Category: Religion / Religious / Theocracy

‘Batman’ expert has the perfect explanation for saying ‘gay’ at a Georgia school assembly

https://www.upworthy.com/batman-expert-has-the-perfect-explanation-for-saying-gay-at-a-georgia-school-assembly

Remember the people behind these bills deny they ban the word gay.  Well here is the proof of how these laws are being used.  The object is to wipe the entire LGBTQIA from society, remove us from the public view.  Here is how these people view just saying a person is gay.  

Caracciolo likened saying “gay” in front of third graders to talking to kindergartners about one of the greatest atrocities in world history. “It would be almost like if someone was doing a speech to kindergartners and they talked about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Holocaust,” the district’s chief spokeswoman, Jennifer Caracciolo, said, according to The New York Times.

Here is what the presenter told the school person above.

That’s a huge point missed in much of the debate surrounding LGBTQ visibility in education. There is a big difference between discussing sexual acts—whether heterosexual or otherwise—and someone’s orientation, especially when there’s a good chance that there are children of LGBTQ parents in the audience.

Further, in a world where same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage are treated equally, why is mentioning one orientation any different than the other?

“If a child asks me if I am married, can I say I have a wife? This is discrimination. It is also extremely insulting and dangerous to our children,” Nobleman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have so much LGBTQ teen suicide because they are not welcome to speak up about their own lives in their own community.”’

“I asked her not to compare a kind of love to mass murder,” Nobleman wrote in Newsweek.

We have to fight back on these attempts to drive the LGBTQIA back into hiding ashamed of who they are, how they were born.  The LGBTQIA kids are not broken, they are not diseased, they don’t need fixing or cured.   They need acceptance and allowed to be themselves openly like their peers.   Hugs

 

 

After being censored by the school’s principle, he quit.

batman, don't say gay, lgbtq georgia
Harper Collins and Jack Burnley/DC Comics

Author Mark Tyler Nobleman and Batman and Robin.

 

Over the past few years, “Don’t Say Gay” bills have been introduced across the U.S., sparking widespread controversy about how LGBTQ issues should be addressed in schools. Supporters argue they protect children from inappropriate content by restricting discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in educational settings.

Opponents believe these bills marginalize LGBTQ individuals by fostering stigma and potentially infringing on teachers’ ability to openly address students’ questions or experiences.

Currently, 11 states have banned LGBTQ discussion in public schools, and 5 require parental consent.

Author and comic book expert Marc Tyler Nobleman recently found himself at the center of the controversy, and his simple rationale for using the word “gay” in his school presentations presents an age-appropriate and inclusive way to approach at the issue.

 

Nobleman has spoken in schools in “about 30 states and almost 20 countries” to inspire children to write and do research. He’s the author of the book “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman” about the fabled superhero’s unsung co-creator.

Artist Bob Kane is known as the creator of Batman; however, Bill Finger is believed to have refined the costume and given the character his secret identity as Bruce Wayne, amongst other contributions.

Nobleman notes in his speeches that one of the significant reasons why Finger lives in obscurity is that he died in 1974, and his son, Fred Finger, was gay and died of AIDS complications at 43 in 1992. Without an heir, the movement to get Finger the proper credit lost any hope.

However, the twist in Nobleman’s presentation is when he reveals that through his research, he discovered that Fred Finger had a daughter, Athena. This led to DC Comics officially recognizing her grandfather as Batman’s co-creator in 2015.

“It’s the biggest twist of the story, and it’s usually when I get the most gasps,” Nobleman told the Associated Press. “It’s just a totally record-scratch moment.”

After a presentation at Sharon Elementary in Forsyth County, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, where he mentioned Fred FInger’s orientation, the principal handed Nobleman a note saying, “Please only share the appropriate parts of the story for our elementary students.” So, he removed any reference to Fred Finger’s sexuality over his next two days of presentations.

The school’s principal, Brian Nelson, sent a letter to parents after the initial presentation that read: “This is not subject matter that we were aware that he was including nor content that we have approved for our students,” Nelson wrote. “I apologize that this took place. Action was taken to ensure that this was not included in Mr. Nobleman’s subsequent speeches and further measures will be taken to prevent situations like this in the future.”

But after some soul-searching, in a presentation two days later, Nobleman said the word “gay” once again. After discussing the situation with the school, the remaining assemblies were canceled.

Nobleman shared his reasoning for using “gay” on X, formally known as Twitter, and his rationale makes a lot of sense. “And as I’ve told Jennifer [Caracciolo, the school’s chief communications officer] and her colleagues, mentioning a sexual orientation is NOT the same as discussing sexuality.”

That’s a huge point missed in much of the debate surrounding LGBTQ visibility in education. There is a big difference between discussing sexual acts—whether heterosexual or otherwise—and someone’s orientation, especially when there’s a good chance that there are children of LGBTQ parents in the audience.

Further, in a world where same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage are treated equally, why is mentioning one orientation any different than the other?

“If a child asks me if I am married, can I say I have a wife? This is discrimination. It is also extremely insulting and dangerous to our children,” Nobleman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have so much LGBTQ teen suicide because they are not welcome to speak up about their own lives in their own community.”’

Caracciolo likened saying “gay” in front of third graders to talking to kindergartners about one of the greatest atrocities in world history. “It would be almost like if someone was doing a speech to kindergartners and they talked about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Holocaust,” the district’s chief spokeswoman, Jennifer Caracciolo, said, according to The New York Times.

“I asked her not to compare a kind of love to mass murder,” Nobleman wrote in Newsweek.

After his remaining presentations were canceled, Nobleman emailed administrators involved in the controversy and asked them to take three specific actions:

-Apologize to their community for the principal’s apology.

-Apologize to their community for censoring an established author who did what he was hired to do: Pump up their kids about reading, writing, and research.

-Challenge the standards that stigmatize any mention of LGBTQ people.

 

 
 
 

Brooklyn Library’s Drag Story Hour Gets Bomb Threat

Brooklyn Library’s Drag Story Hour Gets Bomb Threat

So they are protecting children by … blowing them up with a bomb?   See why the claim they are only saving children fails.  This is not about children, but instead about their own bigotry and hates.  They hate drag because they think it is the same as being transgender.   They refused to accept that people can dress in any way they like to as long as the sexual organs are covered.  But those people can’t allow people to live as they wish, instead they insist they must be allowed to dictate how everyone lives.  They don’t like you wearing that, so you can not wear it.  Think it will stop with just drag queens or trans people?  Did they stop with abortion after their SCOTUS win?  These people hated the idea of short skirts, short dresses, bikinis, or women outside the assigned gender roles these people have mandated.   But in the case of the drag queen story hour, parents rights to raise children how you wish is limited only to maga / right wing parents.  Tolerant and accepting parents don’t get a choice to raise their children this way because … well again the fundamentalist Christian moral police Taliban demand the right to control you and your children.   Hugs

The Messenger reports:

A planned “Drag Story Hour” at a Brooklyn library was forced to move on Saturday morning after bomb threat were called into 911. Police officers, the bomb squad, a K-9 unit and emergency medical services responded to the threat phoned in by a male caller against the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

The library was evacuated, and a thorough search conducted, but no bomb was found, police said. The story hour, featuring a group of drag performers reading books to children, was moved to Connecticut Muffin, a nearby dessert and coffee shop.

The New York Post reports:

 

NYPD later confirmed that an email threat was sent to the branch from an unknown source in Buffalo alleging an explosive device was supposed to go off inside the site at 11:30 a.m. A male caller also phoned 911 about the threat, authorities added.

“It’s a shame, and it’s something that’s extremely dangerous,” fumed a parent of a 2-year-old girl who sat in on the reading. “These are children, and children just want to hear stories … It’s a shame how somebody just ruined it and threatened violence.”

Racism is on the rise

OH High School Coach Resigns After “Nazi” Play Calls

DeSantis Calls Reports On FL Slavery Lessons A “Hoax”

Read the full article. So it’s a hoax and it was written by descendants of slaves? Of note, those “scholars” are notorious right wing nutjobs.

Sarah 4 hours ago edited

Boy, it sure would be embarrassing if someone quoted the Florida curriculum standard, which explicitly states that “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” ( https://www.fldoe.org/core/… )

Or, at least it would be to anyone with a conscience.

Some more family values anti-LGBTQIA hating hypocrites

Lady Handjob Spews Anti-Trans Rant In House Speech

Eric 17 hours ago

My heart weeps for all the beautiful trans folks out there, especially the younger ones, just trying to live their lives with some dignity and respect and maybe a little joy, and they’re constantly barraged by crap like this from crap like this.

Uncle Mark back in IL 17 hours ago
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UK Official: Being LGBTQ Is Not Grounds For Asylum
In 12 countries around the world, people can be put to death for having a same-sex relationship, while in 66 states private, consensual same-sex sexual activity is criminalised, according to the Human Dignity Trust.
Ramaswamy Declares Trans People To Be Mentally Ill
The New York Times has a fact check:

“Transgenderism, especially in kids, is a mental health disorder.” — Vivek Ramaswamy. This is false. Being transgender is not a mental health disorder.

Many transgender people experience gender dysphoria, or psychological distress as a result of the incongruence between their sex and their gender identity.

Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis in the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and can be given to children, adolescents or adults.

House Rejects Bid To Defund Pentagon Diversity Efforts

heleninedinburgh 5 hours ago

Well, sorry that the US military doesn’t match up to the standards of your ideological allies.

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Some family value anti-LGBTQIA Lying hypocrites

Anti-Gay GOP Rep: Respect The Privacy Of My Adultery
Duncan appeared here in January 2023 when the House approved his bill to ban vaccine mandates at Medicare and Medicaid-certified health facilities. In 2015, Duncan co-sponsored a bill that sought to place a ban on same-sex marriage in the US Constitution. In 2018, Duncan co-sponsored a bill allowing adoption agencies to ban same-sex parents.
Max-1 🔫+cult(R)=☠️15 hours ago
So…
Stay out of his bedroom, but let him in ours?
Eat shit w/ your family values.
TN Mayoral Candidate Who Tried To Ban Pride Festival Partied At Chicago Pride W/Husband Wearing Speedo
Hanson last appeared here when the same outlet exposed her arrest record for facilitating prostitution. She made her JMG debut when she was exposed for using the photos of minority women in campaign materials, claiming that they support her. The women said they’d never heard of her. Hanson’s campaign manager spoke at last year’s public hearing on the local Pride event to declare that the festival had provided children with “dildos and butt plugs.”

 

Florida school district orders librarians to purge all books with LGBTQ characters

https://popular.info/p/florida-school-district-orders-librarians

Now do you see the point?  This attack on woke is just the same old attack on LGBTQIA people.  This is the same right wing attack on people who are different.  It is the same right wing attack on gays, lesbians, and trans people that was happening in the1960s and 1970s.  It is about removing us, people like me, the entire LGBTQIA from society.  Basically a genocide.  There are LGBTQIA kids in schools and that go to libraries.  These kids need to see people like them, need the information in those books.   Plus kids own books that have gay characters are not permitted even for scielent reading by themselves.   Removing the books won’t stop kids being born LGBTQIA, it will just increase the targeting and harassment, the bullying along with increasing the isolation / shame these kids will feel about themselves for being different.  It is cruel.   Especially as science has proven beyond a doubt people are born with their sexual orientations and gender identity already set.  DeathSantis said it was a hoax, that no books were being banned only pornographic ones, this order to remove the books specifically says remove them even if there is no sexual content. 

The guidance made clear that all books with LGBTQ characters are to be removed even if the book contained no sexually explicit content. The librarians asked if they could retain books in school and classroom libraries with LGBTQ characters “as long as they do not have explicit sex scenes or sexual descriptions and are not approaching ‘how to’ manuals for how to be an LGBTQ+ person.” Vianello responded, “No. Books with LBGTQ+ characters are not to be included in classroom libraries or school library media centers.”  

DeathSantis claimed that his anti-woke doesn’t equal don’t say gay.  But that is the way the law is written and the goal of the fundamentalist Christian nationalists people that he is a member of and leads.  Hugs

——————————————————————————————————————————–

 

JUDD LEGUM
SEP 26, 2023
 
 

Librarians in public schools in Charlotte County, Florida, were instructed by the school district superintendent to remove all books with LGBTQ characters or themes from school and classroom libraries. 

Charlotte County school librarians sought guidance from the school district about how to apply an expansion of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, to all grades. “Are we removing books from any school or media center, Prek-12 if a character has, for example, two mothers or because there is a gay best friend or a main character is gay?” the librarians asked. Charlotte County Superintendent Mark Vianello answered, “Yes.” 

The guidance by Vianello and the school board’s attorney, Michael McKinley, was obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP) through a public records request and shared with Popular Information. FFTRP requested “electronic records of district and school decisions regarding classroom and library materials.” In response, FFTRP received a document memorializing a July 24 conversation between Vianello and district librarians, known in Florida as media specialists. 

The guidance made clear that all books with LGBTQ characters are to be removed even if the book contained no sexually explicit content. The librarians asked if they could retain books in school and classroom libraries with LGBTQ characters “as long as they do not have explicit sex scenes or sexual descriptions and are not approaching ‘how to’ manuals for how to be an LGBTQ+ person.” Vianello responded, “No. Books with LBGTQ+ characters are not to be included in classroom libraries or school library media centers.”

 

Vianello also says teachers must ensure that books with LGBTQ characters and themes do not enter the classroom, even if they are self-selected by students for silent reading. According to Vianello, books with “[t]hese characters and themes cannot exist.” 

 

The librarians were seeking guidance on how to interpret a revised version of The Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida. The revised rules, issued by the Florida Department of Education earlier this year, expanded the restrictions imposed by the”Don’t Say Gay” law. According to revised Rule 6A-10.081, educators in Florida “[s]hall not intentionally provide classroom instruction to students in prekindergarten through grade 8 on sexual orientation or gender identity.” (A similar provision was included in a law Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed in May.) The revised rule also extends that prohibition through grade 12, except where explicitly required by state standards or as part of “a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend.”

Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has insisted that allegations that his policies, including the “Don’t Say Gay” law, are being used to ban a wide range of books is a “hoax.” DeSantis claimed that the only books being removed from Florida libraries are “pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards.” But in Charlotte County, DeSantis’ policies are being used to justify purging all books with LGBTQ characters, even if there is no sexual content.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Charlotte County Schools told Popular Information that books with LGBTQ characters were removed from libraries because “there are elementary schools that utilize their school library media center as classrooms… [for] elective courses that our students are officially scheduled into and attend on a regular basis.” Therefore, the library “is considered a classroom setting.” As a result, “our school board attorney advises that we do not make books with these themes available in media centers that serve as classrooms since this would be considered ‘classroom instruction’ and such instruction and/or availability of these themes may not occur in PreK- grade 8.” The spokesperson acknowledged that “high school media centers are not designated as classrooms,” but books with LGBTQ characters were excluded anyway because “if a teacher were to bring a class of students to the media center and provide instruction, books with these themes cannot be included in that instructional time unless supported by the academic standards of that course of study.”

The problem with banning all books with LGBTQ characters

 

There are serious legal issues with banning all books with LGBTQ characters.

In June, the authors of the children’s book And Tango Makes Three, and several students sued the Lake County School Board, the Florida Department of Education, and other state officials for removing the book from K-3 library shelves. And Tango Makes Three is the true story of two male Penguins, Roy and Silo, who lived in the Central Park Zoo and raised an adopted chick. It has no sexual content. The lawsuit contends that the removal of And Tango Makes Three violates student rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and by “discriminating based on content and viewpoint, it infringes the authors’ right to freedom of expression.” 

In response, the Lake County School Board filed an affidavit on July 13, 2023, from its superintendent, Diane Kornegay. She stated that, on June 21, 2023, she received guidance from the Florida Department of Education that the “age restriction on sexual orientation and gender identity does not apply to library books.” The guidance included a legal memorandum by the Florida Attorney General filed in a separate case challenging the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which contends that the law “does not even arguably restrict library books.” 

 

As a result, And Tango Makes Three was returned to the shelves in Lake County. 

The Florida Department of Education has been repeatedly asked to clarify the application of “Don’t Say Gay” and other laws and regulations restricting LGBTQ instruction to library books. But it has refused to do so, despite the urging of FFTRP and others. 

“Every child deserves to have their lives reflected in the books available in their public school classroom or library,” Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the FFTRP told Popular Information. “The Florida Department of Education was informed of Charlotte County’s overreaction to the law and state rule over two weeks ago, and has not acted to correct it. Public school families in Florida deserve better. We cannot tolerate this discriminatory exclusion.”

The result of the Department of Education’s inaction has been chaos. And Tango Makes Three remains banned in Escambia County and elsewhere. While Charlotte County is the only school district known to have a formal ban on all books with LGBTQ characters, other Florida school districts have the same policy in practice. 

In the Broward County School District, the sixth-largest school district in the country, nearly half of the books that have been removed or restricted feature LGBTQ themes. One of the books banned from all school libraries is the children’s book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a fictional story about former Vice President Mike Pence’s family bunny. In the story, Marlon Bundo falls in love with another bunny named Wesley, and the two decide to get married. The book does not contain any sexual or explicit content whatsoever. The Broward County School District ordered that all school libraries remove Bundo, because it contained “gender identity content.” 

The Broward County School District told Popular Information that it was aware of the state’s position in the Lake County lawsuit. But, as of last month, Bundo remained unavailable in Broward County schools. 

A survey of Florida school districts by Popular Information revealed that at least 16 school districts in Florida have banned books with LGBTQ characters.

Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex in Jerusalem to mark Jewish New Year

Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex in Jerusalem to mark Jewish New Year

Thanks to Ten Bears for the link.   When will the US stop supporting this Apartheid nation?  They clearly are not willing to give the Palestine any rights, the Palestine’s live in what is justly called an open air prison.  They have no rights, they have no legal remedies but instead of being under the laws of Israel they are under military rule, their treatment is not questioned by the checks and balances of laws.  But the US not only supports this corrupt government by billions of dollars, a country that has universal healthcare that the people in the US are told is too expensive for us to have.  Does that make sense? This is no different from the US supporting the South African apartheid by white supremacist against black people.  Just because this is religious based doesn’t make it right.   We are watching the genocide of an entire group of people, and we seem to be OK with it.   I AM NOT!   Hugs.  Scottie

Hundreds of Israeli settlers on Sunday forced their way into the flash point Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish New Year, reports Anadolu Agency.

Israeli settlers observe the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday from September 15 to September 17 this year. They will also mark the Sukkot holiday at the end of September and the Simhat Torah holiday on October 6.

In a statement, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department said Israeli forces had emptied the Al-Aqsa complex from Palestinian worshipers before allowing settlers in.

According to the statement, Palestinians under 50 years old were prevented from entering the site.

A number of Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces from inside the complex, local sources said.

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the report.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa complex is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: Netanyahu embroiled in differences between fanatic right-wing regarding Arab alliance

A Christian mob invaded an Appalachian artists’ retreat because of an “Om” symbol in the chapel

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-christian-mob-invaded-an-appalachian

Please see the intro to my last three post.  I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.

The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.  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.  Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.   Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesn’t harm others.  By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.  What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?  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.  I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.  To be free to practice one’s personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.  People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.  They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.  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.  You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.  They don’t care if you’re happy or if things are good for you.  They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.   Fight back.   Hugs

The artists, many of whom were people of color and LGBTQ, left the premises to avoid violence

HEMANT MEHTA
AUG 23, 2023
 

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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 by Waymakers Collective, a non-profit group that provides grant money and learning opportunities for artists in the region. They say they’ve 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. The school’s website says “We have hosted everything from church retreats to theater conferences to recording sessions.” Given that many of the Waymakers’ members had attended events there in the past and “always felt welcome, safe and had positive experiences,” 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 “Healing Space.” 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 year… 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, “soothing lights,” plants, and a painting that included an “Om” symbol—presumably to facilitate the meditation.

That’s what this controversy is all about.

While the “Om” wasn’t 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 isn’t 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 pews—they 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 “to make sure the House of The Lord wasn’t being disrespected.”

 

Tate Napier, the mob member whose posted about the situation on Facebook, told reporter Jennifer McDaniels of the Tri-City News:

The people in the chapel said they were doing nothing wrong, and 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 stuff – that we weren’t 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, and they agreed to stay out of the chapel, but then, ultimately, they decided to leave because they said they felt unsafe.

…

If they want to do that stuff, they can do it in their own homes or buildings or wherever else, but it’s not happening in Jesus’ house as long as I’m around to defend it…

Napier, a Christian who was charged with first-degree sexual abuse after being caught in bed with a 15-year-old girl, had no business telling anyone to “get their stuff.” He makes it sound like he was merely escorting out people who shouldn’t have been there when, in fact, he’s the one who didn’t 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 weren’t necessarily there to keep people from entering.)

 
Deputies outside the chapel (via Jennifer McDaniels/Facebook)

One of the artists in attendance didn’t see the mob’s actions as helpful in any way. Referring to them as “yt supremacists,” Kabrea James said the invaders alleged the artists were “desecrating their space” and “demanded that we leave.” The artists left in order to avoid escalating the situation—which was understandable given that a lot of them come from marginalized communities.

@euphoriccdreams

so much love to my fellow creatives. i have no words 😞 #fyp #blacktiktok #blackgirltiktok #bledsoe #kentucky #art #retreat #appalachianmountains #appalachian #appalachianartist

♬ original sound – Kabrea J. 🌸

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, “We 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.” (How does that make any sense?!)

In a statement released by Waymakers on Monday, they expressed concern about why their safety wasn’t paramount in this situation and why their contract wasn’t 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: 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? 

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. Many of our participants are deeply traumatized by this experience, especially those of us with personal lived experiences of racial and gender-based violence. We are offering access to free therapy as part of our aftercare approach for the participants that were there. 

McDaniels, the reporter, said it’s “unclear if the chapel was a part of the Waymakers Collective retreat facility lease agreement or not,” but the Waymakers certainly believed they had access to it. (Hell, their version of the story involves specific advance discussions about using the chapel.) PMSS has not yet issued any statement about the matter.

Meanwhile, Dan Mosley, the Harlan County Judge Executive, offered support for the mob shortly after the conflict occurred:

 

I have a lot on my mind this evening but I’m going to be brief. I’m proud of the people of Bledsoe and Big Laurel. Your perspective is my perspective, today, and in the days ahead. It’s always better to ask questions than throw stones and civil discourse is always the best pathway to resolution.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

“Your perspective is my perspective,” he said of the intolerant Christians who magically claimed ownership of space that wasn’t theirs.

Mosley added separately that seeing the “Om” symbol in the chapel “made me sick at my stomach”:

 

He basically praised the mob for taking a stand without resorting to violence, as if they deserved a reward for merely threatening the artists rather than doing something even more insane. The comments on that first post overwhelmingly agreed with that position, as did many others in the community. (This is apparently what they do in small towns.)

None of the groups opposing Waymakers’ use of the space has issued any official response yet. They sure as hell haven’t denounced the invaders, who simply don’t believe a chapel should be used by anyone who doesn’t 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 didn’t end with victims who are LGBTQ people and artists of color (including ones who are practicing Christians themselves).

If county leaders and PMSS officials aren’t going to take this seriously, and the invaders face no consequences for barging, uninvited, onto private property, it’s hard to imagine anything will change.

 

CA school board leader condemned over calls for “Christ centered” parents on committees

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/ca-school-board-leader-condemned

Please see the intro to my last two post.  I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.

The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.  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.  Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.   Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesn’t harm others.  By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.  What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?  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.  I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.  To be free to practice one’s personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.  People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.  They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.  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.  You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.  They don’t care if you’re happy or if things are good for you.  They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.   Fight back.   Hugs

Julie Leavens-Hupp insists she wasn’t excluding anyone

HEMANT MEHTA
AUG 29, 2023
 

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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 currently 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 by Julie Leavens-Hupp, the president of the RUSD School Board, who specifically called for “Christ centered” applicants on her Facebook campaign page:

 

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. We need as many Christ centered, family focused parents as we can get on those committees. 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!

That’s a hell of a way to tell Jews, Muslims, and atheists that their services are not wanted… It’s 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 thing that 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 board voted against a proposed science curriculum recommended by teachers.)

If “Christ centered” 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 “Christ centered” means something positive, then she’s living in a conservative bubble.

Hupp’s comments struck a nerve with many families in the district, who said they were proudly “family focused” but not in a way Hupp would appreciate. Elizabeth Dean said her wife was trans and asked Hupp to explain why “you don’t need our involvement in your advisory board to keep our children safe and thriving.“

The response was nothing more than faith-based deflection. “The inclusion of one does not mean the exclusion of others,” Hupp said to her. You see, just because she wants Christian parents on the advisory boards doesn’t mean she doesn’t want non-Christian parents there too. (That’s why it totally wouldn’t 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, Hupp—stripped of her characteristic suburban-mom-emoji- overload sentences—simply said “yes.”

 

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, Hupp posted a follow-up. She didn’t apologize or take anything back. Instead, she implied everyone was misinterpreting her comment.

 

In answer to a question I am receiving, 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. 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.

That… doesn’t 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. It’s that simple.

Saying that people of “all faiths” are encouraged to apply—something she absolutely did not say the first time around—still excludes atheists. And let’s be honest: The damage was already done with her initial statement telling non-Christians they wouldn’t be welcome in these committees.

All she had to do was keep her damn religion out of it. She couldn’t do it. Even the best case scenario here—that Hupp simply used “Christ centered” to mean good and decent—doesn’t make much sense in practice because the two ideas are not synonymous. Just ask people who aren’t Christians but have to constantly deal with the right-wing arrogance of people like Hupp.

 
Julie Leavens-Hupp (image via Facebook)

One commenter’s response to Hupp’s “clarification” was perfectly on point, noting that a “great leader” would’ve recognized her error rather than repeat it: “Instead, you double down, to me indicating one of the following—you don’t care, you choose to have your head far deep in the sand or you’re just totally inept.”

Incidentally, Hupp was elected to the board in 2020 along with two conservative allies, giving them a majority on the board. During her campaign, Hupp bragged about being endorsed by “school choice advocates,” which should have been concerning to those who care about the future of public schools. The conservatives on board include a pastor at Destiny Church, a right-wing megachurch in the area, along with another church-supported member.

Hupp hasn’t directly responded to the calls for her to resign. A spokesperson for the district, however, issued a laughable statement about how Hupp “has always been proud of the diversity of our community and hopes to see it represented in all of our communities.” That supposed belief is contradicted by her own words.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for September 6. Anyone in the area troubled by Hupp’s comments should consider making their voices heard on that day.

Idaho library board chair demands Sunday closures to “keep the Sabbath day holy”

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/idaho-library-board-chair-demands

Please see the intro to my last post.  I am going to simply copy and paste it here as it is the same thing.   Also there are videos in the article that I am unable to copy, so to see them please go to the link above.  Hugs

The Christian Taliban moral police strike again.  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.  Think about it, this is not religious freedom, this is religious dictatorship.   Religious freedom is everyone gets to practice and live their life according to their religion as long as it doesn’t harm others.  By the Christians insisting everyone honor their idea of the holy day, they deny the religious freedom of others.  What about religious sects and religions that have Saturday as the holy day?  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.  I know that some fundamental religious leaders like to claim there is no right to not be religious, but that is stupid.  To be free to practice one’s personal beliefs, one must be free to have no set religious restrictions.  People this is a fringe fundamentalist group of very vocal, very driven people willing to rule over every aspect of other peoples lives.  They are the worst busybody nosey neighbors ever in existence.  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.  You need to comply so their god is happy, that is it.  They don’t care if you’re happy or if things are good for you.  They only care if their god is happy and they think they know the secret to making their god happy.   Fight back.   Hugs

The conservative majority on the Community Library Network board voted to close libraries on Sundays, despite threats of litigation

HEMANT MEHTA
SEP 13, 2023
 

This newsletter is free, but it’s only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers. Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters? You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or use my usual Patreon page!

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.

What’s unusual is that the Board’s Chair, Rachelle Ottosen, argued that the library should remain closed on Sunday because it’s the Sabbath.

 

Well, I know many others at these tables don’t subscribe to this, but 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 (I’m paraphrasing) that was a batshit crazy idea. “I’m pretty sure not everybody in this community holds [to] that, so I think we need to look at the whole community concerning hours.”

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, Ottosen did it again. This time she came prepared with a Bible verse:


 

As far as closing on Sundays, most other government entities are closed on Sundays. This is not an emergency service. No one’s gonna [freak] out if they don’t get a book on Sunday.

Anyway, Exodus 20:8-10 says “Remember 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.”

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: “I’m sorry, this is a government agency, and we need to be available for everyone.” 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 best David Barton impression, citing the Founding Fathers to pretend she wasn’t crossing some church/state separation barrier. She closed her comments by saying, “It’s in our best interests to not dishonor God.”

Last month, Americans United for Separation of Church and State stepped in to warn the Board that it was heading down a dangerous path by listening to Ottosen’s suggestion:

The board received a letter dated Aug. 9 from the nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which asserts that closing libraries based on Ottosen’s religious beliefs violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Ms. Ottosen is entitled to her religious beliefs, but 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,” the letter said in part. “The board has a legal obligation to refuse to act on Ms. Ottosen’s religious grounds.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has now gotten involved too.

In a letter to Ottosen, attorney Chris Line wrote that she needs to stop using her elected position to “promote your personal religious beliefs.”

While Board members are certainly free to express their religious beliefs in their private capacity outside of their role on the Board, 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. We request that members of the Board refrain from discussing their religious beliefs during meetings 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 won’t happen again in the future.

It’s such a sensible request the two groups are making here. This isn’t about whether or not the library system should close on Sundays. That’s up to the Trustees to decide. But whatever the decision is, it needs to be secular in nature. Someone’s religious beliefs shouldn’t dictate the outcome.

Everyone else on the board seems to understand that. Just not Ottosen.

Incidentally, three of the five board members—Ottosen, Tom Hanley, and Tim Plass—voted to close the libraries on Sundays, but after the board’s attorney mentioned that this could open the door to litigation, the same board then voted 4-1 to table the Sunday closures… even though they had already voted to close them.

The same conservative trifecta took over the board earlier this summer 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 sections…

Ottosen has been vocal against LGBTQ programs and books for children. She also testified to the Idaho Legislature in support of recent obscenity bills targeting libraries and librarians.

Last month, the three of them also suggested disaffiliating from the American Library Association, calling it “ultra liberal” and criticizing it for opposing censorship. “The ALA has a clear animosity and resentment toward the family and traditional religious values,” Hanley said during an August meeting.

All of that’s to say the move to shut down the libraries on Sundays because some Christians take Sabbath day seriously isn’t just one crazy board member’s wacky suggestion. It’s part of a larger plan to inject Christian Nationalism into a public library system no matter how much that harms people in the community.