How accurate is Hollywood when it comes to depicting dinosaurs on the big screen? Paleontologist Mark Loewen reviews dinosaur scenes from films including ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park,’ ’Jurassic World,’ ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,’ ‘Land Of The Lost,’ ’King Kong,’ ‘Night at the Museum,’ and more. Filmed in Paleontology Collections at the Natural History Museum of Utah, located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Special thanks to Abby Curran, Carrie Levitt-Bussian, and Beth Mitchell from NHMU.
The MR crew discuss Justice Clarence Thomas’ brief mentioning Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell and that abortion is not in the constitution. The Majority Report crew discuss the possibility of Republican judges from the circuit courts ruling in the attempt to reverse precedents established by Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. The MR crew discuss how there is no reason to believe that the marriage equality precedent is more robust than Roe. v Wade which had been established for fifty years.
2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Carver Provided by Willie Carver Jr.
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, who is gay, says he is leaving the K-12 classroom “to make the most difference, and the discrimination and lack of support prevent me from making that difference.”
After 17 years being a public school teacher, Willie Carver Jr. said he decided to leave the classroom and take a position at the University of Kentucky in student support services.
Carver told the Herald-Leader – and UK officials confirmed – that he will be an academic advisor at the Gatton College for Business and Economics.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to continue helping young people in their quest for education, Carver said in a Facebook post. “This was not an easy decision; I have cried quite a few times trying to make it over the past few months. But, ultimately, I have always wanted to be in the place where I can most make a difference in the lives of the next generation. I believe that UK is where I can do this.”
“I also increasingly find that, as a queer person in K-12 education, I have been unable to do that work without facing discrimination, heartache, and being a part of systems that cause harm, though I am immensely proud of my brilliant, hardworking, and fierce colleagues who have and continue to change that system in defense of students.”
In May, Carver told a Congressional subcommittee that he faced discrimination as a gay teacher and that hatred was the norm in schools. The panel was examining the wave of race and LGBTQ censorship engulfing America’s K-12 classrooms.
Carver, who had been teaching high school in Montgomery County, told the Herald-Leader that “vocal anti-LGBTQ extremists at school board meetings (and on social media) have been personally attacking me and my former students.”
“The national rhetoric is turned up, and LGBTQ teachers bear the weight of a lot of hatred that catalyzes the vitriol. It’s tiring,” he said.
Carver said he had been unable to find support from his school administration. “Mr. Carver is a wonderful English and French teacher. We wish him well in his new endeavor,” Montgomery County Superintendent Matthew Thompson said.
Carter said he had been proud to be a teacher and had worked tirelessly for students and their families.
He said he found the resources they needed. He said his goal had always been to strengthen his community and teach young people to believe in themselves.
“I also know that I symbolize potential for some students. I symbolize potential for students who come from poverty, for Appalachian students, and for LGBTQ students,” said Carver. “Of late, I feel beaten down. I’ve withstood it, but it’s hard to find peace or happiness when you’re under attack. This is all the more problematic when a person is a symbol. I can’t risk breaking.”
Some schools are doing incredible work for their students and teachers who are racial or ethnic minorities, or are LGBTQ, he said. Some are not, he said.
“Some are doing harm, are rendering people invisible, are illegalizing discussions about queerness or blackness, are afraid to be allies for fear of political retribution,” Carver said.
“A question that anyone in a system has to ask is whether they are capable of changing that system or whether they are perpetuating it. I believe that I am able best to work with a system that helps students by moving forward.”
Carver mentioned Tyler Clay Morgan, a former music teacher at Kentucky’s West Irvine Intermediate School who resigned after he wrote a message to students on his classroom board that later became controversial.
Morgan in April confirmed to the Herald-Leader that he wrote a message on his classroom board that said, “You Are Free to Be Yourself With Me. You Matter.” The message included a rainbow flag and rainbow colors.
“This is a message I always tried to teach every student too,” said Carver. “I know Tyler and I aren’t alone in this. Thank you to each and every person who has made me, their own colleagues, and their students feel that they mattered.”
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, who is gay, says he is leaving the K-12 classroom “to make the most difference, and the discrimination and lack of support prevent me from making that difference.”
After 17 years being a public school teacher, Willie Carver Jr. said he decided to leave the classroom and take a position at the University of Kentucky in student support services.
Carver, who had been teaching high school in Montgomery County, told the Herald-Leader that “vocal anti-LGBTQ extremists at school board meetings (and on social media) have been personally attacking me and my former students.” Carver said he had been unable to find support from his school administration.
Last month Carver testified before a House subcommittee about accusations that he was “grooming students.” Watch the clip.
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year said he is leaving the K-12 classroom in part because of discrimination. Willie Carver Jr. has been a public school teacher for 17 years. https://t.co/NYyltUpwtJ
— Lexington Herald-Leader (@heraldleader) June 23, 2022
For 17 years, teacher Willie Carver has been fighting for students to feel human, to be safe, and stop fear by changing hearts and minds.
This story makes me sad. Willie Carver could be any of us here – ordinary people who happen to be gay and are just trying to do their jobs and get through life as best we can with some shred of integrity. His story is our story.
When I was perceived as a straight white male I was on the fast track at the company I worked for, when I transitioned I became unpromotable and was stuck in a corner and told to shut the fuck up. I created my own path after that, I’m much happier now. Good luck to those that face adversity because of who they are, keep your chin up and don’t be afraid to bushwhack your way to a better future.
Anyone who thinks that the bigots are not currently winning is not paying attention.
Where are the calls to give Biden a House and Senate that will pass his agenda? Where is the national drive explicitly laying out what the Democrats will pass if they’re given a sufficient majority? Where is the PR campaign pointing out the bills that Republicans have stopped, and their record of obstruction? I don’t get it – where are the Democrats?
Goodbye to a sort-of functioning, somewhat democratic country – we’re pretty much doomed.
While the real-world channels were covering the attack on Democracy today, the BREAKING NEWS on Fux was Nancy Pelosi ‘s father-in-law ‘s traffic accident.
Good teachers are being forced out every year. Dealing with inept superiors, parents who are overwhelmed or just don’t give a fuck about their children and their education and being the political football for dipshits like DeSantis and right-wingers brings teachers to their breaking points. Kudos to Mr. Carver and I wish him luck with his new job.
Why do these people think that kids just seeing gay people and pride items is wrong. Didn’t we just have Father’s Day? The media and daily life are awash with heterosexual / straight couples doing lovey stuff, kissing, holding hands, hugging, sleeping in the same beds on TV sometimes out right close to making out and no one yells and screams protect the kids. I am sick of the way this shit is going. I remember what it was like as a gay kid not seeing anyone else like me with my feelings on TV or movies and instead hearing only bad things about people who had feelings like me. It totally messes you up. I am so upset over the drive to wipe the LGBTQ+ out of the public square and instead fill the space with their religion, God, and the bible. Hugs
A library on Long Island has voted to remove “all Pride displays” as well as Pride-related books from its children’s sections.
The Smithtown Library Board of Trustees voted 4-2 Tuesday to ban any and all displays related to LGBTQ Pride from kids’ areas at Smithtown Library buildings, a move that was met with fierce backlash and call for action by advocates.
The New York Library Association slammed Smithtown’s move, calling it “a direct violation of NYLA’s commitment to intellectual freedom and the freedom to read that libraries are entrusted to uphold.”
The organization reaffirmed its commitment to stand alongside the LGBTQ community, “especially our LGBTQ+ youth, who utilize libraries across the state as a refuge to foster their love of learning and of their authentic selves.”
For many LGBTQ+ kids, libraries are one of the few spaces where they can be welcomed and affirmed for who they are.
Our public spaces should be accepting our young people — not rejecting them.
To LGBTQ+ New Yorkers: We stand with you, we support you, & you are welcome here. https://t.co/x6w1q8o3El
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 22, 2022
Library officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the ban, but library director Robert Lusak told Newsday that at least 29 books are affected by the ban. They include a history of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and picture books like “Pink is for Boys” and “Pride Puppy.”
Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted Wednesday night that “our public spaces should be accepting our young people — not rejecting them,” reminding all LGBTQ New Yorkers that the state supports and welcomes them.
The LGBT Network, a nonprofit that fights for the rights of LGBTQ people and their families in Queens and Long Island, has planned a press conference for late Thursday morning to announce its plans to oppose anti-LGBTQ measures in libraries and schools.
The library’s “bigoted move” to remove the books and Pride displays “enraged members of the LGBT community in Suffolk County, where over 100,000 LGBT residents reside,” the group said in a statement ahead of the press event.
While we condemn the actions taken by the Smithtown Public Library’s Board of Trustees, we remain in full support of the library’s staff & Director who were required to remove the materials encompassed in the vote & work tirelessly to ensure their entire community feels welcome.
— New York Library Association (@NYLA_1890) June 23, 2022
For many LGBTQ+ kids, libraries are one of the few spaces where they can be welcomed and affirmed for who they are.
Our public spaces should be accepting our young people — not rejecting them.
To LGBTQ+ New Yorkers: We stand with you, we support you, & you are welcome here. https://t.co/x6w1q8o3El
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 22, 2022
As someone who a church tried (and eventually failed) to indoctrinate, I feel kids should not be exposed to religion until they are in their late teens at the earliest.
There were no gay books when I was growing up. Not for kids, anyway.
But the library had Broadway Original Cast Albums. Heh heh heh. The first time I became acquainted with Elaine Stritch, it was on the COMPANY cast album I checked out of the library.
I can’t say for sure that Julie Andrews turned me queer, but I can’t be certain that she didn’t. (It might have been Mary or Ethel.)
Same here, grew up in a conservative Christian house. Didn’t know anyone gay, wasn’t molested, didn’t have any sexual encounters, grew up thinking that being gay was one of the worst things possible. But nonetheless, I am gay. It did take me a little while to ‘realize’ it and caused some depression in my 20s. But with that upbringing, it really made me realize that being gay was not a choice, or something I was ‘tricked’ or seduced into, etc.
The rights of LGBTQ students would become enshrined in federal law and victims of campus sexual assault would gain new protections under new rules proposed by the Biden administration on Thursday.
President Joe Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said that even though there have been significant strides toward gender equality, discrimination and sexual violence persist.
“Even as we celebrate all the progress we’ve achieved, standing up for equal access and inclusion is as important as ever before,” he said.
The proposal is almost certain to be challenged by conservatives, and it is expected to lead to new legal battles over the rights of transgender students in schools, especially in sports. It now faces a public feedback period before the administration can finalize any changes, meaning the earliest that the policy is likely to take effect is next year.
The step meets a demand from victims rights advocates who wanted Biden to release new rules no later than the anniversary of Title IX, which outlaws discrimination based on sex in schools and colleges. Advocates say DeVos’ rules have gone too far in protecting students accused of sexual misconduct, at the expense of victims.
As a presidential candidate, Biden had promised a quick end to DeVos’ rules, saying they would “shame and silence survivors.”
In announcing its proposal, Biden’s Education Department said DeVos’ rules “weakened protections for survivors of sexual assault and diminished the promise of an education free from discrimination.”
For the first time, the rules would formally protect LGBTQ students under Title IX. Nothing in the 1972 law explicitly addresses the topic, but the new proposal would clarify that the law applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
It would make clear that “preventing someone from participating in school programs and activities consistent with their gender identity would cause harm in violation of Title IX,” according to the department. More specific rules dealing with the rights of transgender students in school sports will be released later, the department said.
Biden marked the anniversary of Title IX by acknowledging the impact the law has had in advancing equity but acknowledging there was more to do.
“As we look to the next 50 years, I am committed to protecting this progress and working to achieve full equality, inclusion, and dignity for women and girls, LGBTQI+ Americans, all students, and all Americans,” he said in a statement.
Many of the proposed changes would restore Obama-era rules that DeVos’ policy replaced.
The definition of sexual harassment would be expanded to cover a wider range of misconduct. Schools would be required to address any allegation that creates a “hostile environment” for students, even if the misconduct arises off campus. Most college employees, including professors and coaches, would be required to notify campus officials if they learn of potential sex discrimination.
In a victory for victims rights advocates, the proposal would eliminate a rule requiring colleges to hold live hearings to investigate sexual misconduct cases — one of the most divisive aspects of DeVos’ policy. Live hearings would be allowed under the new policy, but colleges could also appoint campus officials to question students separately.
Biden’s action drew praise from victims rights groups, LGBTQ advocates and Democratic lawmakers.
“These proposed regulations demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting educational opportunities for all students including LGBTQ students,” said Janson Wu executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. “Especially in light of ongoing state legislative attacks, we are grateful for the administration’s strong support of LGBTQ youth.”
Republicans in Congress were quick to denounce the proposal. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, said the rules will “demolish due process rights and the safety of young women and girls across the country, with promised regulations still to come to undermine women’s access to athletic opportunities.”
If the proposal is finalized, it would mark the second rewrite of federal Title IX rules in two years. DeVos’ rules were themselves intended to reverse Obama-era guidance. The Obama policy was embraced by victims advocates but led to hundreds of lawsuits from accused students who said their colleges failed to give them a fair process to defend themselves.
The whiplash has left many schools scrambling to adopt ever-changing rules. Some have pressed for a political middle ground that will protect students without prompting new rules every time the White House changes power.
“It doesn’t serve anybody’s interest to have this ping-pong effect of changing rules every five years,” said S. Daniel Carter, a campus security consultant and president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses. “That’s just not a good way to get things done. It’s very difficult for everyone involved.”
DeVos’ rules dramatically reshaped the way colleges handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment, with an emphasis on ensuring the constitutional due process rights of the accused.
Under her rules, accused students were given wider rights to review and respond to evidence against them, and students had the right to cross-examine one another through a representative at live hearings.
The live hearing requirement was applauded as a victory for accused students, but it drew intense backlash from other advocates who said it forced victims to relive their trauma.
DeVos also reduced colleges’ obligations in responding to complaints. Her policy narrowed the definition of harassment and scaled back the types of cases colleges are required to address. As a result, some campuses have seen steep decreases in the number of Title IX complaints coming in from students.
Under her rules, for example, colleges are not required to investigate most complaints that arise off campus, and they do not have to act on any complaint unless the alleged misconduct is “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive.”
The overhaul was partly meant to lighten the burden on colleges as they mediate complex cases, but some say it ultimately added more work.
Leaders of some colleges have said the DeVos rules are too prescriptive and force them to turn campus discipline systems into miniature courtrooms. Many schools have continued to address all sexual misconduct complaints even if they do not meet the narrowed harassment definition, but they have had to set up separate discipline processes to handle those cases.
Advocates on both sides say that can be confusing for students.
“It shouldn’t be that way. It should be, if anything, more uniform — that’s the whole reason the Title IX regulations were put into place,” said Kimberly Lau, a New York lawyer who represents students in Title IX cases
Biden’s proposal is a major step in keeping his promise to reverse DeVos’ rules. He started the process last year when he ordered the Education Department to review the rules, but the agency has been bogged down by a slow-moving rule-making process.
This is astounding. Incredible. I know people hard of hearing will struggle with this, and when tRump talks he is very loud compared to the other people and I had to keep adjusting the volume, but my dogs that love gravy this is a must listen to by everyone! tRump starts out very cordial listing all the ways he won, how the system was against him but how he won every state, how he had all these reports that were true (even when told they were not true he claimed they were verified true) he pulled repeated numbers out of his ass and kept just claiming everyone knew he won and everyone was angry these states had not given him the win. Then when after a while the State of Georgia people try to politely push back telling tRump his numbers are not true, he gets ugly and threatening. Plus he goes on a total rant about Ruby Freeman and her daughter claiming this old lady was a well-known political activist who repeatedly sabotaged Republicans and that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger knew this and let her get away with it, and he maybe even helped her. The call was entirely tRump being tRump. Totally delusional, totally unable to accept anything he did not say as even been said, he is the complete authority and if you don’t agree you are wrong. This is worth listening to even if you have trouble hearing. This is the cult leader of the Republican party and the right wing. This was almost the king of the US. This is the guy that all the armed militias came to the capital to put in office against the votes of the people. This is the guy who has inspired an army of Trumpism politicians and most scary inspired ones like DeathSantis who will be way worse and way smarter and will not leave office if he gets elected president. Hugs
Just re-released by the January 6th committee, hear the full, unedited recording between former President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. There are more than 11,780 reasons to listen to this.
Trans women’s bodies have been thrown into the spotlight recently. With a private member’s bill which “seeks to exclude trans girls and trans women from participating in sports” in the Senate being supported by some in government, and fervently denied by others, it’s worth diving into the science behind the issue causing all this furore.
While research in this field is still in its infancy, it’s clearer than some think. Not only do trans women not have advantages over cis women in sport in most cases, but cis women playing sports are overwhelmingly not worried about trans women competing alongside them.
First, let’s start with the science. When a trans woman decides to transition, usually one of the first medical steps they’ll undertake is to go on hormones. These are testosterone blockers (also known as anti-androgen medications) and estrogen, both of which are common medications that can also be prescribed to cis women to treat various ailments.
These hormones have a number of effects on a trans woman’s body – they add and change the way fat is distributed, they lower the levels of red blood cells, and significantly decrease strength, muscle and lean body mass.
“In sports cheating via ‘blood doping’, red blood cells are raised,” wrote Ada Cheung, an endocrinologist from the University of Melbourne, in a Sydney Morning Heraldopinion article. “The opposite occurs in trans women: oxygen-carrying red blood cells drop to female levels. Trans women gain fat mass and lose bone density.
Not only do trans women not have advantages over cis women in sport in most cases, but cis women playing sports are overwhelmingly not worried about trans women competing alongside them.
“Further research is coming. My research group at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University, have started the GAME research study examining how feminizing hormones impact fitness, endurance, physique and gene changes in muscle over time in comparison groups.”
Although hormones will change many facets of a trans woman’s body if they transition as an adult, it won’t change someone’s height; and one study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggested that despite strength and muscle decreasing, they may still have a small advantage over the average cis women.
This is where the controversy comes from. Is it “fair” for someone who went through male puberty to be able to play at the elite level with women? Despite the recent coverage, this is not a particularly new issue. In elite sports, many sporting bodies already have codes in place that allow trans women to play if their testosterone level is below 5–10 nanomoles per litre for a number of months.
But in almost all sports, height or a slight strength advantage are not what gives you the leg-up over competitors. The AFL has called the ideas that trans women will “dominate” on the field, or cause a safety concern to their cis teammates, as “myths”.
“Sporting ability is more than just hormones,” they write in their Gender Diversity Policy. “Like other players, gender diverse players are all individuals and may have a range of physical abilities, fitness, skill levels and different strengths and weaknesses in the multi-skilled game of Australian football.
“For example, a cisgender or transgender woman may be taller and/or stronger than other women competitors but may also be slower and/or less agile.”
The results at the Olympics and other major sporting events back this up. For the very few trans women who have competed in sport at the elite level, there’s been no domination over cis women. Trans women may occasionally win, but they have never broken a world record, or won an Olympic event. If anything, trans women seem very much on an even playing field with their cis counterparts.
It’s also worth pointing out that the cohort of trans girls who transitioned before going through male puberty is only going to increase as more transgender people are able to transition earlier. For example, in 2017 in Australia, a law was overturned in the courts that had required all under 18 trans youth to go to court to be able to access puberty blockers or hormones from their doctor. Although there’s still a long way to go, increased access to gender affirming care for kids means that the issue itself is very likely to get smaller over time.
This idea that trans women are naturally better at sport than cis women comes back to the impression that men have an innate advantage over women in every sport, which is not true either. Although we’ve mentioned that men are on average taller and stronger than women, at very long distances in ultra-running, research has shown that women start to outcompete men. This seems to be because women are metabolically better suited for endurance. Then there’s sports like figure skating, which became segregated in 1905 after British woman Madge Syers entered what had previously been an all-male World Championships and won silver.
Madge Syers, British figure skater. Olympic Games, London 1908. Credit: ullstein bild Dtl / Getty
But in the debate on the inclusion of transgender women in sports, we are not just talking about elite sport – this also includes community and children’s sports, both which involve a different range of issues.
The vast majority of sports are played by those who are kids and teenagers, and the highest percentage of people who identify as transgender are people under the age of 18. It’s important to acknowledge that trans women in sport includes trans girls who have never gone through male puberty – and who could benefit from the health and mental wellbeing benefits of sport the most. Unfortunately, the data shows that LGBTQ+ people are under-represented playing sports.
“Sport is a very valuable tool to be used to help boost LGBT kids’ self-esteem and self-worth,” says Erik Denison, the lead researcher at the Sport Inclusion Project at Monash University.
“Everything we know from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the US, is that if kids play sport, they’re about half as likely to have attempted suicide in the last year.”
Many community women’s clubs do not have testosterone guidelines and welcome anyone who identifies as a woman. On top of that, research surveys done by Denison have also shown that the majority of women sporting players do not see playing against a trans competitor as an issue.
In his research across six sports and 12 community clubs at Monash University, less than a quarter (24%) of women believed “trans women have an unfair advantage when they play on a female sport team”. Interestingly, when men were asked the same question, that percentage almost doubled (46%). This is similar to other research findings around the world.
Denison understands this. When he first began work in this field, he also assumed that trans women would have an unfair advantage. The research has changed his understanding, but it’s worth noting exactly why this difference exists.
“For [men] playing sport, the number one reason is about competition and winning,” he says. “I’ve never done research where the first thing a guy says is that they like their sport because it’s inclusive or welcoming or friendly,” he says.
“Whereas just about the first thing every woman that I’ve ever interviewed says when you ask them, ‘Why do you like your sport?’ is, ‘Oh, it’s great to meet friends, it’s inclusive, it’s a very friendly club’.”
Transgender, non-binary athlete Quinn with team Canada after winning Olympic gold during the Women’s Football match between Canada and Sweden, Tokyo 2021. Credit: Naomi Baker / Getty
This echoes my own experience playing in a women’s AFL team with trans women playing alongside us. And this inclusive, welcoming aspect goes back all the way to when women’s sports were just beginning to rise in popularity in Australia.
“There are lots of examples where women created their own associations, leagues and competitions because if they didn’t, they simply would not have had the opportunity to play,” explains Kirby Fenwick, co-founder of Siren: A Women in Sport Collective and an expert in the history of women’s sport.
“Men have long dominated sport in Australia and too often resisted creating space or opportunity for women. “Embedded in the fabric of women’s sport is a foundation of community and inclusivity – a desire to bring people in, not look for ways to keep them out.”
Scottie's Playtime 