—including a 9 year-old who didn’t break a sweat—were quite simply better players.

Beyond being transphobic, it is deeply sexist to claim that any person assigned male at birth has a natural aptitude in chess over any player assigned female at birth. The overwhelming majority of chess players understand that chess ability isn’t based on biology, which is why this strikes us as bonkers.

Here’s the kicker, and this is something you’re not going to see in any new reports about this: no trans woman has ever won a FIDE-sanctioned women’s tournament.

It has never happened. This is a “problem” that not only lacks merit but whose premise has never existed.

And there are trans women who do compete at a professional level in women-only tournaments. For example, Yoshe Iglesias of France is a FIDE Master; she’s also the highest rated trans player in the world. She has never won a women’s tournament.

Natalia Vives of Spain (another FIDE Master) and Morgen Mills of Canada (a Woman FIDE Master) represented their countries in the 2008 and 2022 Women Olympiads, respectively. Neither of their teams made it into the Top 10, but moreover, neither of these women had great performances.

Vives won two games out of nine rounds in her Olympiad, and Mills won five games out of 11 rounds in hers.

Strangely, the Wikipedia article for Vives states that she was the runner-up in the 2008 Women’s Olympiad (this is false; Spain did not do well) and the runner-up in the 2008 Catalonia Women’s Championship (I was unable to find evidence for this).

So, there you have it: the closest any trans woman has come to winning a FIDE women-only tournament is a spurious claim that one of the few trans women competing at a high level was a runner-up in a tournament 15 years ago.

I am, of course, hurt over the intentional and unnecessary exclusion of trans women, but I also feel angry on the part of my cisgender sisters in chess who are being insulted by the men who run FIDE and never seem to miss an opportunity to denigrate the ability of women in chess.

There’s another issue here to point out: in these new regulations, FIDE reserves the right to inform tournament organizers that a player is transgender (outing them) and to intentionally mark a transgender player in the FIDE database (again, outing them).

So, for no good reason, if a player is transgender and doesn’t wish to be out, FIDE is essentially banning them from competitive chess. Transgender players, particularly girls and women, are being forced to decide between transgender and being a chess player.

Folks, this is all completely batshit. It is an intentional effort by the leadership of FIDE to marginalize transgender players in competition. I am already hearing from some trans players who are unsure if they’re going to continue with competitive chess, especially with the safety risk.

Ms. Iglesias is currently preparing for the French Women’s Championship, a FIDE-sanctioned tournament that begins tomorrow. FIDE did not give her notice of these new regulations, which go into effect on Monday. She’s not even sure she’ll be permitted to compete.

It’s worth noting that Ms. Shahade, who has been the single greatest advocate for women in chess in the United States, led the way in the U.S. Chess Federation adopting fully trans-inclusive policies back in 2018. No trans woman has ever won a USCF-sanctioned women’s tournament.

“FIDE’s transgender policy is ridiculous and dangerous,” she told me over text. “It’s obvious they didn’t consult with any transgender players in constructing it. It’s also sinister timing that this comes out just as chess is finally reckoning with sexual assault and harassment in chess highlighting the links between misogyny and transphobia is. I strongly urge FIDE to reverse course on this and start from scratch with better consultants.”

Amen.

Hi, I’m Charlotte Clymer, and this is Charlotte’s Web Thoughts, my Substack. It’s completely free to access and read, but it’s also how my bills! So, please do kindly consider upgrading to a paid subscription: just $7/month or save money with the $70/annual sub. You can also go way above and beyond by becoming a Lifetime Member at $250.

Denver Archdiocese sues Colorado over right to exclude LGBTQ people from universal preschool

Denver Archdiocese sues Colorado over right to exclude LGBTQ people from universal preschool

Of course they are. Another attempt at establishing extra rights to discriminate and be above any laws Christians don’t like. “We don’t have to follow laws because of our god special rights”. But we still deserve to not pay taxes and still get taxpayer money from the state because again we are most special because of our god. Pay us to discriminate against taxpayers. Because hate and bigotry are more important than inclusion. Way to spread Chritistan love and the message of Christ. Hugs

State’s non-discrimination requirements “directly conflict with St. Mary’s, St. Bernadette’s, and the Archdiocese’s religious beliefs,” the lawsuit says.

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
In this file photograph Archbishop Samuel Aquila speaks during a press conference to address sexual abuse in the Catholic church on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019.

By ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ | ehernandez@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: August 16, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. | UPDATED: August 16, 2023 at 5:39 p.m.

The Denver Catholic Archdiocese along with two of its parishes is suing the state alleging their First Amendment rights are violated because their desire to exclude LGBTQ parents, staff and kids from Archdiocesan preschools keeps them from participating in Colorado’s new universal preschool program.

The program is intended to provide every child 15 hours per week of state-funded preschool in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten. To be eligible, though, schools must meet the state’s non-discrimination requirements.

The Denver Archdiocese, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood filed suit against Lisa Roy, executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and Dawn Odean, director of Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program, on Wednesday.

The Denver Archdiocese and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood could not immediately be reached for comment.

“The Department is purporting to require all preschool providers to accept any applicant without regard to a student or family’s religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and to prohibit schools from “discriminat[ing] against any person” on the same bases,” the lawsuit said. “These requirements directly conflict with St. Mary’s, St. Bernadette’s, and the Archdiocese’s religious beliefs and their religious obligations as entities that carry out the Catholic Church’s mission of Catholic education in northern Colorado.”

The Denver Archdiocese said in the suit they do not believe adhering to their religious beliefs against accepting LGBTQ people qualifies as discrimination. The Denver Post published written guidance last year issued by the Denver Archdiocese to its Catholic schools on the handling of LGBTQ issues, including telling administrators not to enroll or re-enroll transgender or gender non-conforming students and explaining that gay parents should be treated differently than heterosexual couples.

The lawsuit said St. Mary’s and St. Bernadette’s each require their preschool staff sign annual Archdiocese-approved employment contracts affirming that staff abide by traditional Catholic teachings on life, sexuality and marriage. They require parents who send their kids to their preschools “to understand and accept the community’s worldview and convictions regarding Catholic moral issues like life, marriage, and human sexuality,” the lawsuit said.

The Denver Archdiocese argues in the lawsuit that the state has “cornered the market” for preschool services by providing universal funding and any preschool providers who don’t participate will be “severely disadvantaged” and forced to charge “significantly” higher fees, disadvantaging low-income families whose children attend Archdiocesan schools.

“Colorado did not have to create a universal preschool funding program, but in doing so it cannot implement that program in a way that excludes certain religious groups and providers based on their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said enrolling children with gay parents into an Archdiocesan school “is likely to lead to intractable conflicts” because a “Catholic school cannot treat a same-sex couple as a family equivalent to the natural family without compromising its mission and Catholic identity.”

The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and for the state to reverse its decision and allow the Denver Archdiocese to participate in the universal preschool program while giving them the ability to exclude LGBTQ students, staff and parents from their schools.

Texas University Forced To Close LGBTQ Center

Texas University Forced To Close LGBTQ Center

This part of the plan to wipe out the LGBTQIA from society, from public view. Because if you can not see us, we won’t exist. But they can put crosses and churches on every street. It seems strange to me that in Texas which is a state that is already minority majority with whites staying in political power by the dirty tricks of voter suppression and gerrymandering. Suppressing the brown people’s votes as much as possible. So here are a bunch of white cis men trying to remain the most powerful group by outlawing and banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public higher education institutions. Hugs

The Texas Tribune reports:

Jamie Gonzales, a former program coordinator at the University of Houston’s LGBTQ Resource Center, hasn’t slept well ever since she heard that the center will be disbanded in accordance with Senate Bill 17, a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public higher education institutions.

Although she knew the closure was coming after the bill passed in April in the Texas Senate, she still found herself emotionally ill-prepared to grapple with the reality: an end of an era for a place that served as a beacon of acceptance, safety and support for thousands of queer “Coogs,” as UH students often call themselves.

“There were a lot of special moments held in that space,” said Gonzales while crying during a phone interview this week. Before Thursday, the effect of the law at UH was unclear to many students, alumni and faculty. But all that changed last week when students noticed a flyer taped to the door of the center that read, “In Accordance with Texas Senate Bill 17, the LGBTQ Resource Center has been disbanded.”

Read the full article.

The law’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton [photo], is also behind his state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill for public schools. Creighton first appeared on JMG in 2019 for his bill seeking to overturn LGBTQ protections enacted by Texas cities. In March 2023, he appeared here for his bill that would deny the prospect of tenure to newly-hired university professors. Creighton has spearheaded the Texas campaign to protect Confederate monuments.

University of Houston students brace for LGBTQ Resource Center closure in response to Texas’ DEI ban https://t.co/XrwCD25lXy @texasTribune @Hou_Landing
— 25NewsKXXV (@25NewsKXXV) August 18, 2023

Todd20036 6 days ago

This isn’t even about children. College students are adults

It’s about erasing LBGTs out of existence

Todd20036 6 days ago

This isn’t even about children. College students are adults

It’s about erasing LBGTs out of existence

Ninja0980 Todd200366 days ago

They want us dead, simple as that.

Max-1 🔫+cult(R)=☠️ Todd200366 days ago

The CultPAC spoke,
Eradicate (people) from public life.

This is but one step.

customartist Todd200366 days ago

Private colleges should begin offering public school tuition rates to LGBTQ students.

THE CAPE CUBSADER Todd200366 days ago

IT’S ABOUT ANYTHING THAT IS NOT WHITE!

AzBearin 6 days ago

many years ago I was a student at Northern IL university and during this time I was confused and questioning my sexuality. I found out there was a small office for Gay and Lesbian folk so I went and had an interesting and worthwhile discussion with a wonderful lesbian who shared her story with me. i still remained in the closet for a few more years but I have never forgotten what she told me, in her own way she helped me come out some years later. I still wonder what if I had not gone to that office that day,.

Posthumously AzBearin6 days ago

That kind of affirmation is exactly what Republicans are trying to prevent.

patty thomas AzBearin5 days ago

It’s an amazing feeling when you first realize you aren’t the only one in the world. I’m not gay, just an ally but I went through a somewhat similar experience when I first found out I wasn’t the only atheist in the world. I didn’t even know there was a word for it. We need connections to survive and thrive.

Edwin&Rufus Randy5035 days ago edited

In the mid 80’s, I was at a homophobic, major university in Indiana. The chancellor declared in a speech, there were no “homosexuals” there.

By accident, I found a gay, then gay/lesbian group across the street from the student union, but actually iff campus in the Wesley Foundation. It was jointly sponsored by the Methodist / Episcopalian outreach programs. No religion was pushed. We met in the church basement.

It was truly life saving, during the era of lethal, rampant AIDS, police stings, discrimination, and other abuses.

The University couldn’t touch them. They were off campus, and inna church.

CJ 6 days ago

“a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion”

There is NO question what Republicans have in mind.

BeccaM CJ6 days ago

Yes: All out unapologetic white nationalism.

Niblet58 BeccaM5 days ago

White straight nationalism.

another_steve 6 days ago

They want us dead, peeps.

How do we respond?

BeccaM another_steve6 days ago edited

By driving them out of elected office, a process that will likely take as long as it took *them* to seize power. Which is to say, it needs to be a sustained and unrelenting effort that over the course of many election cycles.

another_steve BeccaM6 days ago

As a survivor of the HIV/AIDS crisis, I see uncanny similarities in how today’s Republican Party is attacking our community.

Back then, it was “let them die, they deserve death.”

Today it’s “do what we can to make their lives, their beings, invisible and non-existent.”

Ninja0980 BeccaM6 days ago

Taking the courts back as well is part of that.

doninkansas BeccaM6 days ago

we have to start local (county and city, then state), then work our way up to federal, challenging and changing judges as we go. it is a multipronged effort that all too many don’t want to take time to do. that was how the “moral majority” did it, they started with school boards and city councils, then county level and state level. when they had a strong base in place, then they took federal offices quite easily. once in place there, they appointed judges from within their ranks and owned the country. we will have to fight tooth and nail to get this reversed.

Archipelagos another_steve6 days ago edited

Political mobilization is super important, but I would also gently encourage folks to also give space to what is necessary to protect their own health and wellbeing, and that of their friends and family. Don’t panic, prepare has been my mantra for a while now.

Boreal6 days ago

Guess what, knuckledraggers? You have one, maybe two presidential election cycles before the generation you keep fucking over is the majority. They will decide what nursing homes you end up in as well as a host of other issues that will affect your hateful lives.

AyJayDee2 Boreal6 days ago edited

That’s why they’re trying to destroy democracy – it’s to create minority rule. Remember that whites were always a minority in South Africa, and Apartheid lasted almost 50 years.

jk1056 days ago

I remember in the 60s and 70s colleges having sit ins to create these centers. I think it is time for such activism to start again.

Flora DeMann jk1056 days ago

Those 60s and 70s college students are today’s college students’ grandparents. I don’t know what happened.

Anti-LGBTQ+ hate incidents tripled during Pride month this year

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/07/anti-lgbtq-hate-incidents-tripled-during-pride-month-this-year/

The violence underscores a year that included hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents.

By Daniel Villarreal Saturday, July 22, 2023

a colorful group of people march in the Los Angeles Pride Parade holding a sign that says "All are welcome here"

Los Angeles Pride paradePhoto: Shutterstock

At least 145 incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and extremism occurred nationwide during Pride 2023, three times the amount that occurred during Pride 2022, according to a new report. The violence underscores a year that included 356 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents, as well as an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation nationwide.

The report, created by the queer media watchdog organization GLAAD and the hate monitoring group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), found that between June 2022 and April 2023, 305 incidents of harassment, 40 incidents of vandalism, and 11 incidents of assault occurred nationwide.

The incidents included the deadly Club Q shooting, the murder of a lesbian woman at a gas station, vandalism against Pride flags, bomb threats sent to LGBTQ+-associated venues, public protests against inclusive brands like Target, and death threats against doctors and politicians.

Of the incidents, 138 involved drag events and performers, 33 involved schools and educators, 23 involved healthcare facilities and providers, and 22 involved government buildings and elected officials.

This isn’t surprising considering that right-wingers have increasingly claimed that drag performers, LGBTQ+-inclusive educators, gender-affirming medical professionals, and allied politicians are trying to “groom” and “sexualize” children and want to force them to undergo “genital mutilation.”

Nearly half of the reported incidents were perpetrated by individuals associated with extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Front. Additionally, 128 of the incidents also involved antisemitic tropes, and 30 involved racist tropes, showing the overlap of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment with hatred of Jews and non-white races.

“Since many anti-LGBTQ+ hate and extremism incidents go unreported, the true numbers are likely far higher,” the report said.

GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, “This new report makes abundantly clear that extremism is escalating against LGBTQ+ people and endangers every American… Extremists, including elected officials, must be held accountable for inciting violence and using vile rhetoric against marginalized people who just want to live in safety and peace.”

In June, the Western States Center, an anti-bigotry organization, wrote a guide on “Protecting Pride,” explaining how to protect events from extremist hate.

The guide recommends that event organizers create a vocally supportive coalition of partnerships with government, business, faith, and community organizations; coordinate with law enforcement to monitor and document online and local extremist threats; create safety response plans for coordinators and attendees to follow at events; and also teaches how to use media spokespeople to flip “groomer” claims by showing how extremists threaten local kids and families with violence and hate.

Trump judge upholds Don’t Say Gay law because bullying is “a fact of life”

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/trump-judge-upholds-dont-say-gay-law-saying-bullying-fact-life/

This is crazy. Another religious right wing judge pushing her views. She dismissed the suit saying there was no harm because a reasonable person wouldn’t think that the law precludes talking about gay people and same sex families. Just what the other trump judge said, but that is a lie. The law is written to allow any religious bigot to burden the school with lawsuits. Here are a couple examples from the article. Hugs

Based on the law, the Florida Board of Education recently instituted a new rule that says any K-3 teacher who is found to have taught their students about LGBTQ issues can have their licenses suspended or revoked. And in September, the Miami-Dade School Board voted against recognizing October as LGBTQ History Month over fears that it would violate the Don’t Say Gay law.

“It is simply a fact of life that many middle school students will face the criticism and harsh judgment of their peers,” wrote the judge.

By Molly Sprayregen Monday, October 24, 2022

Supreme Court, law, legal, case, court, judge, gavel, ruling

Photo: Shutterstock

For the second time, a Trump-appointed judge has upheld the legality of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law.

Lambda Legal, the Southern Legal Counsel, and the Southern Poverty Law Center joined together with a group of LGBTQ students and their families to advocate for a preliminary injunction on H.B. 1557 – which prohibits K-3 teachers from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity issues with their students. The lawsuit argued that the law restricts free speech and encourages bullying.

But U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger dismissed their request.

“Plaintiffs have not directed this Court to any fact that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the law prohibits students from discussing their families and vacations at school or even on a school assignment,” Berger reportedly wrote in the decision, “or that it would prohibit a parent from attending a school function in a ‘pride’ t-shirt or generally discussing their family structure in front of other people.”

Lambda Legal staff attorney Kell Olson called Berger’s decision “wrong on the law and disrespectful to LGBTQ+ families and students.”

“H.B. 1557 suppresses wholesale the speech and identities of LGBTQ+ students and their families. It sends a message of shame and stigma that has no place in schools and puts LGBTQ+ students and families at risk,” Olson continued.

“The students and families at the heart of this case have experienced more bullying in the months since the law went into effect than ever before in their lives, but the court dismissed their experiences of bullying as ‘a fact of life.’ The court’s decision defies decades of precedent establishing schools’ constitutional obligations to protect student speech, and to protect students from targeted bullying and harassment based on who they are.”

Berger acknowledged some of the plaintiff’s bullying worries but said that “it is simply a fact of life that many middle school students will face the criticism and harsh judgment of their peers.”

“Indeed, middle school children bully and belittle their classmates for a whole host of reasons,” Berger continued, “all of which are unacceptable, and many of which have nothing to do with a classmate’s gender identity.”

A challenge to the Don’t Say Gay law was dismissed by another Trump-nominated judge, Allen Cothrel Winsor, in early October.

The Don’t Say Gay law, which went into effect on July 1, continues to make its mark on Florida schools.

And in September, the Miami-Dade School Board voted against recognizing October as LGBTQ History Month over fears that it would violate the Don’t Say Gay law.

Trump-appointed judge dismisses challenge to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law a second time

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/trump-appointed-judge-dismisses-challenge-to-floridas-dont-say-gay-law-a-second-time/

It is clear she supports the law. In the article, a man chaperoning kids felt he couldn’t mention his husband or their family as others were doing. That is the point of the law, to make the LGBTQIA disappear from society. Not mentioned, not heard about, don’t exist. Make it a weird fringe thing, instead of a large segment of the population. I don’t know how we get around the legal road blocks that the maga right has installed. Think of it, this judge says students, parents of students, and their legal representatives don’t have standing, yet the religious liberty legal groups can create a fictional business that doesn’t even exist and the court rules yes Christians have a pass to discriminate. What next, Christians suing to not serve black people? What about Jewish people. Yet if someone tried not to serve Christians their heads would explode and that would be illegal. Please note the related story of a trump appointed judge saying that gay kids shouldn’t be protected from bullying. “It is simply a fact of life that many middle school students will face the criticism and harsh judgment of their peers,” wrote the judge. Well that was changing just as acceptance of people of color stopped a lot of the tolerated bullying of black children, so the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ kids with anti-bullying programs was working also. Those programs were stopping the bullying and gay kids felt accepted and included at school. That is what the republicans were desperate to stop. That what these laws are doing. Hugs

U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger ruled that most of the plaintiffs lacked standing and accused them of “legal posturing.”

By John Russell Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Judge with gavel

Photo: Shutterstock

A Trump-appointed judge has dismissed a challenge to Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law for the second time.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger rejected a lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal, the Southern Legal Counsel, and the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of a group of LGBTQ+ students, parents, and a nonprofit group seeking a preliminary injunction against the state’s Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

A majority of queer youth feel hopeful despite widespread bullying & stress

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/a-majority-of-queer-youth-feel-hopeful-despite-widespread-bullying-stress/

90.3% of LGBTQ+ youth said they were proud to be part of queer community, and 83% had come out to their families.

By Daniel Villarreal

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Photo: Shutterstock

Nearly half of all LGBTQ+ youth feel unsafe in school settings, and over half said they had been bullied due to their queer identities, a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) found.

But even though over half of queer respondents also showed signs of anxiety and depression, majorities of LGBTQ+ youth have also come out to their families and feel hopeful for the future nonetheless.

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RELATED STORIESAnti-LGBTQ+ legislation is making 66% of queer youth more anxious & suicidal

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/05/anti-lgbtq-legislation-is-making-66-of-queer-youth-more-anxious-suicidal/

A recent survey suggested several ways to help LGBTQ+ youth, too.

The HRC’s 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report surveyed over 13,000 LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13 and 17, from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Approximately 54% of transgender and gender-expansive youth and 46% of LGBQ+ youth surveyed said that they felt unsafe in at least one school setting. Nearly 60% of all LGBTQ+ youth said that they had been “teased, bullied, or treated badly” at school over their LGBTQ+ identities.

Only one in five LGBTQ+ youth reported school bullying to a school staff member. While 23.3% of these kids said the adult “didn’t help me at all,” 20.0% said the adult “helped me a lot.”

Additionally, 55.1% of survey respondents screened positive for depression, 63.5% screened positive for depression, and 64.7% rated their ability to manage stress as “fair” or “poor.” These rates were on average five points higher for transgender and gender-expansive youth. 48.9% of LGBTQ+ youth had received therapy in the prior year.

The HRC noted that these findings have likely been affected by the spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation nationwide. During the most recent legislative session, 10 have passed transphobic “bathroom bills,” 23 states have passed transphobic “sports bans,” six have passed “forced outing” bills requiring schools to out trans and gender-expansive youth to their parents, and six have passed “Don’t Say LGBTQ+” bills banning queer content from classrooms.

Despite this, 90.3% of LGBTQ+ youth said they were proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, and nearly 83% of queer youth said that they had come out to at least one member of their immediate family.

Trans and gender-expansive youth who feel free to express their gender identity around their families and those whose family members use their correct pronouns and names also reported the lowest levels of depression and anxiety among trans and gender-expansive youth.

Additionally, 56.8% of LGBTQ+ youth said they somewhat or strongly agree that “the LGBTQ+ community is accepted more and more every day.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.

Conroe ISD trustee argues displays of racial inclusivity and pride in classrooms should be removed

https://abc13.com/conroe-isd-trustee-melissa-dungan-racial-inclusivity-at-schools-pride-flags/13628737/

Who thought these types of self entitled people who have seen a sudden rise in the power of their bigotry would stop at just erasing positive messages of the LGBTQIA. Well these right wing bigots are also racist. Please tell me how teaching kids to be nice to each other and work together is an ideology that must not be taught? What they really are saying is it is against the conservative right wing maga way to push white cis superiority. Just as they hate the pride flags and demand that any positive anti-discrimination against the LGBTQIA be removed from school, they are now saying that a poster showing inclusion of non-white people is traumatizing to their white snowflake children. Yes that is correct, black kids sharing a school and activities with white kids is unacceptable. It is an ideology just like rainbow flags. No shit. This is what the school board member said after a parent complained about it. In 2023 we have white people saying in public school we shouldn’t have mixed race positive messages, and we should allow the terrorizing and bullying of gay, lesbian, and trans kids because they don’t like them. I warned everyone this was their next step, DeathSantis along with the Huckabeast in Arkansas trying to outlaw the teaching of the real brutality of slavery / racism in the US history is just an opening to try to return the country to the open racism of the 1950s. Hugs

https://abc13.com/video/embed/13628602

ByShannon Ryan

Thursday, August 10, 2023

A trustee says a child was traumatized by a poster showing different colored children holding hands and had to switch classrooms. Now, she’s arguing to remove displays of racial inclusivity and pride.

CONROE, Texas (KTRK) — Some Conroe ISD trustees want to crack down on displays of racial inclusivity and pride, saying they represent, “symbols of personal ideologies.”

One trustee says a child was traumatized by a poster showing different colored children holding hands and had to switch classrooms.

School officials against this say a policy prohibiting political displays, not related to curriculum, already exists. The trustee who brought this forward didn’t realize that.

When it was brought to her attention, the trustee said she wants that policy to go further. Citing “a number of parents reaching out to her about supposed displays of personal ideologies in classrooms,” Melissa Dungan asked her fellow board members to crackdown on them.

“I wish I was shocked by each of the examples that were shared with me, however, I am aware these trends have been happening for many years,” Dungan said.

When pressed to share one of those examples, Dungan referred to a first grade student whose parent claimed they were so upset by a poster showing hands of people of different races, that they transferred classrooms.

“Just so I understand, you are seriously suggesting that you find objectionable, a poster indicating that all are included,” Stacey Chase, another trustee, said.

Dungan wouldn’t say whether she found that poster objectionable, just that she wants to avoid “situations like that” by having the board adopt stricter standards and adhere to state policies already in place, prohibiting teachers from displaying political items not relevant to curriculum.

Another trustee even asked if the poster was illegal and went on to claim previous displays of pride flags were.

“We do have violation of this law,” Misty Odenweller said.

When asked if bible verses were also in violation of existing policy and should be removed, Dungan struggled to respond.

“Right? Would you agree?” trustee Datren Williams asked Dungan.

“I don’t know,” Dungan replied.

Texas School Board Members Say Racially-Inclusive Posters Are “Traumatizing” Students And Possibly Illegal

A trustee says a child was traumatized by a poster showing different colored children holding hands and had to switch classrooms. Now, she's arguing to remove displays of racial inclusivity and pride. https://t.co/scyrw05x2q
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 10, 2023

traumatized by what now https://t.co/igZs9XGmku pic.twitter.com/6LXUuAJUV9
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 11, 2023

Hunter M11 days ago

Somehow, I think it was really the parent who was traumatized at seeing the poster.

Mike C11 days ago

This is why you don’t give these very dramatic, very racist people an inch.

kaydenpat Mike C11 days ago

Exactly. What’s next? What if the child was “traumatized” by seeing Black classmates or Black teachers? Then what?

Will Mike C11 days ago

These bigots have been emboldened by Trump, Abbott, DeSantis, and others, to publicly and proudly promote their racism. They are horrible people and should be publicly shunned.

April Smith 11 days ago edited

One trustee says a child was traumatized by a poster showing different colored children holding hands and had to switch classrooms

And they call us snowflakes…

cfa April Smith11 days ago

I assume they are not singing “Jesus loves the little children” in Sunday School there.

(“Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
all are precious in his sight…”)

Max-1 🔫+cult(R)=☠️11 days ago

Sesame Street scares them, doesn’t it?

BeccaM Max-1 🔫+cult(R)=☠️11 days ago

These days, it does actually. The fascist fucks have been trying to get shows like Sesame Street canceled.

Tuxedocat BeccaM11 days ago

These days? They were trying to cancel it from day one for its depiction of children of different races/ethnicities interacting.

NorthBayBrian Max-1 🔫+cult(R)=☠️11 days ago

Imagine if they saw the Mr. Rogers episode where he and his Black mailman friend both dipped their feet into a kiddie pool to cool off on a hot, summer day. The horror!

Houndentenor 11 days ago

Conroe is a northern suburb/exurb of Houston. It’s not exactly the boonies but on the edge of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US and according to many sources the most diverse city in the US. People who think of race as black/white need to visit Houston where there are people from pretty much everywhere in the world where there are humans. Conroe, however, is about 72% white and as is typical in the outer burbs, these are people who fled Houston because they freaked out when an Indian or Chinese family moved in next door.

Jamieboy Highballs 11 days ago

If children are being traumatized by posters showing inclusion, I’d take a good hard look at the parenting style of their fucking parents.
Flags, all red.

Alan Shore on Homosexuality

This is a clip from Boston Legal. Obviously I do not own any of the rights to Boston Legal, I simply own the DVD set to season 3. However, I believe it is both a tribute to the show and a good sales pitch towards purchasing a copy of this show to introduce herein a clip that demolishes the absurd religious views on homosexuality. In this clip, Alan Shore presents his case as to why the man he represents has been scammed out of $40k by a religious organization that intended to “cure” his SSAD (“same sex attraction disorder”, aka homosexuality). Brilliant and appropriate for this moment in time.

Gender Affirming Care Is Evil Except When It’s Not

Cartoon: Gender Affirming Care Is Evil Except When It’s Not

Thanks to Ali for the link. This cartoon really says it all. Please go to the link above and read the two few paragraphs that fill in the cartoon’s backstory. It is important. I am going to post the cartoon so you get a taste of it, but the two short stories of how the same care is approached when a young person is cis vs when they are trans. Hugs