The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.
The Child Protective Services office at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can receive confidential help by calling the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 800-656-4673 or visiting its online hotline.
Employees of a Texas-contracted facility meant to care for female foster children who are victims of sex trafficking were discovered to be trafficking the same children, according to a federal judge.
Seven children, ages 11 to 17, were victimized by nine alleged perpetrators, according to discussions held during an emergency court hearing called by U.S. District Judge Janis Jack on Thursday. The children remained in the facility for over a month after the abuse was first reported before they were removed.
The children were sexually and physically abused and suffered from neglectful supervision and medical neglect while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a current Refuge employee reported to state authorities on Jan. 24. The court and the court monitors — watchdogs of the foster care system appointed by the judge — were not notified until Thursday.
That employee said a former staff member sold nude photos of two children in the facility’s care, using the proceeds to purchase illegal drugs and alcohol that were then supplied to the children, according to a letter from DFPS filed on Thursday notifying the court about the incident. Local law enforcement and the Texas Department of Public Safety were immediately notified, according to the letter.
“Has the governor seen it?” Jack asked, referring to the letter. No one answered.
In a statement Thursday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott said the Texas Rangers will investigate, arrest and pursue charges against any suspects related to the Refuge allegations.
“The reports of child sex trafficking at The Refuge in Bastrop are abhorrent,” Abbott said. “Child abuse of any kind won’t be tolerated in the state of Texas, and we are committed to ensuring these despicable perpetrators are brought to justice and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
The identities of the suspects have not yet been made public.
Rich Richman, DFPS associate commissioner for child protective investigation, told the court the children weren’t immediately removed from the facility because investigators thought the person responsible had been fired.
However, several staff members were found to be allegedly responsible for the abuse of the children, some of whom were not immediately removed. A suspect has been arrested by law enforcement, and DFPS anticipates further arrests will be made.
Between the first report on Jan. 24 and March 4, DFPS received several additional reports about the staff member who was removed from the facility. However, during the investigation, DFPS “discovered several additional staff members still employed at the operation appeared to be involved, and that many of them were related to one another by blood or marriage and/or were cohabiting,” according to the letter. The operation’s residential care director is now believed to have known about the sexual abuse.
DFPS did not remove all of the children until Wednesday, five weeks after the first documented report of sexual abuse. The department sent Child Protective Services staff and off-duty law enforcement to the facility to “ensure the youth’s safety” a day prior. Eight of the nine children who were in The Refuge at the time have been placed with other facilities that specialize in serving victims of commercial sex trafficking, according to the letter. The remaining child refused to be placed in another facility and DFPS is searching for another placement.
“This is just shocking and shameful. Children are being subjected to terrible abuse in state care, and the agencies say nothing,” Paul Yetter, an attorney who represents foster care children in the federal lawsuit, said in a statement Thursday. “Texas is failing its most basic duty: keep these innocent children safe. And we all know who pays the price. Without the vigilance of the court monitors, and the Judge’s jumping into immediate action, who knows what kind of further abuse would be happening.”
Jack, who is overseeing a decade-old lawsuit against Texas over its foster care system, expressed horror over the discovery during Thursday’s hearing.
The judge blasted DFPS for not immediately removing the children when the allegations of abuse were first reported, calling it yet another failure of the system. Numerousbombshellreports have been released by the court-appointed monitors detailing abuse within the system, neglect and even the deaths of children.
Dozens of facilities contracted by Texas have recently closed down or had their license revoked after racking up numerous offenses and subjecting children to dangerous and damaging environments. Child advocates and the judge have repeatedly criticized Texas officials for failing to ensure facilities are safe for kids in the state’s care. From summer 2019 to May 2021, the court monitors discovered that at least 23 children died in Texas’ long-term foster care system in shelters and facilities licensed by the state.
DFPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The judge instructed the state to provide the court with the identities of the alleged abusers and victims by noon on Friday. She also asked for details on the care the children have received since they were removed.
I am struggling. I read this earlier and got triggered. I have been fighting flash backs since. I tried to lay down to get control but that made it worse. I am getting worse right now, starting to tear up. So while I have a lot of news tabs open and the email machine is full of posts I want to read, I am shutting down both computers. No more videos, no more news, no more stories of Republicans using kids lives and their sexual identities as props to rile up their base and win elections. I am going to take some medications to calm me and make me sleepy, then I am going to turn on my Xbox and play the new Halo. In there I am a powerful here winning the war against the bad guys. Night
The Idaho House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation to make it a crime punishable by life in prison for a parent to seek out gender-affirming health care for their transgender child.
The bill is among 29 pieces of Republican-backed legislation nationwide proposed so far this year to curtail health care for transgender youth, and it coincides with dozens of additional bills seeking to limit what can be discussed about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools and restrict transgender athletes in school sports.
But LGBTQ advocates and legal experts say the Idaho proposal differs by criminalizing cases of transgender children traveling to other states to obtain certain medical procedures.
“We are seeing the severity of those policies start to really ramp up,” said Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on preventing suicide in the LGBTQ population.
A directive by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month ordered child welfare authorities to “conduct a prompt and thorough investigation” of any reported instances of minors undergoing “elective procedures for gender transitioning” as potential child abuse. Multiple investigations are now underway into Texas families with transgender children, with the threat of decades in prison for anyone convicted of child abuse.
In Idaho, HB 675 would amend the state’s statute prohibiting genital mutilation to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming health care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgeries. But the bill goes further than other GOP efforts targeting transgender health care: A parent or guardian would also be guilty of a felony if they travel with their child to another state for the purpose of obtaining gender-affirming health care. Those found guilty could face up to life imprisonment. Idaho Rep. Bruce Skaug, the Republican sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday on the floor of the Legislature that his proposal is necessary because minors are too young to make life-altering decisions about their bodies. He also cited the Texas government’s recent move to consider gender-affirming medical treatments a form of child abuse as evidence that Idaho should act as well.
“If we do not allow minors to get tattoos, smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol or sign legal contracts,” he said, “why would we allow them to make decisions to cut away organs based on their feelings during puberty time?”
Skaug did not respond to requests for comment.
The bill cleared the Idaho House by a vote of 55-13 on Tuesday. It now heads to the Idaho Senate, where Republicans hold a 28-to-7 majority over Democrats.
Four experts who reviewed the legislation told NBC News that the Idaho proposal could be vulnerable to legal challenges. It is not unlike laws from a prior generation, including the criminalization of interracial couples traveling to another state to get married, the experts said, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. People already take trips to other states to do things that are legal that they can’t do where they live — from consuming cannabis, gambling or buying fireworks to obtaining an abortion — and there’s little states can do to stop that because of constitutional limits on restricting interstate travel.
The bill presents “complicated questions whether Idaho could, in that fashion, use their lawmaking authority to try to prevent people in Idaho from taking advantage of the differing law of another state,” said David B. Cruz, a law professor at the University of Southern California.
Andrew Koppelman, a Northwestern University law professor, said a fatal flaw of the legislation is another section that stipulates only males can receive testosterone from a doctor. That would violate federal prohibitions on gender-based discrimination, he said.
“The constitutionality of this bill is in doubt, even aside from the provision that says that you can’t travel out of state,” Koppelman said.
Last year, Arkansas became the first state to enact a law prohibiting gender-affirming medical care for trans youth, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. A federal court blocked the law from taking effect, in response to an ACLU-backed lawsuit, but 19 other states introduced similar legislation.
Anti-LGBTQ legislation has been increasing at the state level in recent years, with 17 bills signed into law in 2021, more than the previous three years combined, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
In a recent survey by The Trevor Project, 85 percent of trans and nonbinary youth said debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people negatively impacted their mental health.
“This national political assault is not really about trans youth,” Ames, of the Trevor Project, said. “It’s very clear that this has become a useful political wedge issue in a hotly contested political climate. The fact that we are playing politics with young people’s lives like this is an indication to me that we are dealing with the worst kind of politics we know in this country, which is the kind that assumes an acceptable risk of casualties.”
I have already posted that Republican strategist feel the trans issue and LGBTQ+ books in schools is the winning ticket for the midterms. They know it riles up the base, it is an easy sell to their base, it is a message the can hammer on and distort. Notice the language used in the bills, “why would we allow them to make decisions to cut away organs based on their feelings during puberty time”. Notice the cut away organs … Kids having irreversible sex changes oh my gods save the children. Except it is not happening. No more than there was a child rape ring in the basement of a pizza shop run by Hillary Clinton. It is made up to scare people. Kids get social transitioning such as the support wearing the other genders specific clothing, using the items that gender uses, allowed name and pronoun change, and with the assistance of trained medical professionals who examine the child to determine the appropriateness of treatment kids can get puberty blockers. And that is not a harmful permanent procedure and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The majority of the medical community says that not only are puberty blockers not harmful and fully reversable they save lives and give trans kids lifelong relief from developing the traits of the gender they do Identify as so do not want to live as. This is an especially important issue that has lifelong consequences of how a person presents all their life. Imagine if you had to live your life looking like the gender you are not? Imagine you are a woman who had to go through male puberty and are built like a linebacker now? Imagine you are a man who had to go through female puberty and look like a pretty show girl. have some compassion people. But let me be clear again, no child gets a sex change operation, gets any operation for gender change done on them. They have to be 18 and in some places even 21 to have that control over the bodies. So this is a political issue like CRT made up to show the people the woke lib Democrats want to destroy gods creations and hurt white people and their kids.
The Idaho House of Representatives has passed legislation to make it a crime punishable by life in prison for a parent to seek out gender-affirming health care for their transgender child. https://t.co/6qLKSUDGQS
Advocates are sounding the alarm about two anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Idaho that come with hefty punishments—including a potential life sentence. @cohaug reports: https://t.co/kAyMzb9flF
Texas is worried it could lose over a billion dollars in federal funding over Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive requiring medical professionals to report gender-affirming care for minors as child abuse.
Attorney General Ken Paxton. Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters
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Texas is worried it could lose over a billion dollars in federal funding over Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive requiring medical professionals to report transgender children receiving gender-affirming health care as potential child abuse.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton amended an existing lawsuit suing the Biden administration Wednesday, attempting to void guidance issued by the U.S. Health and Human Services on March 2 that said restricting someone’s ability to receive medical care solely on the basis of their sex assigned at birth or gender identity is likely a violation of the Affordable Care Act for federally funded entities. That federal guidance came in response to Abbott’s directive issued late last month to treat certain medical treatments for trans children as possible crimes to be investigated by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
The federal guidance stated that health care providers do not need to disclose private patient information regarding gender-affirming care and that it is illegal to deny health care based on gender identity.
Paxton, in the lawsuit, said that guidance is based on “erroneous interpretation of sex discrimination.” The lawsuit says Texas does not aim to deny health care based on gender identity. Instead, the state argues its investigations disregard gender entirely, barring all children from “unnecessary medical interventions.”
In 2020, $1.36 billion in federal funds went to Texas’ Department of State Health Services, Paxton said in the lawsuit. More than $26 billion went to the State’s Health and Human Services Commission.
Before Abbott issued his directive essentially equating gender-affirming care to child abuse, Paxton issued a nonbinding legal opinion stating that health care treatments such as puberty blockers, prescription medicines whose effects are entirely reversible, constitute child abuse as well. These statements elicited intense criticism from the White House, doctors, lawmakers and advocacy organizations.
So far, the state has begun five investigations into parents of trans children since Abbott issued his directive Feb. 22. However, there may be more cases as the state declined to disclose active investigations amid pending litigation.
Paxton attempted to stop a ruling temporarily blocking the state from investigating the family of a trans child. But a Texas appeal court denied him Wednesday. On Friday, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal will ask a lower court judge to stop state investigations against parents who obtain gender-reaffirming care for their children.
House Republicans in Tennessee advanced legislation on Tuesday that would ban public schools from using textbooks or materials that “promote, normalize, support or address LGBT issues or lifestyles.”
Critics argue the bill is similar to a measure that Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature passed just hours earlier, which would forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
The Tennessee version would apply to all K-12 public schools. A House panel on Tuesday approved sending it it to the full chamber for a vote. The bill has not yet made much progress in Senate.
“I think most parents would like the sexuality of our children to be left to our parents in the home and not part of a curriculum,” said Republican Rep. Bruce Griffey, the bill’s sponsor. “And the vast number of parents also feel like materials that promote LGBTQ issues and lifestyles that should be subject to the same restrictions and limitation that there are on religious teachings that are not allowed in our schools.”
Since being elected to the House in 2018, Griffey has not had much political sway inside the GOP-dominated Statehouse. He has become known for introducing some of the more attention-grabbing contentious proposals each legislative session, but they rarely advance.
Nevertheless, Republicans on the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee advanced the bill, with one GOP member thanking Griffey for sponsoring the bills.
According to the legislation, the state’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission would be banned from recommending textbooks and instructional materials that “promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender (LGBT) issues or lifestyles” that would be used in public schools. If approved, the measure would apply to textbooks approved by the commission after July 1.
“What you’re saying to them and to the rest of us is that that ‘We don’t want to know that you’re here. We don’t want our children to know that you even exist,’” said Democratic Rep. Larry Miller. “How unamerican … how embarrassing that is.”
Republican Gov. Bill Lee has not publicly weighed in on the legislation, but the governor has never vetoed a bill while in office.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a nonbinding legal opinion last month that equated gender-affirming care with child abuse. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 741741.
A Texas appeals court sided with the parents of a transgender teenager in a ruling Wednesday, rejecting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to allow a child abuse investigation to proceed.
The ruling will allow a lower court to hold a hearing, scheduled for Friday, where lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal will ask a judge to stop the state from launching child abuse investigations against parents who have obtained gender-affirming care for their transgender children.
“This crisis in Texas is continuing every day, with state leaders weaponizing the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate families, invade their privacy, and trample on the rights of parents simply for providing the best possible health care for their kids under the guidance of doctors and medical best practices. This appeal was always groundless and DFPS and the courts need to stop this egregious government overreach,” said Brian Klosterboer, an attorney with ACLU of Texas.
The Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a nonbinding legal opinion issued in mid-February, Paxton equated gender-affirming care with child abuse. Gov. Greg Abbott followed that with a letter directing Texas Child Protective Services to open investigations into families that provide this care to their children.
While most gender-affirming care focuses on “social transition” — allowing a child to express their gender how they’d like — some transgender children take puberty blockers, a completely reversible medical treatment that’s prescribed for a wide range of situations beyond transition. Paxton and Abbott also cited concerns over gender-affirming surgeries that are rarely, if ever, used on children.
The state has opened at least five child welfare investigations into parents of trans children since Abbott issued his directive on Feb. 22, though the real number may be much higher. The state has declined to provide the number of active investigations, citing the pending litigation.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal have sued on behalf of a state worker who has a trans child and alleges she was put on leave and investigated by CPS after asking questions about the directive.
Last week, state District Judge Amy Clark Meachum granted a temporary restraining order blocking the state from investigating the family. Paxton immediately appealed that ruling, and on Wednesday, the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to proceed.
Meachum also scheduled a hearing for Friday to hear arguments on whether to grant a temporary injunction until trial, and whether it should extend to all parents of transgender children.
The Florida Senate debated the frequently referred to “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Monday, but one Republican spoke in such circles that he ultimately ended up fact-checking himself.
Responding to comments from one Democrat about why the GOP doesn’t care about talk of drugs, rape, murder or other topics. Instead, Republicans are more focused on addressing issues like civil rights and LGBTQ equality.
When state Senator Dennis Baxley spoke for “hours” according to one Miami reporter for CBS4. Baxley told his colleagues that the bill didn’t single out gays. Finally, however, he talked himself in such circles that he confessed he was scared by kids identifying as gay to be seen as school “celebrities.”
For years, a non-profit group called the Trevor Project has fought the violence and bullying LGBTQ+ children face in schools. A flood of people posted videos talking about how awful it was to grow up as “different” and the bullying they faced. They promised in the videos, “it gets better.”
After hours of denying his bill singled out gays, Senator @dennisbaxley admitted the so-called \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill was drafted because he was personally concerned so many kids today identify as gay and see themselves as \u201ccelebrities.\u201d @CBSMiamipic.twitter.com/VI9cGiBNiN
Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones (D), left, speaks about his proposed amendment to a Republican bill, dubbed by opponents the “don’t say gay” bill, at the Florida Capitol on March 7, 2022. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)
Florida state senators on Tuesday approved legislation that regulates school lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity, defying demands from some of their youngest constituents and pushing the state deeper into the nation’s culture battles.
The legislation, which Florida Democrats and LGBTQ activists refer to as the “don’t say gay” bill, now advances to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). In recent days, DeSantis has indicated he is likely to sign the measure, saying it will shield Florida’s youngest students from exposure to sensitive topics in the classroom.
“We are going to make sure parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into some of their school curriculum,” said DeSantis, who accused the media of misinterpreting the bill.
The legislation, officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill, would prohibit Florida schools from teaching students in kindergarten through third grade about topics involving sexual orientation or gender identity.
Lessons for older grades would have to be “age appropriate,” which Democrats argue is so vague that it will stifle all conversations about LGBTQ issues. Republicans played down that risk, saying the legislation prevents “planned lessons” but does not ban discussions between students or prevent teachers from answering specific questions from a student.
The measure also allows parents to sue school districts if they think their children have received inappropriate lessons. Democrats said that could result in awave of lawsuits against cash-strapped school systems.
“I believe this will be another stain on the history of Florida,” said Sen. Shevrin Jones (D), who in 2018 became the first openly gay member of the Florida Senate. “Whether you disagree with the messaging or not, when it comes to people calling it the ‘don’t say gay’ bill … it hurts people.”
The Florida legislation is one of a raft of bills around the country designed to put new restrictions on teachers and administrators related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Lawmakers in at least nine states are considering proposals such as banning library books with LGBTQ content or prohibiting teachers from discussing words such as “transgender” in the classroom, according to according to Pen America, a freedom of expression advocacy group.
On Friday, the Oklahoma Senate advanced a bill that bans books from school libraries if the “primary subject” deals with “sexual lifestyles or sexual activity” or anything “of a controversial nature that a reasonable parent” would object to.
Within minutes of Florida’sbill passing by on a largely party-line vote of 22 to 17, LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida vowed it will pursue legal action if the bill is “interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher or family.” The Biden administration also said it will closely monitor how the legislation is implemented, noting that federal civil rights law prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.
“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported.”
The Senate vote followed two days of emotional debate in which Democrats pleaded with their Republican colleagues to consider the impact the legislation would have on gay and transgender children, as well as students who have two parents of the same sex.
Although two Republicans voted against the bill, most GOP senators countered that legislation was needed to clarify that it was up to parents to decidewhen and how their children learn about matters involving sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Growing up today is very hard. Raising kids today is so challenging,” said Sen. Danny Burgess (R). “In these uncertain times, our default position should be to trust parents to do what is best for their children.”
At one point during the debate, Sen. Dennis Baxley (R), a sponsor of the bill, suggested the legislation was also designed to try to slow the numbers of young people who are coming out as a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
“All of the sudden, overnight, they’re a celebrity when they felt like they were a nobody,” Baxley said as he described hearing stories of young people coming out. “I know parents are very concerned about the departure from the core belief systems and values,” he added.
Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, a Democrat, responded to Baxley. “There seems to be a big uptick in the number of children coming out as gay or experimenting, and therefore we need not to discuss it in younger grades?” she asked.
In a survey released last month, Gallup found that a record 7.1 percent of U.S. adults self-identify lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. The increase was especially pronounced in Generation Z’ers who have reached adulthood, with 21 percent of them identifying that way.
In Florida, high school students who make up part of Gen Z have led the fight over the parental rights legislation, staging several classroom walkouts across the state in protest of it.
Mason Steinberg, a 10th-grader at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Fla., estimated that three-fourths of the students walked out of class last Thursday.
“This bill would not affect me directly, but I have many LGBTQ+ friends who would be impacted significantly,” said Steinberg, 16. “People who were not directly affected by the bill walked out because they care about their friends, and will do whatever they can to make them feel safe.”
Will Larkins, a gay and nonbinary 11th-grader at Winter Park High School in central Florida, helped organize the walkout at their school Monday.
In an interview after the Senate vote Tuesday, Larkins said they were “really scared” that lawmakers had “validated these bigoted ideas” by supporting the legislation.
“Growing up, I wasn’t exposed to queer people and I hated myself by fourth grade. … Knowing that I’m different and not knowing why, and not having an explanation was awful for me,” Larkins said. “And knowing that we’re solidifying that into law is so disturbing.”
The school curriculum bill is just the latest in a series of measures approved by the Florida legislature in recent years that are seemingly at odds with the wishes of the state’s younger residents. Florida students have also walked out in opposition to looser gun regulations as well as a bill last year that cracked down on protests in wake of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
The leaders of some major corporations, meanwhile, are being asked to pick a side in the state’s increasingly bitter cultural divisions.
Two weeks ago, dozens of Disney World employees demonstrated outside the theme park demanding that the company speak out in opposition to the legislation.
Although Disney’s former CEO Robert Iger spoke out against the legislation, some employees were incensed that the company’s current leadership appeared hesitant to get involved in the debate. On Monday, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek released a companywide statement defending the company’s decision to remain silent.
“I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of a statement for a lack of support,” Chapek wrote. “We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there. And because this struggle is much bigger than any one bill in any one state, I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support.”
Since DeSantis became governor in 2019, however, Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature has been moving steadily to the right by embracing divisive legislation that state GOP lawmakers in the past had largely shied away from.
Last week, the legislature gave final approval to a bill that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Later this week, the Florida Senate is expected to give final approval to a bill that would limit how teachers and employers discuss race and diversity.
During Tuesday’s Senate debate, Sen. Randolph Bracy (D) accused his Republican colleagues of engaging in a “culture war against the LGBTQ community” in hopes of furthering DeSantis’s political career. DeSantis has been widely mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2024.
“I actually appreciate the discipline, and sometimes I wish our party would do the same thing,” Bracy said while looking at his GOP colleagues. “But in your effort to elect Ron DeSantis and send him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I just ask you: Is it worth it? Is it worth it if one child is affected by this legislation? Is it worth a child being outed or bullied or potentially becoming suicidal?”
LGBTQ rights advocates rally at the Walt Disney Co. in Orlando on March 3, 2022. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)
Democrats are also outraged over comments that DeSantis’s spokeswoman Christina Pushaw made on Twitter last week. Pushaw suggested that only “groomers” would oppose the legislation, an apparent reference to child predators.
“The bill that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would be more accurately described as Anti-Grooming Bill,” Pushaw wrote, adding, “If you’re against the anti-Grooming bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4- to 8-year-old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules.”
During Tuesday’s debate, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) and others lashed out at Pushaw, saying her comments were an insulting betrayal of the state’s LGBTQ residents.
“The governor’s communications director accused us of being pedophiles for being against this bill. Boy, oh boy, I got news for you: You can’t teach gay and you sure can’t pray away gay,” said Sen. Gary M. Farmer (D).
Sen. Ileana Garcia (R) countered that children have their entire lives to sort out their sexual orientation or gender identity, so there is no need to have “tough conversations” in elementary school. “This is not about targeting, this is about rerouting responsibility back to the parents and allowing children to be children,” she said.
But Democrats argue that the legislation will hurt gay Floridians and endanger the state’s reputation around the world.
“Who in the world have we become? Who in Florida have we become?” asked Sen. Janet Cruz (D), who noted that she has a daughter who is gay who was in the chamber to watch the floor debate. “I feel like I had a dream of a bad version of ‘Back to the Future.’ I mean, there is no time machine here. We can’t roll back 40 years; we are here.”
There are two videos on the post that I cannot copy over to here, so go to the link above to see them if you wish. There are a lot of good sections in the news story above, but I cannot highlight them because the bright white background is painful to look at for any length of time. On a side note, my vision is still blurry and light like the computer screen is still a big painful. I won’t be doing much with comments until I can see better. When I start answering the comments, I may have some drop off I am not aware of. If in the next few days you don’t get any response to a comment please send me a note or a comment so I can go look for it. Thanks.
.@dennisbaxley proving that he has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what he is doing with this bill. “Sexual orientation to me is male and female 🤷♂️.”
These bills are written by outside hate groups utilizing State Senators as empty vessels with no clue about what they are aiming to do. pic.twitter.com/1Z7DrMcf7J
The “don’t say gay” bill just passed the Florida Legislature. It now goes to Ron DeSantis’ desk for his signature. A sad and shameful day for the state of Florida. pic.twitter.com/azaKujTP6Z
It is now on its way to @GovRonDeSantis' desk. He has promised to sign this bill.
This is a continuation of a very dark, discriminatory session. Our next opportunity to change this is Nov 8. We have to vote bc our lives depend on it.
Dennis Baxley last appeared on JMG in 2019 when he introduced an ultimately failed bill that would have allowed Florida teachers to instruct against “controversial” ideas like evolution and climate change. That bill was written by the anti-LGBTQ hate group, the Florida Citizens Alliance. But that wasn’t the first time an extremist group funneled a bill through Baxley. In 2005 he introduced the NRA-written “Stand Your Ground” bill that was successfully used in the murder of Trayvon Martin and just last month in the killing of a movie patron who threw popcorn at a retired cop.
The Don’t Say Gay bill has passed the FL legislature and now goes to the governor’s desk. Let us be clear: should its vague language be interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted legislation.
We will not sit by and allow the governor’s office to call us pedophiles. We will not allow this bill to harm LGBTQ Floridians.
We will not permit any school to enforce this in a way that endangers the safety of children. We stand ready to fight for Floridians in court and hold lawmakers who supported this bill accountable at the ballot box.
Via press release from GLAAD:
This bill brands Florida land of the ‘less free’ by legalizing censorship and harming LGBTQ students and families. Banning discussion of LGBTQ people in school is an effort to silence and shame, to divide and disrespect, when all students should feel safe and learn about themselves and each other.
To every LGBTQ child and every LGBTQ parent in Florida, you do belong and we know that history is on our side. Governor DeSantis is playing political football with LGBTQ Floridians.
Other GOP leaders around the country who claim to be LGBTQ allies should be speaking against this ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, urging Gov. DeSantis to veto it, and fighting the tidal wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation around the country. Gov. DeSantis’ disdain and cruelty towards LGBTQ Floridians is noted and appalling.
Leaders in Florida have decided that bills based on hate & discrimination take priority over our students' pandemic recovery. My team & I stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida & across the country & urge Florida leaders to protect & support all students.
— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) March 8, 2022
Let us be clear: should the vague language of this bill be interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted legislation. https://t.co/pvGSJ4iMMP
Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia (R) expressed her support for a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Tuesday by arguing that “LGBT is not a permanent thing.”
During a 15-minute speech on the Senate floor, Garcia argued in favor of a bill that would prevent teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with younger students.
“Gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing,” Garcia began. “This isn’t about targeting. This is perhaps about rerouting the responsibilities back to the parents.”
Garcia went on to spout fake statistics about LGBT suicide rates and told a story about a trans woman who prefers to date women. Which proves something, apparently.
Garcia is the founder of Latinas For Trump, for which Trump rewarded her with a Homeland Security post.
She was elected to the Florida Senate in November 2020 in the now-infamous “ghost candidate” scandal in which votes were siphoned away from the incumbent by a man with same last name. Garcia, allegedly, was not involved in the plot which has resulted so far in one arrest.
Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia (R) expressed her support for a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Tuesday by arguing that “LGBT is not a permanent thing.”
During a 15-minute speech on the Senate floor, Garcia argued in favor of a bill that would prevent teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with younger students.
“Gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing,” Garcia began. “This isn’t about targeting. This is perhaps about rerouting the responsibilities back to the parents.”
The lawmaker insisted that her friends and family are “all LGBT but I don’t pander on that.”
Garcia then seemed shocked as she told the story of one transgender woman who prefers to date women.
“A friend of mine went through the whole transition as an older man, 58-years-old, became a woman and guess what?” she said. “He still likes women! He went through the whole process and we’d laugh together and I’d say, why do you want to deal with the hormones? Why do you want to worry about the extensions and the hair and boobs and the nails and he loved it.”
“So he had a sexual experience,” she added. “And he realized that he continued to like women.”
Garcia also shared false “statistics” about gender-affirming surgery, which has been shown to reduce suicidal ideation.
“You know, a lot of people don’t know that I think that the statistics are that 4 out of 7 people who do the full transition end up committing suicide because it’s tough,” she claimed.
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