Please see the intro to my last three post.ย I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.
The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.ย When are people in the US going to get tired of the Christian nationalist trying to take over the country and force everyone to live under the doctrines of their churches.ย Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.ย ย Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesnโt harm others.ย By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.ย What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?ย What about atheist that donโt have a holy day, and their ability to enjoy each day without the religious entanglements is also part of religious freedom.ย I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.ย To be free to practice oneโs personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.ย People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.ย They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.ย Their goal in life is to make you follow their ways, their ideas of right and wrong no matter what you believe, no matter what you think, in fact you are not important as a person for them.ย You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.ย They donโt care if youโre happy or if things are good for you.ย They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.ย ย Fight back.ย ย Hugs
The artists, many of whom were people of color and LGBTQ, left the premises to avoid violence
This newsletter is free, but itโs only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers.ย Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters?ย You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or useย my usual Patreon page!
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Over the weekend, a retreat for Appalachian artists in Bledsoe, Kentucky had to be cut short after a conservative Christian mob invaded the rental space falsely claiming that the participants were desecrating a local chapel.
The event was run byย Waymakers Collective, a non-profit group that provides grant money and learning opportunities for artists in the region. They say theyโve given away over $1 million to date and this past weekend was supposed to mark their second annual gathering.
The three-day event took place at Pine Mountain Settlement School (PMSS), an 800-acre campus with dozens of buildings. Theย schoolโs website saysย โWe have hosted everything from church retreats to theater conferences to recording sessions.โ Given that many of the Waymakersโ members had attended events there in the past and โalways felt welcome, safe and had positive experiences,โ it seemed like a perfect place for the occasion. The schedule included performances, meals, lectures, and free time for the artists to explore their creativity among like-minded peers.
Importantly, participants also had an option to visit the chapel on campus as a โHealing Space.โ Waymakers explained it this way:
The healing space was something we instituted last year when our gathering occurred right after the flood in Eastern Kentucky and we knew many of our participants traveling from Eastern Kentucky were coming off of weeks of relief work and being impacted by the floods themselves. We chose to continue that offering this yearโฆย It was a spa-like environment to help facilitate restorativeness, rest, and reflection that we invited people to use how they wanted to: take a nap, sit in quiet meditation, or prayerful reflection within their own religious and spiritual traditions.
Organizers said the chapel was decorated with pillows, โsoothing lights,โ plants, and a painting that included an โOmโ symbolโpresumably to facilitate the meditation.
Thatโs what this controversy is all about.
While the โOmโ wasnโt meant to be religious in nature, when some people in the community saw pictures of the painting, they flipped out over the idea that a non-Christian symbol made its way into a supposedly Christian space (even though PMSS isnโt a religious location).
Waymakers organizers said they were told they had use of the entire campus as part of their rental agreement, and the only restriction regarding the chapel involved the pewsโthey were told not to move them because the floors were recently resurfaced. In other words, there was no reason the painting should have been a concern for anyone.
On Saturday, however, an estimated 8-9 community members took matters into their own hands, barged into the space, and entered the chapel โto make sure the House of The Lord wasnโt being disrespected.โ
ย
Tate Napier, the mob member whose posted about the situation on Facebook,ย told reporterย Jennifer McDanielsย of theย Tri-City News:
The people in the chapel said they were doing nothing wrong, andย I asked if they were in there to worship Jesus, and a few started raising their voices at me, so I told them to just get their stuffย – that we werenโt there to argue, and I even helped them gather their things and pack them to their cars. After that all happened, the state police and sheriff deputies showed up, andย they agreed to stay out of the chapel, but then, ultimately, they decided to leave because they said they felt unsafe.
โฆ
If they want to do that stuff, they can do it in their own homes or buildings or wherever else, but itโs not happening in Jesusโ house as long as Iโm around to defend itโฆ
Napier, aย Christianย who wasย charged with first-degree sexual abuseย after being caught in bed with a 15-year-old girl, had no business telling anyone to โget their stuff.โ He makes it sound like he was merely escorting out people who shouldnโt have been there when, in fact, heโs the one who didnโt have access to the space. Neither did his colleagues. (Two deputies were indeed stationed outside the chapel afterwards, but unlike what his post said, they werenโt necessarily there to keep people from entering.)
One of the artists in attendance didnโt see the mobโs actions as helpful in any way. Referring to them as โyt supremacists,โย Kabrea Jamesย said the invaders alleged the artists were โdesecrating their spaceโ and โdemanded that we leave.โ The artists left in order to avoid escalating the situationโwhich was understandable given that a lot of them come from marginalized communities.
Shortly after the conflict began, a PMSS staffer showed up and played mediator (which the Waymakers said they appreciated). Eventually, police were called in by both PMSS and some of the artists who felt like they were in danger. According to Waymakers, โWe were also then told that the Executive Director and Board of the PMSS had ordered our group to not return to the chapel during our stay.โ (How does that make any sense?!)
In aย statement released by Waymakersย on Monday, they expressed concern about why their safety wasnโt paramount in this situation and why their contract wasnโt honored:
What was, ultimately, at issue was the safety of our collective. We are a family-friendly community and we had parents at the event who had brought their children. PMSS is a place that has long welcomed children onto its campus, so we ask the PMSS Board and leadership:ย Why were children, families, and our guests put at risk in this way? Why were outside people who were not part of our gathering allowed to be present on the campus and interrupt our private, paid-for event? Why were there no safety procedures in place that the staff could follow to keep the people who rent PMSS safe?ย
These were some of the many reasons we made the call to end our event a day early and leave PMSS for the safety of everyone in attendance, including the staff of PMSS that we did not want to be witness to these intense interactions. To ensure the safety of all of those in attendance, we organized caravans out of the property and county so that no members left the property alone.ย Many of our participants are deeply traumatized by this experience, especially those of us with personal lived experiences of racial and gender-based violence.ย We are offering access to free therapy as part of our aftercare approach for the participants that were there.ย
McDaniels, the reporter, said itโs โunclear if the chapel was a part of the Waymakers Collective retreat facility lease agreement or not,โ but the Waymakers certainly believed they had access to it. (Hell, their version of the story involves specific advance discussionsย aboutย using the chapel.) PMSS has not yet issued any statement about the matter.
Meanwhile,ย Dan Mosley, the Harlan County Judge Executive,ย offered support for the mobย shortly after the conflict occurred:
ย
I have a lot on my mind this evening but Iโm going to be brief.ย Iโm proud of the people of Bledsoe and Big Laurel. Your perspective is my perspective, today, and in the days ahead.ย Itโs always better to ask questions than throw stones and civil discourse is always the best pathway to resolution.
โBlessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.โ Matthew 5:9
โYour perspective is my perspective,โ he said of the intolerant Christians who magically claimed ownership of space that wasnโt theirs.
Mosley addedย separatelyย that seeing the โOmโ symbol in the chapel โmade me sick at my stomachโ:
ย
He basically praised the mob for taking a stand without resorting to violence, as if they deserved a reward for merelyย threateningย the artists rather than doing something even more insane. The comments on that first post overwhelmingly agreed with that position, as didย manyย othersย in theย community. (This is apparently what they do inย small towns.)
None of the groups opposing Waymakersโ use of the space has issued any official response yet. They sure as hell havenโt denounced the invaders, who simply donโt believe a chapel should be used by anyone who doesnโt share their conservative Christian faith, even if the space is no longer used as a religious site and even if the artists were contractually allowed to temporarily decorate the chapel as they saw fit.
This is nothing more than an act of white Christian supremacy that thankfully didnโt end with victims who are LGBTQ people and artists of color (including ones who are practicing Christians themselves).
If county leaders and PMSS officials arenโt going to take this seriously, and the invaders face no consequences for barging, uninvited, onto private property, itโs hard to imagine anything will change.
Please see the intro to my last two post.ย I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.
The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.ย When are people in the US going to get tired of the Christian nationalist trying to take over the country and force everyone to live under the doctrines of their churches.ย Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.ย ย Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesnโt harm others.ย By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.ย What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?ย What about atheist that donโt have a holy day, and their ability to enjoy each day without the religious entanglements is also part of religious freedom.ย I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.ย To be free to practice oneโs personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.ย People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.ย They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.ย Their goal in life is to make you follow their ways, their ideas of right and wrong no matter what you believe, no matter what you think, in fact you are not important as a person for them.ย You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.ย They donโt care if youโre happy or if things are good for you.ย They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.ย ย Fight back.ย ย Hugs
Julie Leavens-Hupp insists she wasn’t excluding anyone
This newsletter is free, but itโs only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers.ย Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters?ย You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or useย my usual Patreon page!
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If anyone near the Sacramento, California area would like to advise the Rocklin Unified School District on matters involving safety, curriculum, or social services, the school board is currentlyย looking for volunteers.
Ideal candidates should be able to attend a few meetings each year, bring forth ideas from their communities, and love Jesus Christ.
That last one was cited last week byย Julie Leavens-Hupp, the president of the RUSD School Board, who specifically called forย โChrist centeredโ applicantsย on her Facebook campaign page:
ย
Rocklin Friends,
As your school board we have worked very hard to insist that important decisions (such as new curriculum) involve our parents. Now we need you. The advisory committee sign ups went out today.ย We need as many Christ centered, family focused parents as we can get on those committees.ย PLEASE take a look and see what you can commit to for the year. Thank you for your love and support! Together, we will keep our children safe and thriving!
Thatโs a hell of a way to tell Jews, Muslims, and atheists that their services are not wantedโฆ Itโs all the more disturbing when you realize one of the committees will advise the board on a new science curriculum for grades K-5. The last thingย thatย committee needs are people motivated by their religious beliefs instead of a passion for science education. (Last year, according to news station KOVR, Hupp and a majority of the boardย voted against a proposed science curriculumย recommended by teachers.)
If โChrist centeredโ is supposed to be shorthand for something else, then why not be specific about what that means? Are we talking about the Christians who care about marginalized students and inclusive classroom policies, or the Christians who use their faith to exclude and demean others? If she thinks โChrist centeredโ means something positive, then sheโs living in a conservative bubble.
Huppโs comments struck a nerve with many families in the district, who said they were proudly โfamily focusedโ but not in a way Hupp would appreciate.ย Elizabeth Deanย said her wife was trans andย asked Huppย to explain why โyou donโt need our involvement in your advisory board to keep our children safe and thriving.โ
The response was nothing more than faith-based deflection. โThe inclusion of one does not mean the exclusion of others,โ Hupp said to her. You see, just because she wants Christian parents on the advisory boards doesnโt mean sheย doesnโtย wantย non-Christian parents there too. (Thatโs why itย totally wouldnโt be racist, by her logic, had she specifically asked white parents to sign up.)
When another parent asked if the board would accept an application from an atheist, Huppโstripped of her characteristic suburban-mom-emoji- overload sentencesโsimply said โyes.โ
ย
Other parents correctly pointed out that if people wanted their kids to have a Christ-centered education, they could send their kids to a private Christian school. But as president of a public school board, Hupp had no business posting that dog-whistle.
On Saturday, after several commenters demanded a recall election and contacted local news outlets, Huppย posted a follow-up. She didnโt apologize or take anything back. Instead, she implied everyone wasย misinterpretingย her comment.
ย
In answer to a question I am receiving,ย Yes, I asked for Christ loving individuals to join committees. I posted on many different sites. I also asked for family centered individuals and principle centered, loving people. All faiths and all child loving people are encouraged to sign up. The inclusion of one does not mean the exclusion of others.ย I also asked others. It is an open door. If you live in Rocklin and want what is best for children and have the time to commit, come join.
Thatโฆ doesnโt make any more sense. She asked Christians, and only Christians, to apply for the public school advisory boards. She did not do similar outreach to non-Christians. Itโs that simple.
Saying that people of “all faithsโ are encouraged to applyโsomething sheย absolutely did not sayย the first time aroundโstill excludes atheists. And letโs be honest: The damage was already done with her initial statement telling non-Christians they wouldnโt be welcome in these committees.
All she had to do was keep her damn religion out of it. She couldnโt do it. Even the best case scenario hereโthat Hupp simply used โChrist centeredโ to mean good and decentโdoesnโt make much sense in practice because the two ideas are not synonymous. Just ask people who arenโt Christians but have to constantly deal with the right-wing arrogance of people like Hupp.
Oneย commenterโs responseย to Huppโs โclarificationโ was perfectly on point, noting that a โgreat leaderโ wouldโve recognized her error rather than repeat it: โInstead, you double down, to me indicating one of the followingโyou donโt care, you choose to have your head far deep in the sand or youโre just totally inept.โ
Incidentally, Hupp wasย elected to the board in 2020ย along with two conservative allies, giving them a majority on the board. During her campaign, Hupp bragged about being endorsed by โschool choice advocates,โ which should have been concerning to those who care about the future of public schools. The conservatives on boardย includeย a pastor atย Destiny Church, aย right-wingย megachurchย in the area, along with another church-supported member.
Hupp hasnโt directly responded to the calls for her to resign. A spokesperson for the district, however,ย issued a laughable statementย about how Hupp โhas always been proud of the diversity of our community and hopes to see it represented in all of our communities.โ That supposed belief is contradicted by her own words.
The next school board meeting is scheduled forย September 6. Anyone in the area troubled by Huppโs comments should consider making their voices heard on that day.
Please see the intro to my last post.ย I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.ย ย Also there are videos in the article that I am unable to copy, so to see them please go to the link above.ย Hugs
The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.ย When are people in the US going to get tired of the Christian nationalist trying to take over the country and force everyone to live under the doctrines of their churches.ย Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.ย ย Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesnโt harm others.ย By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.ย What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?ย What about atheist that donโt have a holy day, and their ability to enjoy each day without the religious entanglements is also part of religious freedom.ย I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.ย To be free to practice oneโs personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.ย People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.ย They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.ย Their goal in life is to make you follow their ways, their ideas of right and wrong no matter what you believe, no matter what you think, in fact you are not important as a person for them.ย You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.ย They donโt care if youโre happy or if things are good for you.ย They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.ย ย Fight back.ย ย Hugs
The conservative majority on the Community Library Network board voted to close libraries on Sundays, despite threats of litigation
This newsletter is free, but itโs only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers.ย Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters?ย You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or useย my usual Patreon page!
Subscribe
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The Community Library Network in Post Falls, Idaho, on the western part of the panhandle, oversees seven buildings and a bookmobile. Its Board of Trustees, like any board, has to keep an eye on the budget.
On July 20, those Trustees held a discussion about whether it would be prudent to reduce or eliminate Sunday hours. On one hand, closing the library on Sunday would reduce one part-time position per location, saving a total of nearly $28,000. On the other hand, a lot of people use the library on Sunday. Trustees were told how often people accessed the internet, how many times the study rooms were booked, etc. They ended that discussion without taking action but requesting more information.
All of that is a perfectly routine conversation for the board of a library.
Whatโs unusual is that the Boardโs Chair,ย Rachelle Ottosen, argued that the library should remain closed on Sundayย becauseย itโs the Sabbath.
ย
Well, I know many others at these tables donโt subscribe to this, butย the Lord blesses people [who] keep the Sabbath day holy. I think having people work on Sunday is actually to our detriment.
One board member politely chimed in to say (Iโm paraphrasing) that was a batshit crazy idea. โI’m pretty sure not everybody in this community holds [to] that, so I think we need to look at the whole community concerning hours.โ
Ottosen was thankfully on her own. But still, it was a ridiculous suggestion that never should have been offered from a Trustee.
Then, just five days later, Ottosenย did it again. This time she came prepared with a Bible verse:
ย
As far as closing on Sundays, most other government entities are closed on Sundays. This is not an emergency service. No oneโs gonna [freak] out if they don’t get a book on Sunday.
Anyway,ย Exodus 20:8-10 says โRemember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.โ
So it sounds like we shouldn’t be causing other people to work, as well as not working ourselves.
Once again, another Trustee chimed in to shoot down that explanation: โI’m sorry, this is a government agency, and we need to be available for everyone.โ Another Trustee later brought up the fact that some religions consider Sabbath day to be Saturday; Ottosen had no response to that.
She did, however, do her bestย David Bartonย impression, citing the Founding Fathers to pretend sheย wasnโtย crossing some church/state separation barrier. She closed her comments by saying, โIt’s in our best interests to not dishonor God.โ
Last month, Americans United for Separation of Church and State stepped in to warn the Board that it wasย heading down a dangerous pathย by listening to Ottosenโs suggestion:
The board received a letter dated Aug. 9 from the nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which asserts thatย closing libraries based on Ottosenโs religious beliefs violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
โMs. Ottosen is entitled to her religious beliefs, butย she is not entitled to use the power of the government to enshrine those beliefs into law and to thereby force them on her constituents,โ the letter said in part.ย โThe board has a legal obligation to refuse to act on Ms. Ottosenโs religious grounds.โ
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has nowย gotten involvedย too.
In aย letter to Ottosen, attorneyย Chris Lineย wrote that she needs to stop using her elected position to โpromote your personal religious beliefs.โ
While Board members are certainly free to express their religious beliefs in their private capacity outside of their role on the Board,ย it is unconstitutional for public officials to push their personal religious beliefs during public meetings and to adopt policies based on those beliefs with no secular justification.ย We request that members of the Boardย refrain from discussing their religious beliefs during meetingsย in order to uphold the rights of conscience embodied in our First Amendment. Please inform us in writing at your earliest convenience with an assurance that this wonโt happen again in the future.
Itโs such a sensible request the two groups are making here. This isnโt about whether or not the library system should close on Sundays. Thatโs up to the Trustees to decide. But whatever the decision is, it needs to be secular in nature. Someoneโs religious beliefs shouldnโt dictate the outcome.
Everyone else on the board seems to understand that. Just not Ottosen.
Incidentally, three of the five board membersโOttosen,ย Tom Hanley, andย Tim Plassโvoted toย close the libraries on Sundays, but after the boardโs attorney mentioned that this could open the door to litigation, the same board then voted 4-1 to table the Sunday closuresโฆ even though they had already voted to close them.
The same conservative trifectaย took over the board earlier this summerย after running on a campaign promoting censorship and keeping books they deemed explicit out of the hands of kids.
Hanley and Plass campaigned on keeping explicit books out of children and teen sectionsโฆ
Ottosen has been vocal against LGBTQ programs and books for children.ย She also testified to the Idaho Legislature in support of recent obscenity bills targeting libraries and librarians.
Last month, the three of them also suggestedย disaffiliating from the American Library Association, calling it โultra liberalโ and criticizing it for opposing censorship. โThe ALA has a clear animosity and resentment toward the family and traditional religious values,โ Hanley said during an August meeting.
All of thatโs to say the move to shut down the libraries on Sundays because some Christians take Sabbath day seriously isnโt just one crazy board memberโs wacky suggestion. Itโs part of a larger plan to inject Christian Nationalism into a public library system no matter how much that harms people in the community.
The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.ย When are people in the US going to get tired of the Christian nationalist trying to take over the country and force everyone to live under the doctrines of their churches.ย Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.ย ย Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesn’t harm others.ย By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.ย What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?ย What about atheist that don’t have a holy day, and their ability to enjoy each day without the religious entanglements is also part of religious freedom.ย I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.ย To be free to practice one’s personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.ย People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.ย They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.ย Their goal in life is to make you follow their ways, their ideas of right and wrong no matter what you believe, no matter what you think, in fact you are not important as a person for them.ย You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.ย They don’t care if you’re happy or if things are good for you.ย They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.ย ย Fight back.ย ย Hugs
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association doesn’t want anyone on the beach when church is in session
This newsletter is free, but itโs only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers.ย Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters?ย You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or useย my usual Patreon page!
Subscribe
ย
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New Jersey officials are attempting to stop a Christian group from blocking access to a public beach on Sunday mornings.
It comes after the Methodist group managing the beach in Ocean Grove has openly proclaimed its religious intentions for the propertyโto the point that they installed a cross-shaped pier on it earlier this year:
ย
The cross-shaped pier in Ocean Grove, NJ (screenshot viaย YouTube)
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) doesnโt hide its religious affiliations. The groupย saysย the area was โfounded as a Christian seaside resortโ and hasย a missionย befitting that description:
The mission of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association,ย rooted in its Methodist Heritage, is to provideย opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, and renewal through worship, educational, cultural, and recreational programs for persons of all agesย in a Christian seaside setting.
Their goal is to help all generations โknow and grow in Jesus.โ
How did they get control of this space?ย NJ.com saysย itโs the result of a charter offered by the community:
Ocean Grove, referred to as Godโs Square Mile by some of its residents, has about 3,000 residents.ย Though it is only a small section of Neptune Township, it has a unique charter that allows it to set some of its own rules under the Camp Meeting Association.
The Ocean Grove Meeting Association was sued in 2007 when it barred same-sex couples from using its boardwalk pavilion for civil union ceremonies. A judge later ruled that ban violated the stateโs anti-discrimination law.
(In response to that judgeโs decision, the OGCMA decided no one could have any weddings on the boardwalk. Because if conservative Christians canโt get what they want, everyone must be punished.)
Those special rules, however, are what gave them the ability to construct the $2 millionย Christian pierย that opened in April. The original one was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy over a decade ago, so they jumped at the opportunity to inject some Christian Nationalism into the pierโs replacement.
But the latest controversy involvesย accessย to the beach. Between Memorial Day and Labor Dayโa total of 15 weeksโno one was allowedย to go on the beach before noon on Sundays. In fact, the entrances were barricaded with chains and padlocks.
That, the state says, is a problem.
In an August 10ย letter to the groupย from the Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement,ย Regional Supervisor Robert H. Clarkย said the barriers prevented people from accessing the beach during daylight hours, violating state law.
โThe outcome of the step closure enhances religious and secular quality of life experiences in Ocean Grove which society recognizes as valuable.ย During this 0.5% of the year, the view of the ocean from the OGCMAโs boardwalk and pier is of sublime natural beauty without the visual elements of beach umbrellas, tents, and masses of people,โ Badger wrote in a response to state Department of Environmental Protection provided Friday to NJ Advance Media.
See? Itโs just a coincidence that the natural beauty needs to be preserved during the busiest swimming days of the yearโฆ and nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Sunday mornings are typically when churches hold services.
Shane Martins, founder of the local watchdog group Neptune United, said the barriers also prevented people with disabilities from accessing the water, which isย anotherย legal problem:
Township police have been on the scene but have declined to either remove those on the beach, or take away the pad lock barriers, which Martins said is contrary to federal law protecting access for people with disabilities.
โThey are in direct violation of state and federal law andย it is time they be held accountable,โ Martins said.
So far, OGCMA hasnโt been issued any fines or punishment. In the meantime, theyโreย shoving Jesus in visitorsโ facesย in any way they can:
Christian symbols can be found all around Ocean Grove. On the beach,ย a Christian flag flies beside the U.S. flag. Beach badges sold by the Camp Meeting Association include a cross, beach umbrellas available for rent are decorated with cross icons and thereโs a cross mounted on the dunes at the beach.
The message is clear: Jews and atheists and Muslims are not welcome in this part of the state. They can visit, sure, but the people running the show want them to know this is a Christian area, church/state separation be damned.
ย
The cross-shaped pier in Ocean Grove, NJ (screenshot viaย YouTube)
As of this writing, no lawsuits have been filed against the OGCMA, though the ACLU of New Jerseyย notesย that the crosses on the beach badges โraises serious legal concerns.โ
More broadly speaking, though, the message of the group is clearly one of exclusion. No matter how often they say they welcome everyone, their actions place Christians above all others, even when it comes to public accommodations.Even when Neptune Township officials have asked the OGCMA to make adjustments in a secular direction for the sake of being more welcoming,ย those requests have been ignored or rejected.
How does this group have this much power? Arguably because they fund everything themselves, which creates a much more complicated argument for those trying to put a stop to it. When reporterย Daysi Calavia-Robertsonย wrote about the arrangement this past May, she explained how the OGCMA pays for its dominance to the point where its inclusive rhetoricย doesnโt have to match its actions:
Thatโs no doubt because of all the Camp Meeting does for the town that would normally be paid for through taxes.ย It fundraised and paid for the new $2 million pier. It provides year-round recreational programs and events. Itโs also in charge of collecting the beach badge revenue โ money itโs required to spend on maintaining the beach โ and a nominal annual fee homeowners must pay to lease the land.
โฆ
โฆย no one โ not a single person I spoke with โ is suggesting [the OGCMA] shouldnโt be who they are and embrace their history and religion. All thatโs being asked of them,ย all that people are pleading for, desperately, is that they also give other people the breadth to be whoย theyย are. But it seems to me that what the Camp Meeting says is all just lip service. Iโd much prefer to see them show tolerance instead of just talking about it.
As a number of articles point out, litigation has been the most successful way to create change in this community. Even if the lines are blurred, nothing is going to change until church/state separation groups figure out how to take the OGCMA to court and force them to do the right thing. Their Christian faith hasnโt steered them in that direction yet and thereโs no reason to think their moral compass will ever point in the right direction without a judgeโs help.
Remember these were 8th grade students. Children inย 8thย gradeย in the United States are 13 or 14 yearsย old. They enterย 8thย grade at 13 years of age and leave at 14 years of age under normal circumstances.ย These students should by then known parts of the human body, both male and female.ย Yet one mother claimed the teacher was making a little girl talk about feeling each otherโs breasts.ย ย Also by then most people clearly know their sexual attractions and feelings.ย Yes there are gay kids in those schools and in those classrooms.ย Remember kids have computer, TV, Movies, they have books with LGBTQIA people in them … well in some states still, they know of same sex couples and families.ย Some people think young people simply are blank slates with no desires or sexual feelings until either they’re married at 12 or they suddenly get them when they turn 18.ย These are the same people that think little girls should be forced to carry to term a pregnancy, giving birth, but are too fragile to know that some girls like other girls?ย How stupid has this country gotten?ย ย The last paragraph of the article says: “The book has long been used to teach students about the Holocaust. Its sexual passages reflect similar experiences that teenagers undergo throughout puberty.”ย Hugs
In the passage, Frank describes her genitals and wanting to see a female friend’s breasts.
A Texas school district has fired an 8th-grade English teacher for having students read a passage fromย The Diary of Anne Frankย in which the titular writer describes her genitals and lesbian attraction.
The Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District (HFISD) of Jefferson County, Texas โ a near coastal region about 80 miles east of Houston โ fired the unnamed teacher after she assigned students a reading fromย Anne Frankโs Diary: The Graphic Adaptation. The adaptation is an illustrated, comic book version of the diary that Frank, a German-born Jewish teen, wrote in the late 1940s while hiding from Nazis. Frank was 13 to 16 years old when writing the diary.
Grace Linn compared todayโs book bans with Naziism and said her late husband didnโt fight in WWII for this.
In one section of the graphic adaptation, Frank asks a female friend if sheโd feel comfortable exposing their breasts to each other. In the three-panel scene, Frankโs friend refuses and they both remain clothed. In another section, Frank walks amongst nude female statues and admits, โI must admit, every time I see a female nude, I go into ecstasy. If only I had a girlfriend!โ
In yet another section, Frank writes about her own genitals, describing their changing physical appearance as she experiences puberty. This section was omitted from the bookโs 1952 English edition but eventually restored in its 1980s republication.
HFISD notified parents on Tuesday via email, โIt was brought to the administrationโs attention tonight that 8th-grade students were reading content that was not appropriate. The reading of that content will cease immediately. Your studentโs teacher will communicate her apologies to you and your students soon, as she has expressed those apologies to us.โ
By Wednesday, the district fired the teacher. While district officials said the book had never been approved, โit was on a reading list sent to parents at the start of the school year,โย KFDM reported, and the middle schoolโs principal reportedly approved the syllabus that mentioned the book.
Nevertheless, one parent told the aforementioned news station, โItโs bad enough, [the teacher is] having them read this for an assignment, but then she also is making them read it aloud and making a little girl talk about feeling each otherโs breasts and when she sees a female she goes into ecstasy โ thatโs not ok.โ
The fired teacher has reportedly hired an attorney, but this isnโt the first time that the bookโs lesbian content has angered parents.
A Florida principalย removed the bookย from the Vero Beach High School library for being โnot age appropriateโ after a local chapter of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty complained the book was โnot a true adaptation of the Holocaustโ and contained โgraphicโ and โsexually explicitโ illustrations.
The book has long been used to teach students about the Holocaust. Its sexual passages reflect similar experiences that teenagers undergo throughout puberty.
Notice that the girl who made the claim that a trans girl used the bathroom admits sheโs not sure of the identity of the person she saw.ย So just how did she know the person was trans?ย She went on looks, the girl did not look girly enough for her.ย I wonder where she got that criteria that who is female should go on how feminine they look?ย Who drummed that mistaken misogynistic idea into her head.ย All girls must look beautiful for men?ย But stop and ask why it is important that a trans girl not be in a bathroom with sinks and stalls?ย She is going to do what every other girl does, go into a stall, do what they are there to do, and after she makes sure she is dressed goes to the sink where she washes her hands, maybe checks her looks / does a makeup check.ย Unless girls in the bathroom are walking around / hanging out nude, then no genitals are seen or should be seen.ย To have this much hate over an issue that makes no sense is anger and hate for no reason other to attack a minority group.ย It is the same as whites trying to prevent blacks for using the same bathrooms as whites.ย It is the very same issue. The father of the girl demanded that trans girls use the single person bathrooms, but he was reminded after he claimed his daughter was traumatized and too upset to use the bathrooms at school despite the fact the father admitted they did not know if the person was trans or another cis girl.ย He was then reminded his daughter could also be using those bathrooms.ย Also it is important to know that the school district has been allowing all students to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with for years, for a very long time with no complaint.ย So why was one faked and drummed up now on social media.ย For the simple reason of targeting a small minority of students.ย For the fleeting joy of hating and ganging up on LGBTQIA kids. That a congress troll is trying to cause rage and hostility towards a few students in the community is horrifying.ย They simply don’t want trans people, gay people, anyone not straight and cis in public.ย Hugs
ย
Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrates school freaking out over possible trans girl in bathroom
A girl possibly saw a trans girl in the bathroom, leading to a walkout. Greene was elated that students were protesting against equal rights.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) commended students for organizing a walkout following weeks of panic in the district after a cisgender girl saw another person who was possibly transgender in the bathroom. The cis girl has since said that sheโs not sure of the identity of the person she saw.
โThis is the way!!!โ Greene tweeted with a video of several hundred students walking out of Perkiomen Valley High School in eastern Pennsylvania.
The issue started several weeks ago when Tim Jagger, the father of a student at the school, posted on Facebook that his daughter saw a boy in the girlsโ restroom, leading to outrage on social media.
The Perkiomen Valley school board discussed its bathroom policy at its meeting last week on Monday, September 11, following the attention the incident got. The board considered a policy to ban transgender students from using the restroom that corresponds to their gender.
At the meeting, Jagger admitted that โwe arenโt sureโ if the person his daughter saw was a trans girl, a cis girl, or a boy, but that didnโt matter because his daughter, he claimed, is โtoo upset and emotionally disturbedโ to use the restroom at all. He told the board that โthere is zero reason for someone with male genitalia to be in the girlsโ facilitiesโ and that transgender students should be forced to use single-person bathrooms.
This echoed the response he got from principal Cynthia Moss that his daughter can use โa number of single-stall restrooms throughout the buildingโ if she doesnโt want to share a restroom with girls who are different from her.
The anti-trans policy was not passedย by the school board in a vote at the September 11 meeting, despite getting support from the president of the board.
Superintendent Barbara Russellย toldย The Philadelphia Inquirerย that there have been no incidents in the school related to transgender students using the restroom. Students donโt change for gym class and no trans student is playing on a sports team in the school, so there havenโt been any issues with locker rooms either. She told WPVI that the policy aligns with state and federal protections for transgender students and said thereโs no need to change it.
โIt did not have to come to this social media, โLetโs further divide the community and hurt more kids,โ as opposed to support,โ Russell said of Jagger posting to Facebook.
That division over allowing transgender students access to an equal education was amplified when student John Ott organized a walkout last Friday.
โKids were upset. Girlsโฆ we wanted to protect them,โย he told Fox News. โThey were upset. They didnโt want men in their bathroom.โ
Fox found some confusion among students, including one, Brandon Emery, who said that he didnโt know how the school district was going to enact the policy of allowing trans students to use the bathroom, even though that is already the current policy and has been for some time.
Fox & Friends, the far-right networkโs morning news show, did a segment on the school district and Emeryโs mother, Melanie Marren, told the show that the school didnโt take โinto consideration how they affect the students and how uncomfortable it is to just be a teenager in general,โ as if transgender students at the school arenโt students or arenโt going through awkward teen years themselves.
One trans former student at the school spoke at the September 11 school board meeting. Tarren McDonnell, who is now 21, said that she got harassed when she used the boysโ restroom, so she would use the single-person nurseโs bathroom. She said that it was far from her classes, adding about five to ten minutes to each restroom trip. It also set her up for harassment; she said that she was followed by a boy once who taunted her as she went to the nurseโs bathroom.
She said that she eventually just started using the girlsโ room and โnobody ever gave me issues.โ
โIโm praying that something does get done that protects us,โ she said at the meeting, adding that she was โsaddened to see the hatred and the ignoranceโ of trans people on display at the meeting.
Beau of the Fifth Column often says the younger generations won’t tolerate the hate and bigotry of the ones pushing anti-LGBTQIA / racist ideas.ย Yes the right wants to remove all mention and safety for kids that are different and return to an assumed superiority of white people.ย But they are missing the point.ย It was like that in the past.ย In the 1950s our society was just like they are trying hard to return to.ย Yet we progressed.ย Social acceptance of people being different from each other and the right to live openly as themselves happened.ย The right thinks it is because they did not push back hard enough to stop it.ย The right thinks they should have used violence from the start.ย
But that is not true, there was always hard push back and violence by those in authority and by churches.ย Ask any gay kid growing up during those times.ย I grew up understanding I was gay in the time of Anita Bryant, who was the early version of the hate group started by Chaya Raichik’s Libs of TikTok.ย Think of the abuse the police dished out even into the late 1990s.ย I remember when Ron had the bar, we had to have an unbreakable material used for the windows because they were being broken as soon as they were repaired.ย We had to have a bunch of the bigger better fighters assisting people leaving to make sure no one was assaulted and beaten up by groups of haters.ย I well tell you, the most awesome thing I have ever seen was a lesbian kicking the ass of 3 redneck assholes who attacked a small gay guy leaving the bar.ย She taught them a lesson they did not soon forget.ย ย We fought back then and I honestly thought we were beyond that hate and society was a safe space for the LGBTQIA.ย Where LGBTQIA kids could be happy in schools knowing they were safe and accepted.ย But the haters are bringing it all back.ย ย We must not let them indoctrinate future generations into hate and bigotry.ย We must not let them drive kids back into the closet in fear and shame of who they are.ย We must not let them remove the LGBTQIA from society and public view.ย We are here and should be equal, we have our rights and they should be enforced for us.ย Hugs
Angry parents were left sputtering as students rallied in support of the trans teen.
At Oak Park High School in Kansas City over the weekend, students elected a trans homecoming queen. Tristan Young bested four other nominees to take the crown.
And Libs of TikTokโs Chaya Raichik managed to find the only two parents who are mad about it.
โIโm appalled by NKC Schoolsโ continued support of the LGBT agenda,โ whines one parent for Raichik in an email, referring to the North Kansas City School District.
โThey not only indoctrinate children, but they are placing certain student populations over others.โ
In another stilted statement from a second aggrieved parent, she writes: โAs a woman, it breaks my heart to see these girls get passed over and a man stealing what is rightfully theirs.โ
Then she adds, also as a woman, โIโm broken-hearted because I know the students voted for him.โ
Raichik was clearly desperate to gin up the usual outrage over the student-led vote and failed miserably.
The queer-addled activist, whoโs lately tried to refashion herself as an โindependent journalist,โ posted the โstoryโ with a headline declaring, โMale crowned homecoming queen, beating out four other girls,โ which clarified for trans supporters everywhere that Young is just one of the girls.
โNot the point but Chaya is writing at a sub-middle school level, lolโ posted one amused commenter.
NKC Schools shared their congratulations for Young in a tweet with photos from the event.
In one, last yearโs winner passes the sash to the new homecoming queen. In another, Youngโs parents stand by beaming; her dad sports a Kansas City Chiefs Pride hat.
Youngโs election in the revered high school ritual was met with a sense of betrayal by online hacks dismayed that a reliably red state like Missouri could harbor open-minded kids.
โWhoโs to blame here?โ whined transphobic 5th place finisher Riley Gaines, who tied with trans swimmer Lia Thomas in a collegiate meet last year.
Gaines tried sarcasm to make her poorly conceived point in on X: โSo stunning & brave๐คด๐ปโจ Another reminder to all girls that men make the best women. I wonder if a female will win homecoming king or if itโs understood that both of these spots are reserved for males.โ
So stunning & brave๐คด๐ปโจ
Another reminder to all girls that men make the best women. I wonder if a female will win homecoming king or if it's understood that both of these spots are reserved for males. Who's to blame here? pic.twitter.com/ZXHU6Wyiiy
The start of the article doesn’t mention it, but this school is in Ohio.ย I followed a link in the article and this school also stopped celebrating diversity day and the students protested.ย Seems the right is again desperately trying to push a primarily white cis straight Christian society.ย And while they claim that others are not civil enough, these same people use threats, violence, and they mock and insult others.ย Notice how the anti-diversity anti-LGBTQIA maga republicans act when others are testifying.ย No respect whatsoever.ย Fundamentalist Christian racist bigot maga are the most self entitled people ever.ย Hugs.
Zack Carreon
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WVXU
Parents and students attend the Forest Hills school board meeting on Sept. 20, 2023.
ย
The debate over whether discussions about race, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ issues belong in Forest Hills Schools wasย reignitedย after Superintendent Larry Hook made the decision to paint over a student-created mural at the start of the school year.
The mural depicted the hands of people of different races signaling love and solidarity surrounded by symbols of equality and acceptance of various sexual orientations.
Advocate FHSD
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Provided
The mural inside Nagel Middle School before it was covered and painted over.
Students at Nagel Middle School created the mural years ago, but when students returned to the building this year, some were surprised to see it covered by a banner promoting Forest Hills’s new “Culture Blueprint.” That banner was torn down. Shortly after, the mural was completely painted over, sparking outrage from some students and parents.
On the Forest Hills Schools’ website, theย Culture Blueprintย is described as a reminder to students to do their best and be mindful of others. But some say the superintendent’s actions send a different message.
Dozens showed up to Wednesday’s school board meeting holding signs of the mural. Parents and students spoke during public comment in opposition to the superintendent’s decision.
Forest Hills parent Jeff Nye addressed Hook directly, calling his response to the initial backlash childish.
“A 7th or 8th grade kid โ 12- or 13-years-old โ damaged that banner and that’s unacceptable and should be punished,” Nye said. “But before that happened, you had an opportunity to reflect and take action, value the feedback you received, to lead by example, to lead with humility, and say ‘I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have put it there,’ but you didn’t. You doubled down. You didn’t act like leader. You acted like a kid. You took your ball and you went home and I’m incredibly disappointed.”
High school student Norah Zellen also had strong words for Hook, saying that permanently covering the mural will have a more negative impact on students than district leaders thought.
“The mural exhibited a safe and inclusive learning environment, yet it was painted over. This action shows thoughtlessness, a lack of authenticity, and calls into question if the school board and superintendent want some students erased,” Zellen told Hook.
Hook was noticeably silent on the issue during the meeting. Each time the superintendent spoke about school matters, audience members held up signs of the mural.
During the meeting, board member Leslie Rasmussen called out the superintendent for his unwillingness to address the elephant in the room.
“Larry, you made a lot of wonderful comments about the awesome work our students are doing. I don’t want that to be overshadowed tonight or any time, but I want to take a moment to make sure you see all these students in the audience. They deserve acknowledgment,” Rasmussen said.
Hook responded, “I see them,” but made no further comments on the matter until questioned by reporters after the meeting.
Hook’s response
The superintendent defended the mural’s removal, saying despite the overwhelming opposition, most people in the Forest Hills community wanted to see it gone.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who were very upset that it was there,” he said. “So, it’s kind of created this battle that shouldn’t even be in schools. We need to focus on our education. We need to focus on what’s important. That doesn’t mean we marginalize anybody.”
A small collection of adults also spoke during public comment defending Hook’s decision. One attendee, who took offense to parents and students supporting the mural, was removed by law enforcement after getting into a physical interaction with another audience member.
Read theย full article. According to posts on social media today, the woman who snatched an audience memberโs phone is the mother of Christianist school board member Katie Stewart, whose own children reportedly attend private Catholic school. At last nightโs meeting Stewart wore a Gadsden flag t-shirt. The TikTok video below has gone viral.
At 11, hear from the woman who was attacked while filming a Forest Hills school board meeting. Parents and students were speaking out against the removal of a diversity mural. @Local12pic.twitter.com/cNKa0MrnKm
This is the mother of Katie Stewart, @FHSchools Board Member. She also laughed when a parent discussed her childโs suicide attempt and mocked students and other speakers. #classy#niceexamplehttps://t.co/HIaJa5xG1J
Students, parents and community members held a rally ahead of the Forest Hills School board meeting on Wednesday. Attendees say theyโre upset about the decision by the Forest Hills School District to paint over a diversity mural. @FOX19pic.twitter.com/OH34kKGOiE
That womanโs DAUGHTER sits on the SCHOOL BOARD. Perhaps Katie STEWART should RETHINK her WARDROBE CHOICE in light of her MOMโS ANTICS. pic.twitter.com/HvYWYCabWG
She also laughed when a parent discussed her childโs suicide attempt and mocked students and other speakers
To me that’s even worse than the assault.
I wonder if it’s time to ressurect ACT UP! techniques? If this woman goes to church, perhaps go to the same church as disrupt the service: “WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF LAUGHING ABOUT SUICIDE ATTEMPTS?’
Shaming on Twitter is considered a badge of honor and they have no shame. But to so in churches or in grocery stores or at their hairdressers, that will perhaps do more?
I’m thinking of the beardy guy that is in DC and always behind (the latest) republican politician accused of wrongdoing.
Right? ACT UP wasn’t afraid to take on the churches. You do that when people are dying. We’ve already had a few killings (RIP, O’Shae Sibley). How many more will it take?
Very true. Back in the 80’s, we stormed Toronto’s St. Micheal’s Cathedral and dumped condoms on the altar because of the Church’s stance regarding their use, especially in preventing HIV/AIDS. We barricaded Conservative Pols Offices and, on more than one occasion, stood toe to toe with cops who wanted to fuck with us during marches…it didn’t end well for them. It was nothing for us to dump pink Jello by the bucket loads onto cop cars, Church steps, etc. We made a ruckus and did so until we were heard.
Long past time to teach society that lesson again. Direct Action Now.
We need to act up for sure and run for school board seats or get allies to run because imagine the lgbtq kids in that school seeing this how humiliating and hurtful. We need to stand up so they know to do the same when it’s their turn.
“Christianist school board member Katie Stewart, whose own children reportedly attend private Catholic school”
So it is none of her business what it happening at the school in question, but still finds herself in a position to dictate terms there. Just waiting for the cries of “I’m being silenced!”
Where i live its practically impossible to find the backstory on school board candidates unless you know somebody who knows somebody who knows them. School board seats are classified as non-partisan, so you cant even go by party affiliation. Their websites & mailers are useless – so generic as to convey no useful info.
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Scottie's Playtime 