I hate canned hunts.Β Β Every hunter I know hates them.Β Β A helpless animal who is use to humans drawn in to be suddenly killed by a person who has not skill to track or hunt an animal.Β Every time I hear of these hunts I think of the scene in Jurassic Park where the goat is tied out to bait the T-Rex.Β Β These “hunters” are shooting the tied goat, and then claiming they are some great alpha male.Β Β Really?Β To me they are simply the sniveling losers that couldn’t really cut it.Β Β Hugs
Utah hunting guide Wade Lemon faces five years in state prison for the death of a Carbon County bear killed during a guided hunt on May 18, 2018. But Lemon, a well-known guide didnβt pull the trigger β Donald Trump Jr. did, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Trump Jr. is not named in a recent filing against Lemon, but the DNR confirmed his identity as the person named in the felony complaint as Lemonβs βclientβ on the hunt. Prosecutors have indicated there was no evidence showing Trump Jr. would have known about the alleged baiting that went on during the hunt.
Trump Jr. was in Utah to help launch Hunter Nation, a hunting advocacy group. That group would later launch its own super PAC, Hunter Nation Action, which spent $96,997 in ads against Democrats in the 2020 election, according to the campaign spending transparency site Open Secrets.
Utah hunting guide Wade Lemon is facing up to 5 years in prison for using pastries to illegally bait a bear killed on a hunt by Donald Trump, Jr. https://t.co/tIIhTOG8an
— Ron Filipkowski πΊπ¦ (@RonFilipkowski) May 21, 2022
Wade Lemon Hunting has been investigated eight times for allegedly breaking the law to ensure a successful hunt, though he was not charged with a felony until Tuesday, according to DNR.https://t.co/i2ZtI0H0lV
Wade Lemon Hunting has been investigated eight times for allegedly breaking the law to ensure a successful hunt, though he was not charged with a felony until Tuesday, according to DNR.https://t.co/i2ZtI0H0lV
At least 357 sitting Republican legislators in closely contested battleground states have used the power of their office to discredit or try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a review of legislative votes, records and official statements by The New York Times.
The tally accounts for 44 percent of the Republican legislators in the nine states where the presidential race was most narrowly decided. In each of those states, the election was conducted without any evidence of widespread fraud, leaving election officials from both parties in agreement on the victory of Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The Timesβs analysis exposes how deeply rooted lies and misinformation about former President Donald J. Trumpβs defeat have become in state legislatures, which play an integral role in U.S. democracy.
In NYT interview, Ex-President Trump, who won 7 million fewer votes than Joe Biden, spread blame for his 2020 loss to several targets, including VP Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell & state lawmakers.
44% of GOP legislators in 9 closest states used official power to try discrediting or overturning 2020 election. And I pathetically scrounging for hope look at this chart & think, βWell, only REALLY problematic in PA, not too bad in GA, NC, fine in NV, FL. https://t.co/UWqJ3V2I9q
Does she mean if they are not maga enough.Β Plus in her mind Sheriff’s are able to decide what laws are constitutional and have a choice over which they will enforce and which they can ignore.Β Β Totally false.Β Β Hugs
βWeβre not making backroom deals with sheriffs. Theyβre the highest constitutional office in their county and theyβre gonna do the will of the people.
βI donβt mind handcuffing them either. I mean it. Iβve had it from sheriff corruption all over this state. Weβve got some awesome sheriffs and praise the lord for βem.
βPray for them. Even if you have a corrupt one, pray for them. And pray that theyβre replaced really quickly if theyβre corrupt.Β But I donβt care. I donβt mind handcuffing any single person who breaks the law and goes against our government.
βThe Constitution says when you commit treason, itβs death by firing squad. I didnβt write it! Itβs in there! Itβs serious!
βWhen you swear to God that youβll uphold a document that says youβll do the will of the people and you will honor every single thing in that Constitution, do you that.β β Kandiss Taylor, candidate for Georgia governor.
Rather obviously, the ConstitutionΒ says nothingΒ at all about executions by firing squads.
Taylor last appeared on JMG earlier this week when sheΒ declaredΒ that the Founding Fathers βdestroyedβ Native Americans so that people can βworship Jesus freely.β
Taylor first appeared on JMG when she dramatically ripped up photos of Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue, declaring βI believe in Jesus, guns, and babies.β Taylor is a graduate of Pat Robertsonβs Regent University.
GA Gov candidate Kandiss Taylor says she will execute Sheriffs by firing squad if they donβt βdo the will of the people. I donβt mind handcuffing them either .. The Constitution says when you commit treason, itβs death by firing squad. I didnβt write it – itβs in there.β pic.twitter.com/zZxWxEOctD
— Ron Filipkowski πΊπ¦ (@RonFilipkowski) May 22, 2022
Fourteen GOP legislators warned Lyft that theyβd seek to ban companies that pay for abortions from doing business in Texas. The extent of support for the idea is unclear.
State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, and 13 other Texas House Republicans have laid out their legislative priorities in a letter to the Lyft CEO.Β Credit:Β Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target to fight the procedure: businesses that say theyβll help employees get abortions outside the state.
Fourteen Republican members of the state House of Representatives have pledged to introduce bills in the coming legislative session that would bar corporations from doing business in Texas if they pay for abortions in states where the procedure is legal.
This would explicitly prevent firms from offering employees access to abortion-related care through health insurance benefits. It would also expose executives to criminal prosecution under pre-Roe anti-abortion laws the Legislature never repealed, the legislators say.
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Their proposal highlights how the end of abortion would lead to a new phase in β not the end of β the fight in Texas over the procedure. The lawmakers pushing for the business rules have signaled that they plan to act aggressively in the next legislative session. But it remains to be seen if theyβll be able to get a majority on their side.
The members, led byΒ Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, laid out their plans in a letter to Lyft CEO Logan Green that became public on Wednesday.
Green drew the lawmakersβ attention on April 29, when heΒ said on TwitterΒ that the ride-share company would help pregnant residents of Oklahoma and Texas seek abortion care in other states. Green also pledged to cover the legal costs of any Lyft driver sued under Senate Bill 8, the Texas law that empowers private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who assists in the procurement of an abortion.
βThe state of Texas will take swift and decisive action if you do not immediately rescind your recently announced policy to pay for the travel expenses of women who abort their unborn children,β the letter states.
The letter also lays out other legislative priorities, including allowing Texas shareholders of publicly traded companies to sue executives for paying for abortion care, as well as empowering district attorneys to prosecute abortion-related crimes outside of their home counties.
Six of the 14 signers, including Cain, are members of the far-right Texas Freedom Caucus. How much political support these proposals have in the Republican caucus is unclear. House SpeakerΒ Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, declined to comment. Lt. Gov.Β Dan PatrickΒ and Gov.Β Greg AbbottΒ did not respond.
Since the legislative session is more than seven months away, Cain said in an email that βa quickly drafted and sent letter can hardly be said to reflect the pulse of my Republican colleagues.β He was confident, however, that his ideas would find some support in the Senate.
βKnowing that chamber and its leadership, Iβm willing to bet legislation targeting this issue will be promptly filed in January,β Cain said.
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But doing so would likely mean targeting companies that the state has wooed as potential job creators. Tesla, for instance, announced this month that it would pay for employeesβ travel costs when they leave the state to get an abortion. Abbott celebrated the electric car companyβs move to Austin last year and this year urged its CEO, Elon Musk,Β to move Twitterβs headquarters to Texas, too, if he completes his purchase of the social media firm.
Republican politicians have to tread much more carefully on abortion politics if Roe v. Wade falls, said Florida State University professor Mary Ziegler, who wrote aΒ bookΒ on abortion law in the United States. Whereas in the past, lawmakers could pass any number of abortion restrictions that were bound to be struck down by courts, that backstop would no longer exist.
Ziegler said while a broad conservative coalition wants to ban abortions in Texas, there is disagreement over how aggressively to enforce related criminal laws or to attempt to prevent pregnant residents from leaving the state for the procedure. Republican politicians, therefore, have an incentive to remain quiet on the issue until they can determine which course of action is the most politically prudent.
βItβs not easy to be a Republican anymore,β Ziegler said. βBefore, everyone was like, βYes, letβs get rid of Roe v. Wade.β Now, if you can do whatever you want, what is it that you want to do?β
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Lyft did not respond to a request for comment. Several other large companies, including Amazon, Uber and Starbucks, haveΒ also saidΒ they would help employees or customers seek abortion care outside of Texas. None responded to requests for comment.
Concerns from the business communityΒ helped derailΒ a push by Republican lawmakers to enact the so-called bathroom bill in the 2017 session, which would have required people to use the facilities that corresponded with their sex assigned at or near birth. Moderate SpeakerΒ Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, rebuffed requests from Patrick to make the bill a priority.
State Rep.Β Donna Howard, D-Austin, said that although Straus has since retired, she hoped a coalition of Democrats and centrist Republicans would form to block abortion-related laws that place new restrictions on businesses.
βThere were opportunities for business-minded Republicans and business-minded Democrats to come together and prevent these kinds of extreme policies,β Howard said of Strausβ tenure. βIβm hopeful that will happen again. β¦ Weβre at a pivotal point here of doing severe damage thatβs going to be hard to undo.”
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The Texas Association of Businesses, Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives and Greater Houston Partnership either declined to comment or did not respond to questions about the abortion-restriction proposals in the Republicansβ letter.
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It's worth noting that Briscoe Cain sneaked into last year's Texas Democratic convention with a handgun and tried to hand out yard signs inviting shooters to attack Democrats' houses.
This man is not well and should not be a state representative, OR own guns. https://t.co/zcJc0EEMuT
And another crazy spreading hate about people who think or are different from him.Β Β And he has a flock.Β Β He feels that somehow once the gays are gone all pedophilia is gone also, wow he has some rude awaking coming when he finds out most child molestation are from straight men with little girls.Β Β Β Hugs
βThe bible says they are to be put to death. Thatβs whatβs being taught. So itβs your fault, Mr. βIβm gonna go down to the voting box and vote for every Republican because theyβre Christians.β
βSo it your fault. Let me ask you, pal. Let me ask you, Mr. Mocker. Mr. βI got a big ole Donald Trump flag out in my yard because Iβm all about truth and Elon Musk and Iβm gonna buy me a Tesla.β
βLet me tell you something, pal, itβs your fault that all these pedophiles are around. Itβs not Godβs fault, he told nations how to deal with that. He told the nation that he ruled, βPut βem to death. Put all queers to death.β
βAnd you know what, when they die, that stops the pedophilia. Itβs a very simple process, but of course our reptilian government, they donβt subscribe to that.
βNow hereβs the thing, Iβm not saying that every reptilian is a sodomite, but all sodomites are reptilians. Youβre gonna see that as I go through this.β β Idaho Pastor Joe Jones, in a clip posted to YouTube.
203 House Republicans voted against the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would direct federal law enforcement agencies to establish domestic terrorism offices and jointly report on domestic threatsβincluding those posed by white supremacists.
Hungaryβs nationalist leader, Viktor OrbΓ‘n, will be the star speaker at an extraordinary session of Americaβs CPAC to be held in Hungary this week, in an effort to cement bonds between the radical right on both sides of the Atlantic under the banner of the βgreat replacementβ ideology. In a speech on Monday, OrbΓ‘n made explicit reference to the ideology, which claims there is a liberal plot to dilute the white populations of the US and European countries.
βI see the great European population exchange as a suicidal attempt to replace the lack of European, Christian children with adults from other civilizations β migrants,β OrbΓ‘n declared in a speech to mark the start of his fourth term in office. Echoing another popular theme on the American right, he argued that another form of cultural suicide was βgender madnessβ, a reference to the spread of LGBTQ+ rights in the west.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gave the keynote address at CPAC Hungary on Thursday after a short video message from Tucker Carlson and an open speech from American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp. βProgressive liberals, neo-Marxists dazed by the woke dream, people financed by George Soros and promoters of open societies β¦ want to annihilate the Western way of life that you and us love so much,β Orban said.
βWe must coordinate the movement of our troops as we face a big test, 2024 will be a decisive year,β he added, and βreconquer the institutions in Washington D.C. and Brussels.β Orban also praised Carlson, who broadcast his Fox News show from Hungary for a week in 2021, as the only American media figure willing to challenge βthe rule of the liberal media.β Other prominent U.S. media figures to speak at the conference include Candace Owens and Jack Posobiec.
The theme of CPAC Hungary, as seen on the stageβs backdrop, is βGod, Homeland, Family.β
On the eve of the CPAC meeting in Budapest, Viktor Orban reaffirms his commitment to the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory that inspired the Buffalo mass murdererhttps://t.co/ktAAV1p4kZ
The only “gender madness” is the insistence that all humans are naturally heterosexual, in two neatly defined genders, and that any deviation from that norm is wrong. Gender sanity is recognizing that humanity is complicated and that most of us are somewhere on a spectrum.
How much can Republicans white wash history to show only what they want it to be?Β Β How much can they change so that the maga parents are not made uncomfortable?Β Β Please note what the state Republicans have labeled social justice.Β Why are Republicans against having student learn how to handle their emotions?Β is it because they want angry young people who become angry adults?Β Β Hugs
Florida education officials, in guidance, told publishers that all proposed social studies content must abide by the stateβs rules outlawing critical race theory and similar teachings.
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The Florida Department of Education wants to avoid references to βsocial justiceβ in its textbooks and gave publishers a few examples to help guide them.| Getty Images
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. β Floridaβs Department of Education is explicitly aiming to keep critical race theory and βsocial justiceβ out of social studies textbooks that the state will ultimately adopt for its new teaching standards.
The agency, in recent undated guidance, asked textbook publishers to avoid those topics on top of βculturally responsive teaching, social and emotional learning, and any other unsolicited theoriesβ as the DeSantis administration and Republicans continue to scrutinize what students are learning in public schools, especially on the issues of race and gender identity. Florida already has received national attention afterΒ rejecting scores of math booksΒ for broaching topics state leaders deemed βimpermissible.β
βInstructional materials should not attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a viewpoint inconsistent with Florida standards,β FLDOE officials wrote in its undatedΒ specifications to publishers. Bids formally opened March 12Β and textbook publishers have until June 10 to submit their social studies proposals to the state education department.
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Florida education officials, in the guidance, told publishers that all proposed social studies content must abide by the stateβs rules outlawing critical race theory, known also as CRT, and similar teachings.
The state, through a rule passed by the Board of Education in 2021, defines critical race theory as an ideology that βracism is not merely the product of prejudice, but that racism is embedded in American society and its legal systems in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.β Critical race theory, along with βThe 1619 Projectβ from The New York Times, are theories that βdistort historical events,β according to Florida leaders.
Critical race theory, an analytical framework developed by legal scholars, is generally known as a way to examine how race and racism have become ingrained in American law and institutions since slavery and Jim Crow.
Social studies lessons are also required to followΒ the βStop WOKE ActβΒ passed by Republican lawmakers in Florida earlier at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made a major push to prohibit schools and companies from leveling guilt or blame at students and employees based on race or sex, taking aim at lessons over issues like βwhite privilege.β To that end, the guidance to publishers notes that possible critical race theory components could include making someone βfeel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.β
Additionally, the Florida Department of Education wants to avoid references to βsocial justiceβ in its textbooks and gave publishers a few examples to help guide them.
Social justice lessons, according to Florida officials, would be βseeking to eliminate undeserved disadvantages for selected groups; undeserved disadvantages are from mere chance of birth and are factors beyond anyoneβs control, thereby landing different groups in different conditions; and equality of treatment under the law is not a sufficient condition to achieve justice.β
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The state is also targeting social emotional learning, which has recently emerged as another topic under criticism from DeSantis. Social emotional learning aims to teach students how to manage their emotions and develop strong relationships with their peers. This is counted as an βunsolicitedβ strategy to FLDOE, which told publishers to refrain from teachings on βidentity and identity identification concepts; managing emotion; developing relationships and social awareness.β
Floridaβs slate of math textbook rejections, along with recent laws passed in the state like the Parental Rights in Education bill, on Thursday were key topics during a congressional hearing on βcurriculum sabotage and classroom censorshipβ led by the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
One Florida Republican on the subcommittee, Rep. Byron Donalds, asked the panel of witnesses, ranging from parents to school leaders and free speech advocates, if they believed the math lessons flagged by the state education department were appropriate. Donalds, a former member of the Florida House, used examples of questions asking students to measure racial prejudice by age and political affiliation.
A representative from free speech organization PEN America agreed with Donalds, acknowledging that there was a βrisk that this was going to stoke division, detract from the lesson.β
βIf weβre going to talk about history, letβs talk about history,β Donalds said. βBut if weβre going to bring subjective material into the classroom, that is the problem that has some parents upset in the United States.β
Democrats frequently criticized Floridaβs policies along with others across the U.S. that they say prohibit discussions of race and LGBTQ issues and violate free speech principles, mirroring authoritarian governments. They used last weekβs racist shooting at a Buffalo grocery store as a βhorrifyingβ example of what could happen if βignorance and hatred spread.β
βGov. DeSantis is bringing a brand of authoritarianism to Florida that Putin, Maduro or Castro would applaud,β said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
Here's Florida new secretary of state and his wife, a newly appointed member of the state board of education, flying the QAnon flag from their boat. pic.twitter.com/x6nEZ8Teyo
Next thing you know they will tell the kids who attempt to read and learn the truth for themselves they will be scared into thinking that it will be an assured way to be kidnapped by a homosexual and sold to an adrenochrome extraction laboratory.
Florida is becoming like that unruly child in a classroom you can always depend on to disrupt everything by calling undo negative attention to itself. It’s a childish act that’s getting really old really fast.
Kids graduating from FloriDUH high schools will have a hard time being accepted to out-of-state colleges/universities due to the low-standards of education pushed by DeathSantis and the GQP.
The publishers of textbooks need to step up and fight back. Stop caving in to these assholes. Kids in Texas and Florida and other confederate states need to learn the truth, not right wing “Lost Cause” propaganda. Can’t handle the truth? Get some mental health care.
Continuing this culture war at no further financial expense to the state, and Iβm assuming that DeSantis will only approve books by the one publisher that publishes the only approved math booksβ¦the same publisher owned by VA Republican Gov Youngkin.
In other words, Florida has totally removed itself from actual history, and any attempt to reconnect will be met with total contempt. Perfect place to raise your kids if you want them to be absolute idiots.
So teachers in Florida need to instruct students in such a way that it is not clear where they stand on issues like was it right or wrong for Southern states to own humans as property.
Yes Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)Β is a religious βanti-LGBTQ hate group,βΒ This redacted email exchange shows that at least one of not more religious bigots on the board wanted to not include the state mandated non discrimination language in the school handbook so reached out to a religious legal hate group to write them a different one they could approve instead.Β Β I don’t think it is legal but it shows how far the religious right is willing to go to be able to discriminate against LGBTQ+ and eventually any non-Christians.Β Β Hugs
Emails obtained by 8News show that a Hanover County School Board member reached out to a top legal strategist for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) a week before he tried to set a meeting between the board and the organization.
A month later, the school board approved a plan to have ADF, which some have classified as an βanti-LGBTQ hate group,β review the districtβs policy regarding the treatment of LGBTQ students.
On March 16, 8News filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all of the countyβs school board membersβ emails concerning ADF since Nov. 21, 2021.
Although key details in the conversations were largely redacted β blacked out β by the school district, the emails shed some light on how the board and Alliance Defending Freedom came together.
The emails do not account for possible phone calls, text messages or other communications between the board and organization.
What is ADF and its link to Hanoverβs school board?
Alliance Defending Freedom is a conservative Christian legal advocacy and training organization based in Arizona seeking to secure βgenerational wins that change the law and culture,βΒ according to its website.
These goals include βensuring the law respects Godβs created order for marriage, the family, and human sexuality.β
In March, Hanoverβs School Board voted 4-3 to allow ADF to review the boardβsΒ equal educational opportunities policy, which concerns the rights of LGBTQ students and more. Board Chairwoman Ola J. Hawkins, Vice Chair Bob Hundley and school board member Sterling Daniel voted against the proposal.
The decision came after the board voted last November not to adopt policies, as Virginia school divisions were required to under legislation passed by the state legislature, allowing students to use bathrooms and school facilities aligning with their gender identity. A month later, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia filed a lawsuit on behalf of five transgender students against the school board.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) added ADF to its βanti-LGBTQ hate groupβ list in 2016, saying the organization has spread βknown falsehoodsβ that demonize LGBTQ people.Β Among several examples, SPLC points to a national campaign backed by ADF to pass laws that would prevent transgender students from taking part in sports on the teams that align with their gender identity, specifically inΒ ArizonaΒ andΒ Idaho.
Ryan Bangert, senior counsel and vice president of legal strategy at ADF, strongly disputed SPLCβs designation and said ADF is one of the U.S.βs most respected and successful U.S. Supreme Court advocates that has worked βto preserve the fundamental freedoms of speech and religion for all Americans.β
He also called the Southern Poverty Law Center βpartisanβ and βscandal-ridden,β claiming it has presented βfalse claims and gross mischaracterizations,βΒ citing reports criticalΒ of its βhate mapβ and a federal judgeβs opinion in 2019 that argued the list doesnβt βdepend upon objective data or evidence.β
The Southern Poverty Law Center declined to comment on Bangertβs statement.
Emails reveal a timeline
Records show that Hanover School Board member John Axselle first emailed Bangert at Alliance Defending Freedom on Feb. 7, 2022. Most of the email, including its subject line, was blacked out by the district when we received the email through a FOIA request.
Hanover schools spokesperson Chris Whitley said the email and an attachment Axselle sent were redacted because they included βattorney-client material,β showing that Axselle had formally reached out to ADF a month before the boardβs narrow vote to start considering the organizationβs legal advice.
βThank you in advance for your assistance with this matter,β Axselle writes to Bangert in one of two sentences not blacked out.
The email exchange between Axselle and Bangert β seven emails in total from Feb. 7-8 β is the only one between a school board member and an ADF employee in the records shared with 8News.
Board member Axselleβs Feb. 7 email to Ryan Bangert, senior counsel and vice president of legal strategy at ADF. (Email provided to 8News by Hanover schools after Freedom of Information Act request)
In one email, Bangert tells Axselle, the boardβs Beaverdam District representative, that he received his message and βwill review promptly and revert.β Later that night, Bangert sends another email asking Axselle if they could speak the next day.
Emails show that Bangert set up a call between himself, Axselle and his colleague Jon Scruggs, senior counsel and director of the Center for Conscience Initiatives with ADF, for the afternoon of Feb. 8.
Bangertβs email to Axselle on Feb. 8 setting up a phone call for 4 p.m. ET that day. (Email provided to 8News by Hanover schools after Freedom of Information Act request)
Itβs unknown whether the phone call occurred as ADF and the school board declined to discuss the emails and declined 8Newsβ interview requests. But Axselle sent an email to Chairwoman Hawkins and Vice Chair Hundley less than a week later with the subject line, βMeeting with ADF.β
βADF contacted me and they can meet with us Friday, February 18, 2022, at 5:00 PM, if that is good for us. This is going to be a Zoom meeting,β Axselle wrote in the Feb. 14 email. βPlease let me know if this is good for the Board and I will confirm with them if you like.β
βIβll work with Ola to notify the board of the plan to conduct a called closed session meeting Friday; our goal will be to confirm that as early as possible tomorrow morning so that the appropriate legal notice can be posted,β Hundley replied 37 minutes later.
According to the school boardβs online agenda, a closed session meeting did not take place on Feb. 18 but one was held on Feb. 22 to interview βprospective candidates for employmentβ and for βconsultation with legal counsel pertaining to probable and pending litigation,β including the ACLU lawsuit.
Board chair Hawkinsβ email to school board attorney Lisa Seward on March 3. (Email provided to 8News by Hanover schools after Freedom of Information Act request)
Emails also show that Lisa Seward, the Hanover school board attorney, sent βresearchβ to the school board and school Superintendent Michael Gill on March 2, six days before the board voted to allow ADF to advise it on its policy.
Sewardβs entire email, apart from her salutation and βthank you,β was blacked out by the school division. The next day, Chairwoman Hawkins thanked Seward βfor the research and updateβ and βdetailed information.β
Hanover residents and parents ask for answers
Hanover County residents critical of the idea of bringing ADF on as legal advisors contacted school board members before and after the vote, the emails show.
Most were thanked for sharing their input but were provided little to no details or answers to their questions, including two residents who received similarly worded responses from Hanover County School Board member Robert May.
May emailed the South Anna District residents that the board voted βto engage Alliance Defending Freedom for legal review of Policy 7-1.2 at no cost to HCPSβ and that he believes it βdoes reflect the ideals of the Constitution of the United States.β
Axselleβs email to board chair Hawkins and vice chair Hundley. (Email provided to 8News by Hanover schools after Freedom of Information Act request)
One resident emailed Chairwoman Hawkins twice before the March 8 vote, repeatedly asking her how the school board and ADF came together.
βI certainly hope this School Board, that is also planning to sign a Proclamation of Equity at the meeting tomorrow night, would not go out and ask for their assistance,β the resident wrote in the second of two emails to Hawkins on March 7. βSo, I will ask again: How did the Alliance Defending Freedom come to be involved with the School Board? Did they approach HCPS, or did someone from HCPS contact them?β
Hawkins did not respond to the second email, records show, but did reach out to Vice Chair Hundley about the message and told him to let her know what he thought about the email.
βI believe we should get some advice from Mike and/or Lisa on this one,β Hundley wrote on the morning of March 8. βSince itβs a closed session topic, we may not have to divulge that, but we should ask first.β
Not long after that email, Hawkins and school board attorney Lisa Seward exchanged emails that were almost entirely redacted.
Most school board members did not respond to requests for an interview for this story, but those who did declined to speak and pointed 8News to Chairwoman Hawkins for a statement on behalf of the board.
Vice chair Hundleyβs email to board chair Hawkins concerning an email from a parent she received. (Email provided to 8News by Hanover schools after Freedom of Information Act request)
βAs you may know, we are actively involved in a lawsuit with the ACLU of Virginia. It is not the School Boardβs practice to comment on pending litigation,β she wrote in an email. βTherefore, I do not have anything further to add to this other than what has been discussed and shared publicly.β
Hawkins and Bangert refused to answer questions about whether the board approached ADF or the other way around.
βThe Hanover County School Board is committed to carrying out the critical task of providing excellence in education for their students while adhering to the law and advancing a culture that demonstrates dignity and respect for all students and staff who are part of the community,β Bangert said in a statement. βWe look forward to serving the board by providing legal advice that accomplishes these goals.β
Christopher Berg, an Atlee High School parent of two, has been vocal about the boardβs refusal to adopt the statewide policy last year. At a recent school board meeting, he spoke out against a possible change to the countyβs student code of conduct that the district says clarifies its position on protests and walkouts.
After Berg claimed the change would be βunconstitutionalβ and called it βun-American,β Hanover schools discipline hearing review officer and Seward agreed that as it was proposed the potential change to the code would not violate studentsβ First Amendment rights. A William & Mary law professor specializing in freedom of speech told 8News that the change could be construed βas a blanket ban on protests and demonstrations,β as it was written, and a potential legal challenge was not out of the question.
In an interview, Berg told 8News that his youngest child, a nonbinary ninth-grader named Em, was suspended earlier this year for three days after taking part in an unapproved walkout protesting the boardβs policies on transgender students in the county. Berg said Em has been harassed and bullied at school by students.
He said he believes the possible change to the code of conduct, which the board has yet to vote on, and ADFβs involvement in the school district only makes matters worse for transgender and nonbinary students.
βIt really kind of feels like theyβre just continuing to push more and more against the trans kids of Hanover County and kind of demoralizing those students,β Berg said. βThatβs obviously the reason why the students got really upset and have started protesting. That was just yet another middle finger at the students.β
I thought it was hard growing up gay during the sixties and seventies. I feel sorry for today’s LGTB youth. “The love that dare not speak its name” is now being forced back into the closet with a vengeance and it will require the same herculean effort that it took after Stonewall to repair the damage that’s being done now. LGTB youth have their work cut out for them. I wish them luck. They’re going to need it.
As Beau said the military will pull bases from states that give their people too hard a time.Β Β The military is not going back to a time of hidden LGBTQ+.Β Β Also military families have LGBTQ+ kids and the air force has already said they will do everything possible to see trans kids get the medical treatment they need including transferring families away from bigoted states.Β Β Hugs
A base member wears rainbow socks during the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Five Kilometer Pride Run at Joint Base Andrews, Md., June 28, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Valentina Lopez)
TheΒ ArmyΒ is circulating a draft policy tweak that would specify that soldiers can request to move if they feel state or local laws discriminate against them based on gender, sex, religion, race or pregnancy, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the plans.
The guidance, which would update a vague service policy to add specific language on discrimination, is far from final and would need approval from Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. But if enacted, it could be one of the most progressive policies for the force amid a growing wave of local anti-LGBTQ and restrictive contraception laws in conservative-leaning states, where the Army does most of its business.
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The policy would ostensibly sanction soldiers to declare that certain states are too racist, too homophobic, too sexist or otherwise discriminatory to be able to live there safely and comfortably.
“Some states are becoming untenable to live in; there’s a rise in hate crimes and rise in LGBT discrmination,” Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, an advocacy group, told Military.com. “In order to serve this country, people need to be able to do their job and know their families are safe. All of these states get billions for bases but barely tolerate a lot of the service members.”
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If finalized, the new rules would clarify what situations would entitle a soldier to a so-called compassionate reassignment. Right now, those rules are vague but are mostly used for soldiers going through family problems that cannot be solved through “leave, correspondence, power of attorney, or help of family members or other parties,”Β according to Army regulations.
The updated guidance, which sources said was drafted in response to several state laws but before a draft of a potential Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, would instruct commanders that they can use compassionate reassignment specifically to remove troops facing discrimination from their duty stations.
The tweak came from a MILPER message, which is an internal tool for Army leaders and planners to issue policy clarifications, though the guidance has not yet been fully worked out through the policy planning process or briefed to senior leaders, according to one Army source.
“The Army does not comment on leaked, draft documents,” Angel Tomko, a service spokesperson, told Military.com in an emailed statement. “AR 600-100 and 600-200 establish the criteria for which soldiers may request for a compassionate reassignment. The chain of command is responsible for ensuring Soldiers and Families’ needs are supported and maintain a high quality of life.”
According toΒ a 2015 study from Rand Corp., roughly 6% of the military is gay or bisexual and 1% is transgender or nonbinary. Those numbers are likely low, given that the survey was conducted only four years after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and before transgender troops could serve openly. Gen Z troops, the latest generation starting to fill the ranks,Β are also much more likely to identify as LGBTQ.
It’s unclear whether the Army’s inclusion of pregnancy on the list would protect reproductive care for soldiers if Roe v. Wade is overturned. That language could be intended to protect pregnant service members or their families from employment or other discrimination, but could also be a means for some to argue for transfers based on broader reproductive rights.
The sources who reviewed drafts of the potential policy had different interpretations of what the change would mean. In practice, however, reassignment to a new installation wouldn’t happen overnight, and it would be almost impossible for a woman to find out she’s pregnant, have her command approve a transfer, complete the move and then be able to seek different reproductive care during a pregnancy.
“The answer is yes, we are drafting policies to ensure we take care of our soldiers in an appropriate way,” Grinston told a House Appropriations Committee subpanel. “There are drafts if it were to be overturned, but that would be a decision for the secretary of the Army to decide the policy.”
However, the policy tweak shared with Military.com was written in April, weeks before news broke of a draft decision overturning the landmark abortion ruling, according to an Army official with direct knowledge of the situaiton.
At least 13 states have so-called trigger laws that will immediately outlaw abortion if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned. Additional GOP-controlled states are expected to follow suit with similar legislation. Meanwhile, some state lawmakers are considering restricting contraception such as IUDs and Plan B. Some officials, like Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves,Β haven’t ruled out an outright banΒ on contraception. Idaho State Sen. Brent Crane, who is the state’s vice majority leader,Β said he would be open to legislation banning some birth control methods.
Currently,Β Tricare, which covers 9.6 million troops and veterans, covers IUDs, contraceptive diaphragms, prescription contraceptives and surgical sterilization, which could all be severely curtailed if states go forward with banning or limiting birth control as many service members and their families receive medical care paid for by Tricare off base.
The Army’s consideration of a policy to protect soldiers from discriminatory laws is part of a wider Defense Department campaign to start shielding service members from increasingly divisive laws and rhetoric from state-level lawmakers.
Multiple Defense Department and veterans advocate sources have told Military.com the other services are considering similar policies, but it is unclear how far those discussions have advanced.
The closest to a direct challenge from a service to the rise of potentially discriminatory policies coming out of state legislatures occurred in April, when the Air andΒ Space ForceΒ vowed to provide medical and legal resources to troops who are impacted by laws “being proposed and passed in states across America that may affect LGBTQ Airmen, Guardians, and/or their LGBTQ dependents in different ways,” according to a pressΒ releaseΒ from those services.
Texas has the highest population of soldiers in the nation, serving as the home to the Army’s largest installation,Β Fort Hood. It is also the home ofΒ Fort Bliss, in addition to having the nation’s second-largestΒ National GuardΒ force. The Army also has major bases in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as a constellation of other smaller bases in conservative southern states including Florida.
Some Republicans have latched onto the culture wars in hopes that new actions will fire up their base ahead of the midterms and the next presidential election.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is largely seen as a GOP front-runner in the event Donald Trump doesn’t run for the White House again, signed what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
That policy forbids teachers from referencing sexual orientation or gender identity to students between kindergarten and third grade. Gay teachers fear that means even mentioning their spousesΒ could get them fired or land them in the midst of an ugly political fightΒ in school board meetings that have become a staple of right wing media.
In April, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into a law aΒ sweeping measureΒ to prevent transgender kids from playing on sports teams aligning with their gender identity and limiting schools from teaching about race. Kemp also signed a policy thatΒ bans books deemed offensive from school librariesΒ and gives parents tools to file complaints.
“What we’re seeing across the board is a small group of elected officials who are trying to politicize and weaponize LGBTQ identities in despicable ways. They’re not only doing that to our youth, but the collateral damage is hurting our service members,” Jacob Thomas, communications director for Common Defense, a progressive advocacy organization, told Military.com. “[Troops] can’t be forced to live in places where they aren’t seen as fully human.”
Below I post the book riot report.Β Β Several things I want to point out and I hope you read both articles.Β Β Here are some quotes from the article showing this is not going to stop and it is not thier goal to get these LGBTQ+ books out of schools.Β Β They want them out of society all together.Β Β They don’t want adults reading them either.Β Β They are going after any book that has LGBTQ+ content or charaters.Β Hugs
No longer is this about the rights of students to access books. Itβs now about the rights of private businesses to sell books. Anderson suggests this is a new avenue for parents to fight.
βWe are in a major fight. Suits like this can be filed all over Virginia. There are dozens of books. Hundreds of schools,β he said.
Though this lawsuit includes only two books, Manning, same school board member who triggered the removal ofΒ Gender Queer,Β has her sights onΒ SagaΒ by Brian VaughanΒ next. She has been at the forefront of book challenges in Virginia Beach since the school year began, challengingΒ The Bluest EyeΒ for being βtoo racy,βΒ despite never reading the book.
I am pleased to announce a major legal victory. Today, the Virginia Beach Circuit Court has found probable cause that the books Gender Queer and a Court of Mist and Fury are obscene to unrestricted viewing by minors.
My client, Tommy Altman, has now directed my office to seek a restraining order against Barnes and Noble and Virginia Beach Schools to enjoin them from selling or loaning these books to minors without parent consent.
We are in a major fight. Suits like this can be filed all over Virginia. There are dozens of books. Hundreds of schools.
Neither book fits the definition of obscene and neither book is pornography. Barnes & Noble has yet to respond to the legal actions taken.
As a private business, they are not only allowed to sell what they wish to sell, but they are under no obligation by anyone to move materials out of their facilities. Further, no private business like the bookseller would simply βsupplyβ books to the school district.
Right-wing groups are pushing a narrative that suggests public schools are at the epicenter of indoctrination, forcing gender and sexuality onto young people starting in kindergarten. Lawsuits like this further fuel misinformation campaigns by these groups.
So who are they going to take on next, Amazon? They sell that book and I know more kids who spend time online than do in a library or brick and mortar bookstore. Good fucking luck there, champ.
News Flash: Your kids are going to have uncomfortable questions about sex, and other growing up matters. All maneuvers like this do is guarantee that they won’t feel safe coming to their parents for the answers.
Last week, Virginia Beach (VA) schools voted to removeΒ Gender QueerΒ from shelves. It came afterΒ school board memberΒ Victoria Manning complained about it and several other books within the schools. After the initial review of the book and several others, Manning appealed the decision made to keep the book and after reconsideration,Β the book was pulled.
Now a Virginia lawyer is stepping in to take the decision further: heβs filing a suit against the school and against the Barnes & Noble store in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach attorney and State Delegate Tim Anderson, posted on Facebook that he and his client Tommy Altmanβa right-wing republican running for Congress in the district housing Virginia Beachβsaw the Virginia Beach Circuit Court find βprobable cause that the booksΒ Gender QueerΒ andΒ A Court of Mist and FuryΒ are obscene to unrestricted viewing by minors.β
Altman has now directed Anderson to pursue litigation against Barnes & Noble for making the material available to minors.
βMy client, Tommy Altman, has now directed my office to seek a restraining order against Barnes and Noble and Virginia Beach Schools to enjoin them from selling or loaning these books to minors without parent consent,β reads Andersonβs post.
No longer is this about the rights of students to access books. Itβs now about the rights of private businesses to sell books. Anderson suggests this is a new avenue for parents to fight.
βWe are in a major fight. Suits like this can be filed all over Virginia. There are dozens of books. Hundreds of schools,β he said.
Alongside his message, Anderson posted screen shots from both books and the pursuant restraining orders.
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Responses to Andersonβs announcementΒ from followers encouraged such action and suggest this wonβt be the end. Several mentioned fighting such fights against βobsceneβ materials for months, and that children should not be exposed to such obscene books. Still more comments applaud this brave move and see it as a way forward in book banning outside Virginia.
Neither book fits the definition of obscene and neither book is pornography.
Barnes & Noble has yet to respond to the legal actions taken. As a private business, they are not only allowed to sell what they wish to sell, but they are under no obligation by anyone to move materials out of their facilities. Further, no private business like the bookseller would simply βsupplyβ books to the school district.
Right-wing groups are pushing a narrative that suggests public schools are at the epicenter of indoctrination, forcing gender and sexuality onto young peopleΒ starting in kindergarten. Lawsuits like this further fuel misinformation campaigns by these groups.
Virginia has been a hotbed of book challenges in the last year, thanks in part to theΒ rhetoric and campaigning against booksΒ and βcritical race theoryβ by governor Glenn Youngkin. The governor, as well as Altman, are Trump supporters, and Andersonβs announcement is more than tacit approval of Altmanβs run for Congress. Anderson has made books a big part of hisΒ social media strategyΒ and has riled up his base through it.
Though this lawsuit includes only two books, Manning, same school board member who triggered the removal ofΒ Gender Queer,Β has her sights onΒ SagaΒ by Brian VaughanΒ next. She has been at the forefront of book challenges in Virginia Beach since the school year began, challengingΒ The Bluest EyeΒ for being βtoo racy,βΒ despite never reading the book.
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